What is with doctors not having any sort of bedside manner?? When I first met with the doctor to find out if the cyst was something that should be taken out of my back, I met with him for MAYBE five minutes. He didn’t give me any details of the procedure, but made it seem as if it was simple enough, so any questions I had were silly.
Fast forward to Friday. CP and I had to get up at the butt-crack of dawn in order to drive an hour. We waited for a few minutes before I was admitted for a pee test (to make sure that I wasn’t pregnant), to insert the needle into my hand, to go over the medicines that I take, etc. After the nurses finished with all of that, CP and I waited….and waited….and waited. The nurses made it seem as if my doctor? Wasn’t so good about being on time.
When he finally showed up over 30 minutes late, he made a quick joke about CP’s Red Sox hat. He then proceeded to have a shocked look on his face when CP told a short (and might I add- funny) story about the person downstairs wearing a Yankees hat. His face had the look of “why are you telling me this? I am a busy doctor. I don’t make small talk.” He asked CP if he had any questions (NOT ME) and when CP said no, quickly walked out. Ummmm okay.
Then after I laid down on the operating table, I asked if I could see the cyst when I woke up. (what? I was curious) He said, “sure. You won’t remember it though.” The entire time he is playing on his Blackberry. The anesthesia then hit me and I don’t remember anything.
After I woke up, I did ask the nurse to see my cyst (and yes I DO remember what it looked like). Did he come out after I woke up to tell me that he got all of the cyst? To tell me anything at all? No. Even when I had questions as to what I could do exercise-wise and just in general in the next three weeks before I see him, the nurses had to phone him to ask instead of him coming out and talking to me.
What kind of bedside manner is this? This is a 2005 “top doctor” in the state and a 2007 “top doctor-surgeon” in the city. Who the heck voted this guy as a top doctor????
4 comments:
Ugh, that is unfortunate and obviously did not leave a good impression. Well, know if people ask you for your opinion about your experience and your doctor and you can tell them.
The hospital may call or send you a questionnaire about your experience too.
I cannot BELIEVE he asked CP if he had any questions and NOT YOU! WTF?!
It's really too bad that such a low standard of care has become the norm in most places. We now have to become our own advocates, to the detriment of many people who don't KNOW what questions to ask or what info they'll need.
I'm glad everything went well, surgically speaking, though! (Many surgeons tend to be pretty cocky and non-chalant, unfortunately. I've worked with MANY)
What an ass! I have a low opinion of most doctors. Over the years, I've been exposed to so many smug, over-confident d-bags who do nothing but screw up in the medical profession, I avoid them unless it's absolutely necessary.
Post a Comment