1)This week I realized how much I appreciate the support of the people I work with:
Not that I don't love all of my patients, but there are certainly ones who tax more of the office staff's, um, resources.
And this week I was in the position to see one of those patient's. This patient had taxed about as much as he could tax without people (in every department) getting pretty hot under the collar. So when he was coming in on my schedule, and a certain foot needed to be put down about office policies, I had more back up than I could've hoped for.
It started with a text from one of our front desk people: "Hey, just a heads up, but so and so is on your schedule today." I was glad to know I wouldn't be blindsided by it that afternoon. Then as I walked in, the two unit secretaries let me know that they'd adjusted my schedule to help me deal with what would probably be an extended appointment.
As I stood on the nurses station, a few employees came over and rehearsed with me the best way to handle the situation. A fellow physician saw one of my patient's for me so that I had more time to get my game face on. My nurse offered to come knock on the door at an appointed time to see if I needed backup (I hope you are sensing that this was not a typical office visit...in fact, I don't think I've ever seen a patient who was so widely known by the staff!). Etc., etc., It felt like I was a gladiator being prepped for battle. And so by the time I was sitting across from the patient, I didn't feel stressed or anxious at all. Because it felt so good to know that outside my office door, there were dozens of people pulling for me and hoping it was going all right. That I had on the armor of goodwill and solidarity, and that everything would be just fine.
And it was.
2)That is how we spent our morning.
Both kids had their well-child visits today. Lil' Drummer didn't make a peep while his ears were examined (I enjoy this victory since I know how hard it can be to be the examiner) and Tiny Dancer impressed the doc with her knowledge of fairy tales. He declared Tiny dancer precocious and Lil' Drummer a lightweight. We need to get more meat on that kids' bones. And you know what's funny? Even though my office feels like a second home, I still have some of the same anxieties that everyone else does when I'm on the other side of the coin. I'll have to write more about that sometime.
3)This little darling is pretty fun to take shopping. I had a couple returns to make, and she wanted to carry my bags, and stop at every.single.bench (of which there were many) on the way out, to snap iphone pictures. I'm glad that her mall fascination right now centers around their escalators, and not their product lines. This is something that I know is bound to change in the coming years.
4)That article about dirty shopping carts makes me feel better. I mean, it makes me feel worse about the state of shopping carts, but better about my slightly OCD habits. Because you better believe that whenever I schlep the kids into Target or Trader Joe's with me, I wip out my personal supply of anti-bacterial wet wipes, and scrub the handles down. I try to do so as unobtrusively as possible, always wary that people think I'm some kind of crazy. But then I read this and I think, "I am NOT the crazy one!" So, ponder that next time you are at the grocery store, okay?
5)This dress that she's wearing?
Well, it's actually a tanktop, but the company accidentally sent me a size 6-7. I said to her, "Sweetie, It's too big. It's for a six year old." "No, Mom, it fits perfectly and it's for a three year old." She was devastated that I might exchange it for the proper size. And they're sold out of it now, so it's either, go with it as a tank dress, or abandon it altogether! What would you do?
Happy Weekend!
Those are some CUTE KIDS!
ReplyDeleteGlad it went well with your "special" patient and that you had so much support. I often wonder how doctors and specialists perceive me as we've gone to so many appointments.
ReplyDeleteI must say, I've only lost it twice, maybe three times, and honestly it was all in the same office-the GI Specialist. The first time I remember well, Adam was very ill, not getting better, we still didn't know what was wrong. We had just gone through 24 hours at home with a pH probe test and had driven to the office the day before, which took 30 minutes one way. The nurse removed the pH probe test and said, "Thank you. You can leave now." I was shocked. Frustrated, exhausted, and knowing that it only took a few minutes to read the results of the test I asked for the results then. She stated the doctor, who was at the office (I saw him), didn't see patients during the time we were scheduled to come. I asked why we were scheduled to come at that time then. To make a long story short, I stayed firm and we were able to see the doctor, who gave us the results, and a prescription for a new medication.
A few months later we met with a dietician at the same office. We never received any paper work before hand. I had arranged for a babysitter for Owen, had driven once again the same distance, just for her to say, these are a list of the things he should avoid. That was it. I was looking for some actual help with his nutrition. In the end I was quite honest with her and told her that this appointment had been a complete waste of time. During the appointment she also tried to calculate if Adam was taking in enough formula. No lie, she called our home the next day to tell me that she had made a mistake with the calculations and asked to see him again.
At most appointments I do feel that the specialists genuinely believe that Jason and are kind, sophisticated, and educated people who respect doctors and therefore they respect us. Sorry for rambling on. I'm guessing you more than anyone would have an image in your mind of the perfect appointment.
I like the tank dress by the way. No one would ever know.
Renae--it's interesting...I had never stopped to think about what a perfect appointment would be for me! I see so many different types of people, problems and personalities, that I think all that makes up a perfect appointment for me is: enough time. :) Honestly, I can handle all types of people as long as I have the time to do so. And, I should point out that this particular patient had been verbally abusive to staff, so that's why everyone was on edge about him. I think it can be very appropriate to express frustration as you did, when proper care isn't given! :)
ReplyDelete