Need to vent

I am so frustrated with my doctor's nurse. I have only called a few times with a few questions and every time she acts like I call all the time or I should know the answer. Today, when she returned my call and only answered 2 of my questions and then didn't really answer them at all.

Maybe I was just spoiled with my other doctor who always answered my questions and no question was too silly to ask and her nurse was great too. Unfortunately, though, she had to retired from surgery due to her own health problems so I couldn't have her do my hysterectomy.

Anyone else have this issue?

So sorry your having this problem. Your paying this doctor and have every right to call with questions. I'd let the doctor know about this at your next appointment. Your doctor probably isn't even aware the nurse is treating patients this way.This happens a lot. Unfortunately we have to go through the staff. I wonder half the time if these people answering the phone even know what hysterectomy recovery entails or if they are just answering in general based on their opinion.When I went in for a post op check the girl taking my vitals asked when the date of my last period was. I politely informed her that I was here for a post op hysterectomy check up and don;t have periods anymore. Her next question was what kind of birth control do you use? HELLO! Did she not know what hysterectomy was, and if not is this the same person answering patients questions when hey call with problems? This is an OB/GYN office.How can she work there when she doesn't even know how a uterus works?
:cathugs:

Yes, last week when I called about the bruising around my incision and had to get a refill on my narcotic pain medication, she acted like everyone should know that the bruising is normal and then treated me like I was an addict for needing another refill.

She then asked if I made a 6 week post-op appointment and then transferred me to the front desk to make the appointment. I told the girl I needed to make a 6 week post-op appointment and she asked me when I delivered. I "politely" told her that I hadn't delivered, I had a hysterectomy. After I got off the phone, I realized she had scheduled my 6 week appointment at 7 weeks. I had to call back and reschedule.

The sad thing is this is a specialist's office so you think they would be more professional.

Definitely bring this up to the doctor at your next visit.This staff makes him look bad, and he probably doesn't even know.I called a few weeks ago because my kidney infection hadn't cleared up and I was out of antibiotics. The girl on the phone said, we'll you have an appointment in 5 days so the doctor can check you then. I quickly informed her I wasn't waiting 5 days for antibiotics and letting my infection spread and get worse. She tells me she'll talk to the doctor and call me back. When she called back she said the doctor said to go immediately to the emergency room. She didn't even apologize for her bad advice an hour ago! I also was treated like a drug seeker when I called twice 2 weeks post op about pain. I was totally blown off. Ended up at the emergency room with a Kidney infection a week later. The Er doc said I shouldn't have ignored my pain because a bladder infection had moved into my kidneys because it went untreated. I told him I called my doctor twice about pain and was told I shouldn't still need pain meds and to take motrin. He was surprised!

Wow, you both were much more polite than I was at my Dr.'s office. When asked whether I had a boy or a girl I practically screamed "I had a girl AND I NAMED HER UTERUS." I have to say though, she remembers I had a hysterectomy now!!
I agree with Cathy, your Dr. has no idea what's happening out front.
Laura

I think more and more doctors/nurses are brushing off their patients. I spent months (8 to be exact) trying to get proper treatment and was continually ignored/brushed off/pushed to the side by one PA/Doctor after another. What it did for me was make sure my cancer once found was all ready a stage IV death sentence. I wish I could go back and RUN from every single one of the five doctors that just kept brushing me off!! I had been treated so crappie that I started to believe it was normal until I had an oncologist tell me that it wasn't. Ladies PLEASE DO NOT LET THEM RUN YOU OVER! YOU ARE THE ONLY PERSON WHO WILL STAND UP FOR YOU.

I had to turn one of my doctors main nurses in to the office manager... she is the one who is over ALL staff including the hoyty toyty nurses who treat you like crud and ignore you... she had went over my dr head and rescheduled a major appointment without telling him Ihad called and had questions for HIM and to call me , instead she told him that I didnt want the appointment and had rescheduled it for me ... she would roll her eyes at me at appointments (never spoke to her dont know why she was so rude) then she forgot to give me my ekg reports from cardiologist 3 weeks post fact and couldnt see where I had even been referred for the test! She told ME to call and get the results and I couldnt because the dr had ordered the test and only the dr could read them! there was much more than this but I finally had enough and got a hold of another dr office and asked what I could do and she said report her to the office manager over the nursing staff... well I did and they listened... got me my results in 3 minutes.. took detailed notes on how I had been treated and I got a weird call from my doctor a week later saying he was angry that his nurse had been reprimanded and that he was busy enuf and now she had to do classes... oh yeah I ticked him off too! I havent been back... I wont go back... and I walked away with satisfaction knowing she got reprimanded and the doctor didnt like it... oh yeah she also never knew why I was there ... didnt even pull up a file... on 2 seperate visits she took me to a room and said I didnt need to get undressed and i was there for pelvic exams... and when I told her that she got huffy and yelled down the hall that I "claimed " to be here for a pelvic ... dont take it , theres no need if not for us they would be out of a job , if treated rude report it to dr., if dr doesnt care, report it to office manager... they are on a differ level than the dr and can reprimand his staff if they get out of line or dont follow protocol or dont know what they are doing... such as asking what pill you are on after a hysterectomy... they need to know this stuff as it saves other patients from them making a bad mistake and harming a patient from lack of knowing what to do..or not reporting to dr what you are calling about.