Monday, March 22, 2010

I Suck at Confrontation


I hate that I just had to do that. I am a nice person who likes things harmonious and I hate having conflict. First of all I totally suck at it - it always comes out the wrong way, and secondly, someone will get in shit, and I hate being a narc.

Or will they? Will they just scoff and say "that girl is so high maintenance - she just expects us to run circles around her - who does she think she is?" Are they all having a good laugh? Or do they hate me even more now that I've had to rat them out? Does the doctor even know? I doubt A would voluntarily tell him that they dropped the ball. My impression is he's a bit of dick for a boss...I have seen him get short with his staff - he's rolled his eyes in anger in my direction...those times you can cut the tension with a knife, and I've often thought to myself "I'd hate to work here."

I called and knew A would answer the phone. She's not a nurse - she's the office co-ordinator. It went like this...
A: Dr. A's office?
L: Hi A, it's LM.
A: Oh hi dear, how are you?
(this is where it all goes down hill)
L: Fine. A, don't you normally follow up after a surgery? I was told I would get a phone call the night of, and I was told I would DEFINITELY get a call the next day...and nothing. No one has contacted me from your office.
(silence)
A: Oh... I'm... so sorry sweetie... how are you feeing now?
L: Actually I don't feel very good at all. I've been nauseated and exhausted. I have a foreign object in my body and I am calling to find out when I can get it out.
A: Let me call you back sweetie.
L: (grrrr stop calling me sweetie) Ok.

She called back to say that the longer the balloon is in the better...BECAUSE "it was a very difficult procedure". REALLY? I hadn't realized. I said "speaking of, I really don't know what happened during the procedure -why did it take 3 hours? Was it not supposed to be 40 minutes?" She said yes, but that it was "a very difficult procedure." She said that the doctor explained everything to Chris. Uh, Chris isn't a doctor - he's the spouse of a patient. I would rather hear it from the horse's mouth.

So nothing resolved really/no reprocussions for them...she'll probably whisper it to G (Bloodwench) that she forgot to follow up and G will get her nose out of joint again and act like she did nothing wrong, and ONCE AGAIN I'll be made to feel the asshole, the trouble maker, the high maintenance one.

Lose/lose.


5 comments:

Anonymous said...

SO FRUSTRATING! I'd be pissed off too, no one ever wants to be the bad guy but sometimes you have to do what you have to do. You tell them who's boss Auntie Lis xoxo

Anonymous said...

We've found clinic's always have a chip on their shoulder...and they think you're telling them what/how to do it. Then they get offended when you call them on the fact they didn't do what they said they would. And it's YOUR HEALTH/BODY!!!

Don't let the nurse's and receptionists push you around!

Anonymous said...

That is maddening! I know you don't want to be a "rat", but I think you need to be persistent and talk to the Dr about this. Even if you aren't doing it in a "tattle" way, maybe just ask for a return call from the Dr so you can ask him questions about the procedure. Just a thought. So sorry for all this. I HATE these people for you....Tracy

Anonymous said...

Lisa you didn't do anything wrong, they did. Someone dropped the ball and they are lucky that something more serious didn't happen. You could have been having complications and someone following up would know the signs to look for and have specific questions. I wouldn't be relying on Chris to relay info if I was the physician, I like Chris but it would be my ass on the line not his. Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy.

I hope you are feeling better Lisa.

Janet

tge said...

Ugh, how stupid. I'd give them a scalding online review. Seriously, who wants to walk into a place like that not knowing?