Two Questionsby Sharon NoseworthyIt was three months since my last eye appointment, and I had two questions. But first things first. I was sent to the examination room, and I paused in the doorway. “Over here,” the assistants called. “Where is over here?” I asked, not wanting to run into any equipment. “Over here!” they repeated louder. I found them madly waving their arms. Didn’t they know this was an eye clinic? After they took images of my retina, the resident, who neglected to introduce himself, took over. He looked at the imaging, at my eyes, and back at the imaging. I asked my first question: "Could you please explain what happened to my eye?" He started with an explanation of the reason for injecting the anti-VEGF drug and how it would help. Encouraging. Then I realized he was giving only a general explanation. He had not read my chart. So no answer. Then, a support person started to question him about another patient. He stood up and said he would get the retinal surgeon. The RS arrived, introduced himself, and asked me how I was feeling. Most encouraging. He looked at the imaging, at my eyes, said come back in three months, and disappeared. I didn’t get to ask my second question. Before I left, I had to tell the receptionist that September 29 plus three months was the end of December, not November. I also wanted to tell her everyone had wasted my time and theirs. The resident had failed to learn, and the doctor is overworked with a never-ending assembly line of patients. My appointment had turned into a DISappointment. Maybe I should have told the doctor how I was really feeling: anxious, upset, discouraged, vexed. Instead, I told him what he wanted to hear: “Just fine, thank you.” I guess I’m just grateful he has the fortitude to face the day, every day, with more patients than he can handle, inept students, and having to face even more of the same in the future. We need more doctors, we need better protocol for support workers, and we need residents who read charts. I don’t remember now what my second question was going to be, but maybe it should have been, “How do we get all of that?” |