I'm a little irritated with my Dr's office/Dr

I am having a real hard time - my Dr gave me SO MUCH info my head was spinning and she realized this- so she asked if I had any questions and I said well you gave me alot in a short amount of time - I'm sure I will think of something...she said fine just give me a call if you think of anything.
So I called last week and asked the nurse questions or to have my Dr call me back. I got a call back yesterday saying that I needed to come in with my questions..What the heck????
She told me to call..SO I did...now I have to get my dh to leave work early to watch the kids and spend another $30 on a copay to sit there for 5 minutes and have my questions answered that could have been done over the phone!
I am very irritated! and it's going to be hard not to go in with a chip on my shoulder today because this is a real inconvenience for me and my family!


Okay vent is over- thank you for listening.

How aggravating that must be... make sure you tell her that too! That way it won't happen again... hopefully

	Quote:
Originally Posted by dolphin1173 How aggravating that must be... make sure you tell her that too! That way it won't happen again... hopefully

Yeah but I'm always afraid to tell my dr's I'm unhappy- then you get labeled right off the bat..this is a new Dr and office for me and I ahve already had a bad experince with the 1st Dr I had...:hiding face:
I guess I am just hard to please.

Hi, I know it's hard not to be upset with the way we get treated sometimes. I always have to wait at least an hour before I get to see my doctor. NO kidding. But he's a gyn oncologist, and this means that I'm not the only one with cancerous issues to attend to, and he does take time with my questions when I finally get in to see him myself.

It could be that your doctor wants to be able to show you on a picture of organs just what is happening, or it could be that she wants to make sure you do fully understand what it is she is trying to explain. Sometimes they prefer dealing with us in person, because they can better assess how we are handling the information we are being given.

I might suggest you try to borrow from your local library some book or other on women's gynecological issues, and maybe study that up a bit, so you will have all your questions together before you go in. If you have been talking with your doctor about tests and possible outcomes for cancer, maybe look into the Mayo Clinic's Guide to Women's Cancers (or something like that title).

It's hard to get things right, and our doctors are literally our lifelines. They forget that, sometimes, when they get busy. They have lots of us out here needing them. And there are too few of them to go around. Of course it's all inconvenient. I hope the meeting goes well for you. There are places on this site that help women focus their thinking and figure out what questions to ask. Maybe someone will come along and show you where these links are.

Best wishes on all this.

Right down any questions and give them list to your dr just incase you may have forgotten anything.

that is unless you're anything like me... i kept loosing my lists! Seriously though, making lists is a great idea!! it helps (even if you loose them)

My Dr.'s group attributed my discomfort (at least 4 years) as general sagging, etc. of aging. I persisted and changed Dr.'s within the group - 3 different doctors in 4 years of yearly exams.... finally found out that the "lump" I thought I had was actually my cervix protruding from my vagina. I wish I had gotten upset and confronted one of them earlier. My quality of life was diminishing and I needed to do something. When I finally did find out... "Did anyone tell you that that is your cervix?" I was outraged. How many women take their doctors words with too much confidence and trust. I actually trusted them and was feeling bad that I was being persistent and a "pain"....

The doctor who finally told me what my problem was is no longer performing surgical procedures, so I was then turned over to another doctor (thankfully not one of the 2 previous doctors I had seen) I was putting my body in the hands of someone I didn't even know. She speaks very fast and doesn't seem to have time to bother with me. Like your doctor, mine also told me to call if I had any questions. I called yesterday because it feels like my ovaries are swollen and I wanted to know if that is normal or not. I spoke with the nurse, who forwarded a message to my doctor. The nurse later called back - if it is external pain, it is most likely muscular; if it is internal pain, they want to see me if I feel it is serious.

The pain is about a 3 or 4 on pain scale - no swelling. I decided to save all other questions for my 6 week post-op. I think this website is an excellent source of information and I have learned more in a couple hours on this site than any information my doctor has given.

YOU NEED TO BE YOUR OWN ADVOCATE!!! If you have questions, ask. Take care of yourself, love yourself. Don't worry that you will be labeled - you have a RIGHT to be heard.

Don't worry about venting.... it stops you from overheating.

You are so right... I just remembered that when I went in to see my PA (physician's assistant) for my yearly exam.... I told HER that I had a prolapsed uterus and my cervix was coming out.... she asked me "what's a prolapse?" I about wanted to scream!!! Took me about 5 months to get a referal!

If YOU know something is not right with YOUR body... keep telling them, changing docs if neccessary! Nobody knows our own bodies better than we do!

Okay here goes-


Well I had an appt today at 3:30 so I left at 3 and got to the office at 3:20.
I was signing in and one of the staff asked are you Tracy? I said yes I am. Nothing after that was said..ooookaaaayyy
So I sat and I waited and waited and waited. One women came out and told her husband that she hadn't even been seen - and that she would find another Dr..

So I waited and waited well you know- I was finally called back and was asked to ..I was like c'mon for real???
Jeez I just want to talk to the dr...I'm not here for a physical or what have you- anyway I had to wait and wait and wait some more IN TRIAGE before I was called back.

Ladies it was 4:15 when I was put into a procedure room and 4:30 before my Dr came in. What happened to talking w/your DR in her office??? I mean seriously? all my Dr's in Maryland did all their consults in their office
anyway back to the issue.

I will say that she does take her time with me and DOES NOT rush me- which is number two on my list of MUSTS with Dr's. My number one is bedside manners.

So we talked out why we need to the LAVH instead of the old fashion hyst and I was fine with that and we talked lots of other things ON MY LIST and also about my recovery support. Which I mentioned was my very overweight mom whose diabetic insulin dependant and who sleeps most of the day away, and my sister who is going through the same thing I am and will be bringing her younger child with her (3 &5) while she stays 2.5 weeks to help me out. AAAAAND that my husband isn't all that great with the children for long periods of time (my 3 little ones are 4 and 3 year old twins) I also have a 15 y/o son.
Her jaw hit the floor and she she blurted out that our conversation has overwhelmed her and she wants to make sure I am okay w/the surgery and all it entails.

She was very worried about my "help" after surgery. Well that put me in tears. Yeah I am so emotional right now. Always get that way during my 14 day cycles!!!!
So she stressed to me that for the entire 6 weeks I will NOT be able to lift anything more then a gallon of milk. I told her I want that in writing well I will put all that I am having done in my sig in a bit- my sister just called in.



Thanks so much for listening!!!

Dear Tracy,

You DO have a lot to think about, don't you. Is there a way that you could ask a friend to take care of your children for you for the first weeks, rather than have your sister and her kids take care of you? My concern is that you will end up being hostess, rather than being princess, post-surgery. If you have a friend you could ask to take your kids for the first 3-4 weeks, you could offer to take care of hers for the same amount of time when you are better.

As for waiting for the doctor, I have waited for 3 hours. Now, mind you, I drive 3 1/2 hours to see my doctor, a gyn oncologist in a very major important highly ranked university hospital setting. Yesterday, for instance, I went down for a pre-operative appt (yes, I face more gyn surgery, even though I have had my hyst plus BSO). I got up at 4 AM to make my 8:30 appt, and the doctor didn't even get there until 9:30, and I didn't see him until 10. Sometimes it just happens this way. He also has little bedside manner. But he is tops in his field. So I live with the significant inconvenience of schedule. There have been perhaps three times when he has actually seen me within 45 minutes of my scheduled appointment.

Anyway, I'm a little with your doctor on the post-surgery bit: would it be possible to ask a friend to trade labor with you for four weeks? You take her kids when you can, and she takes your kids now?