MAYBE I’M JUST AN ANGRY OLD MAN-But maybe not

I had a Monday doctor’s appointment recently that left my blood boiling. Read what I have to say and see if you agree with me, or believe I am just an angry old man- As Will Smith said in the first MEN IN BLACK movie (1997), “Am I right or do I owe that girl an apology?”

I arrived at the appointment almost 5 minutes late. After waiting in a short line, I apologized to the receptionist for my tardiness. She ignored me.

Throughout the encounter with her, I felt, she was gruff and dismissive of me. While looking down at her computer screen, she said, “We show you have ABCD and WXYZ insurance. Do you still have both carriers? Her tone was irritated so I responded in a tone that matched hers. “No, as I told the girl Friday (Their previous workday when I came in for tests) when I updated my information, ABCD is in, WXYZ is out.

Without acknowledging my answer, she handed me an I-Pad and said, in a more irritated tone, “We need your signature on these update pages.”

Now I thought she was just messing with me and I answered, “Nothing has changed since Friday when I filled these same updates out.” Her outright angry response was “You didn’t do these pages!”

I read the pages and they appeared to be similar, if not identical, to those I signed the previous business day. I signed them just as my nurse came to the door and called me in for my appointment.

I said to Bertha, a nurse I have dealt with many times, “That receptionist is a B****, oh, I’m sorry about my language.” She replied that she was sorry I had a bad experience and suggested I mention it to the doctor.

Bertha then took my blood pressure, and I warned her that it might be elevated. We both laughed.

When the doctor came in she said, “I’m sorry you had a bad experience, what happened?”

I summarized it for her and she said, “That is not acceptable.” She told me she would definitely talk to the woman. I asked if she would let me know what becomes of my complaint and she said, “OH, I’m not going to fire her for this.” I told her I did not want the receptionist to be terminated, but I would like to know how my complaint is handled and she said, “Well that’s just not gonna happen.”

This response left me wondering what happened to the old “The customer is always right” way of doing things.

In the course of the exam she asked me if I was still taking my cholesterol medication and I reminded her she ended that prescription almost two years ago. She said, “Oh, that was because you didn’t come in when I sent you reminders. You’ll have to get back on that, it’s really important.” I wish she had thought it was important when she was taking me off of required medication. My numbers had been improving when she ended the prescription; that lead me to believe that I no longer needed it.

I had been a patient at this practice for around fifteen years. I went through two doctors prior to this one. I believe the first moved to another state and the second switched his specialty out of family medicine. I had been happy with the practice and stayed with it through these transitions. This latest doctor was, by no means, my favorite. Her “bedside manner” left a lot to be desired. She did not show the confidence the previous doctors did but, nonetheless, I did trust her enough to continue as her patient.

In retirement I am trying to avoid situations that upset me, fall short of my expectations, or run contrary to my moral code.

I stopped using two pharmacies when I heard on the news that they were selling “The abortion pill.” I am now giving all of my prescription business to a small, family-owned pharmacy much further from my home. I stopped drinking a soft drink when I heard that company’s CEO proudly proclaim they were giving a large donation to BLACK LIVES MATTER, an organization that speaks loudly about defunding the police. Because of that announcement I decided to defund that company. MY NOTE: They have not gone out of business as a result of my mini protest.

I have adjusted my life in other ways since retirement. It makes me feel that I am, in my own small way, making a difference. This BLOG is an attempt to bring a view that is not always heard out there. I don’t expect everyone to agree with me; in fact, I encourage everyone to voice their feelings in the comment section. I welcome all opinions, all viewpoints.

I have now posted over 100 blogs and heard many dissenting views. I believe the ability to debate is what made this country great, and what will keep it great if we can all remember that a dissenting opinion is not a personal insult. It is another view which could, very easily, contain at least some truth. More than that, the dissenting opinion may be the correct one.

Well, I have to run. I’ve got to start looking up doctors in the phone book. Does anyone know of a good general practitioner in the Western suburbs of Chicago?

Thank you for reading to the end. I really would appreciate it if you could share your views with everyone.