Waiting on the Doctor (Wacky Wednesday Post)

Alright I know my Wednesday posts have veered sufficiently away from travel enough I cannot even call them loosely related. I've bored you with my quantum physics stuff and even poetry, so now I'll get into a pet peeve. Those doctor visits, ugh!

We've all had to experience them. We go to the doctor and wait for our name to be called as we sit quietly with all the other sickos. Then, when the nurse appears and calls our name 20-40 minutes after our "scheduled" appointment, we feel like we won the lottery. So, we get up and strut past all the others waiting, privately gloating because we are the "chosen one".

But wait, it's not over yet. Now we are led to our second waiting room. Here the nurse takes a few vitals and asks a few questions (the same ones the doctor will ask later), then she tells us the doctor will see us in a few minutes. What? A few minutes? Are you kidding me? This is at least another 10-20 minutes wait on top of the previous waiting time. Well, at least in this room I can be alone and not sit around wondering what sick diseases all those other people have.

Then the doctor knocks on the door before entry. He doesn't wait for you to open the door or tell him it's ok to enter, he just comes in. Why knock? It's not like he hasn't seen me naked before! And what? Does he think I've already anticipated that I need to take my clothes off and sitting in there naked? I think one of these times I'm gonna mess with him. I'm going to get completely naked and when he knocks on that door and enters without my OK, I'm going to start screaming at him. Maybe that will teach him.

It's not just medical doctors but dentists who do it as well. The worst part for me is after the cleaning of my teeth and then waiting for the dentist's inspection. It's always a useless waste of my time. I sit there lying in that silly chair for 15 minutes or more for the dentist to ask me if everything is alright. Then he taps on a few teeth and tells me everything looks good and I'm dismissed. I feel like it's recess time after that!

My last dental appointment I was fed up with it. After the cleaning the hygienist told me the dentist would be right in. I waited about 10 minutes then I arose from the chair and said I was leaving. The hygienist looked alarmed and then assured me he would be right in. I settled back down but 5 minutes later, no dentist. I got up again to leave and she tells me, "You can't leave, the dentist requires he sees you each visit,"

What? He requires it? Isn't this a bit backwards? I replied to her, "The dentist can't require anything from me. I'm paying him! I have my own requirement and that is no more than a 15 minute wait!". Actually I even think that is quite generous.

I got up and I walked out the door. Suddenly, as I was entering my car the dentist came outside to stop me and apologize for the delay and said he could see me now. Really, where was he before I left?

I told him I am not trying to be rude but that I felt my time to be just as valuable as his time. I told him I wasn't leaving angrily, but I was leaving. I further told him I would come back for my next appointment so don't take this as I'm mad and won't be back, This guy is a young dentist trying to grow his business so I knew he didn't want to lose a patient, besides, I actually like him as a dentist

I had another experience at an eye clinic. I waited 45 minutes in the waiting room then I just got up and left. I followed up with a scathing google review of the eye doctor,

They called me a month later to reschedule and I told them I was unwilling to wait more than 20 minutes this time. They scheduled me for the first appointment the next week and I still waited that full 20 minutes I allowed. Why is there a 20 minute wait for the first scheduled appointment of the day?

Doctors really anger me. They maximize their profits at the expense of their patients time. Just because they have an advanced degree, they feel like their time is more important than yours. But you know, some of those patients waiting also have advanced degrees. And even if they don't, the time of all of us waiting is valuable to us.

I'm not going to take it anymore. Unless I'm in an emergency situation, I won't wait in excess of 20 minutes. Then I will exit and blast them on a review. Unless we revolt against this practice, these medical

professionals will continue to take advantage of us. If they are that busy, schedule fewer patients, but don't waste our time, I really don't care if you make $350,000 this year rather than only $300,000 because you maximize your profits at our time expense,

I don't know, maybe I'm just becoming one of those grouchy old men annoyed at the world, but I don't think I'm any more grouchy than as a young man. These things have always annoyed me. I think I'm just starting to get smart enough to realize, I don't have to take it anymore. What's that saying? I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore.

Please join my doctor revolt. 😀