I want to smack my Doctor's office staff
LWilson82
member
I called into my doctor's office today to make sure they knew that my next appt with my doctor was going to be a follow up from my D&C and not my previously scheduled 16 week appt. I also wanted to cancel all the other appts I had made for the remainder of my lost pregnancy. (Once you get to 12 weeks they make you schedule all of your appts for the remainder of your pregnancy so there was a lot to cancel.)
Anyway, the woman was so insensitive. She actually said to me "Why do you still need the appt on Feb 8th if you aren't pregnant anymore?" Ummm...because it's a FOLLOW UP TO MY D&C THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!. Which I had already said from the beginning of the conversation. Dear lord I wanted to strangle this woman. It literally took 5-10 minutes to get her to understand that gee when you have a D&C they actually want you to follow up with your doctor afterwards.
It's bad enough that this all had to happen but you'd think they would actually train the staff to be sensitive to patients. I am so dreading going in there yet again. I hate having to sit in the waiting room with a room full of happy pregnant women.
*sigh*
Oh well, I just need to keep praying I'll be one of them someday.
Thanks for letting me vent!
BFP#2 11.13.11| diag@13wks T21/Cystic Hygroma/Hydrops | D&C 1.24.12
BFP#3 12.13.12| HR 174 | Materni21 - All Chromosomes Normal! | EDD 8.25.13
Re: I want to smack my Doctor's office staff
Oh I had this with the office staff. She's only at one office one day of the week. I called and said I wanted my follow up with her and they said how about Th. I said she's there on Th? yea. I said OK. I confirmed TWICE that it was her on Th at that office.
They scheduled it with the male OB who has been in practice for 40 years. Why would I want to schedule it with this man who I've never met? And when I was special to my doctor??
I fixed it with the other office and when I met with her I brought it up. I told her I wasn't trying to complain, rather then inform her of what was going on. She was so apologetic and promised she would talk with the staff at the next staff meetings. I've talked to my GP about wait times (hi, two hours, really?) and now they have a policy of calling people if the wait is going to be >30 minutes. It really can't hurt to talk to the doctor. They are the ones whose practice it is.
(Can you tell I like to tell people how it is?)
So sorry. i am dreading my appt on Firday. While my doctor and the front staff are ok, I really don't want to see a bunch of pregnant people either.
and can we talk about all the magazines?
I had a big problem with the office staff at the old practice I went to. I had to beg them for a follow up appointment, they wouldn't let me speak to a doctor and left me to m/c at home. It was my first m/c and i was really scared. They gave me no information about what to expect, I should have at least had an u/s to rule out an ectopic pg.
Needless to say I left that practice. Now I'm struggling with getting copies of my medical records from them. It's been a month and they still have not given me the paperwork (which they are required to do by law). I got so angry that I finally called the office and told them I will be reporting the doctor to the state board.
Miscarriages suck, and insensitive and incompetent office staff just make it worse. There is no excuse for not providing better customer care.
Maybe you can schedule your follow up for the first appt of the morning, so you don't have to see all the other patients?
Yeah, I will definitely be talking about the issue with my doctor in a nice way. My doctor is the absolute best. She called me personally at home and talked to me for literally 20-30 minutes after she had already left the office when we got the confirmed diagnosis. So I know she will want to hear about any issues.
I'm with you on all the pregnancy mags! It's bad enough that my husband still reads the Baby Issue we get in the mail. Oh well, in a way it helps me to know that he's ok and able to move on. I know I'll get there eventually.
And nevarloc - a 2 hour wait consistantly?! OMG I would be irate. I get they are OB's and they are here to birth babies but they NEED to call the patients and tell them about the delay. That is just ridiculous that they don't. I would be furious. One time is one thing, but if it's a consistent thing..yeah I'd be majorly ticked.
BFP#2 11.13.11| diag@13wks T21/Cystic Hygroma/Hydrops | D&C 1.24.12
BFP#3 12.13.12| HR 174 | Materni21 - All Chromosomes Normal! | EDD 8.25.13
Insensitive and incompetent. Great combination. They need to have better appointment deletion protocols.
I've been lucky and haven't had any notable problems, though at my followup to the D&C today, the medical assistant asked "what can we help you with today" which I thought was odd. Luckily my OB was on the ball and had read my chart (it was my RE that had been treating me.)
I wish you a waiting room full of 18 year olds going for their first pelvic exam on the 8th.
I think too the negativity is just really amplified when you go through something like this. I know my hormones are out of control and things that would have never bothered me before, now make me burst into tears. I try to keep that in perspective when things like this happen but at the same time, just like you said, it's good to speak up when you can prevent someone else in my same situation from being put through that.
LOL! Thanks
This made me laugh out loud.
BFP#2 11.13.11| diag@13wks T21/Cystic Hygroma/Hydrops | D&C 1.24.12
BFP#3 12.13.12| HR 174 | Materni21 - All Chromosomes Normal! | EDD 8.25.13
I just know that story is going to make it to my 21st soon!
Make a complaint, a really loud one. That's not on. It doesn't matter how many u/s you have or how often, it's none of her bloody business!
If I'd been spoken to that way, I like to think I would have verbally b!tchslapped her. I'd probably have been to sad but still, that's really not a professional or even just polite way to talk to someone.