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Is Anybody Listening??


SassyBetsy

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I went to my cardiologist today because I called last week telling them since she cut my diuretic, I am swelling,so then when doc got message,she had her nurse tell me on Wed to get lab work Thurs and come to clinic on Friday at 8:40 for evaluation. So I luckily could have my blood drawn at the home, but unfortunately they never sent the results to the doctor so during the exam they did...

But the story starts with this:

 

BUT when I arrived to the office I was so tired and had leg pain so I sat down in waiting area and asked if I was at the correct place because the nurse had given my transportation the wrong address...another story....and the office clerk came over to me saying no they did not find any appointment  for me...

 

SO I told the story of being called and instructed to come in for this 8:40 appointment, so please try and find the nurse or the doctor....
....then the office clerk said, well if you will let me finish, you do have an appointment in August.
...I said did you hear what I said about the nurse calling me telling me to
 arrive today at 8:40?? I said wait I will write it down. And I did. I said please take this and help me. She said There is no appointment today.And she told me I could keep the paper I wrote out.

 

When I am stressed out, I breathe shallow, my chest hurts, I get dizzy, there is a rolling vision and sensation, I find it impossible to choose the right way to get my thoughts across, I feel physically ill. No, this is not a panic attack. This is a stroke attack. All my deficits become more pronounced. This is not a mental state you can avoid,this is another stroke by product.

And once here, now I have the crisis that stressed me PLUS my stroke stuff. And then it is all about coping. So do not think I am weak getting all flustered. I am handling war of the worlds in 3D one handed blindfold. But it hurts, I start to cry and I hate the universe for all of it.

So I felt devastated that she was not hearing that this appt was made 2 days earlier by a nurse there. I mean, can someone go check with someone? Can they believe me. Can they listen to me saying that I did not just decide to come see the doctor. But that leaves the rest even more interesting If I was an insane or utterly confused person because what I did was instinctual. I called over to the front desk and asked if the other two women could help me, and I explained. So one came over who asked me to lower my voice. oh yeah, strokeything for me, I do not even realize how loud I am, or maybe I had to be heard when she was over 6 feet away in a huge echoey room with other front desks for procedures. But she did not stay to talk, she just said she would look into it. I was satisfied to wait until they discovered the doctor requested my presence.

 But then she announced Nope No Appointment. Ok, I think we established the computer did not show my appointment. I said,Please ask. But then a familiar nurse came out calling for a patient. I asked her if she had called me,isnt she my cardio's nurse? She said sorry we rotate.I do not know.
 I could not even thank her because the second clerk waved the nurse away sayong they were handling it and telling me to not disrupt the office. Excuse me, that nurse took me in last time,processed my vitals,etc...and I can tell you about her family...and I assumed the doctors had particular nurses...but it was my plea, an alert that I was out here needing help. I told the clerks they were being rude and asked why they ignored me, and it was 8:50 and I wanted the doctor to know I was there.
And a third clerk said loudly, when can I get in on this?? The other one said not to, but she lit into me calling me rude for calling the staff rude. ok now, nothing like a crowd to egg you on, and the third clerk  was a crowd of 1 who was an instigator.Not to jump in and help talk to someone, but to tell me off, insist I have no appointment.

So frustrated and tearing up, I called the phone number to the cardiologist and explained I was there as instructed by the doctor's nurse,but the clerks said I did not have an appointment, and it was past my appointment and pleaded for help. She said you have reached the call center, but let me try and help you by calling someone. I waited, hearing one of the clerks mumble that I was on the phone right now, and I was expecting one of the clerks to spoil it...

 

but then a nurse came up talked to the clerk,looked at computer...and I sat demure, honestly desperate to see the doc....and a smiling  nurse,an office supervisor came to me telling me a miscommunication had occurred....ya think...and there was no problem with me being seen,in fact someone was coming to get me. I silently absorbed the I told you so moment and said a simple thank you, then called my medical office's "we listen"line and Talked until I was called to walk in the back, then asked

to be allowed to finish that call before they did the vital thing. The woman on the other end is suppose to be compassionate and settle you down, but I said I was making a complaint and I did not want someone to say nice things to me. I wanted to hear that an action was taken,people talked to because I am a disabled person who was treated horribly. And I said all I wanted was someone to come talk to me and believe me, and I wrote that and the clerk never took the paper telling me oh you hang on to that.
The person on complaint line said she will follow up. Do I care?Do I believe they actually do anything. Is that just to make patients believe someone listens.

 

 

 

But most important, I saw my cardiologist, no word mentioned about that stuff, she examined me,reviewed labs, and said heart failure was not reason for my swelling,and no I cannot increase diuretics due to kidney caution.  I got good news. But I need a sleep study next. 

 Maybe they blew me off....
but I live in a home,use transportation....a fine oiled machine is that process of getting me off to a doc appointment.

But what if I had been there on the wrong day..

and confused,worried. And then the clerk sighs,rolls her eyes and says can I finish.
Is that what you say. not me. I would say oh no, lets see,lets ask, and if you need to come back,do you have transportation home now,can I get you some water because I know this can be stessful.
Nah,that is too humane for this TrumpeterTwitter Era of those workers there for a break not a career.

oh so I went on a rant.
pour me a drink.

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