Ah, the waiting room.... (Bing images)
I'm willing to bet that at some time or another, all of you have noticed that our medical care system has become more automated.....picking numbers and having those numbers called out by a computer generated voice. The above photo is similar to the waiting room I expereienced this morning. I arrived at 8am, but probably should have arrived at 7:30. It was really full. The facility I was in has a Tricore lab in it, which is where I was going ~ but it also has physicians, nurses and mental health doctors too, which probably accounts for how busy it was. Monday seems to kick us in the backside more often than any other day of the week ~ just sayin.
I hit the button on the kiosk that spits out the little piece of paper with a number on it. With that little piece of paper comes the hope that there aren't too many ahead of you....until the computer voice says "A025 please report to desk #3", and your paper says A054. I settled in.
At first it was fairly quiet. The occassional rustle of paper, shoes scuffing on the floor. But it didn't take long for some folks to haul out their phones and make arrangements for the day. At least I didn't have to listen to someone fighting with a spouse or family member. As grandparents entered with grandkids in tow, it got a bit louder. It's interesting to people watch, but I prefer not to in a medical office....you just know that some of these people have some serious issues. I brought something to read....and took breaks by playing a game on my phone. I think Candy Crush was developed for the waiting room, ha ha.
Finally got out of there an hour later, which I suppose wasn't too bad. I have a nice little hole in my arm where they drained me of blood, and in a couple of weeks I will find out the result of the tests, which are basic. I haven't had a cholesterol test in over 10 years, and the Doc wants to check my thyroid function.
How was your last Dr/lab visit?
Love, 365
I have only seen this at the DMV. I was at the dr. office today as a matter of face. I would have liked taking a number because I could see where I was in this wait you know? 45 minutes in the waiting room, 10 minutes in another room after eye drops, then brought into a another room to wait on the doctor for another 10 minutes. If I hadn't had drops in my eyes I too would have played a game on my computer. Frustrating. I hope your cholesterol is fine as is your T4 and T3 and free T3 and free T4. don't let them just get away with only TSH.(0.3 to 3.0 is now considered normal range)
ReplyDeleteNot enough only doing TSH, just so you know.
I thought it would take awhile, but the nurse practitioner called me later in the day.....although my cholesterol was a little high, she did not seem concerned as everything else was good, except my white cell count, which was low. I have to go back in a few weeks to have it checked again.
DeleteI should have mentioned that tricore was the only one in the facility that had you take a number. Everyone else had to check in with the receptionist, and go through the same procedure you did!
oops - as a matter of FACT it should read, not face. I'll blame my eyes (LOL)
ReplyDeleteI'm a terrible patient. I refuse a large percentage of the 'just because you're old/haven't had this test' things.
ReplyDeleteWon't step on the scale in the doctor's office, either.
Now if there were a test for sarcasm... well, that's my third favorite 'asm'.
I thought of you when they asked me to step on the scale. I figured, what the hell, and didn't even bother to take off my shoes. I should have asked her for more stuff to hold, ha ha.
DeleteAnd although I am not a fan of doctors or testing, I do think that prevention is key to staying healthy. I nearly skipped the mammogram that detected my breast cancer. I'm supposed to have a colonoscopy in the fall, but I'm not looking forward to it....nor have I decided to have it done. I detest anesthesia, it always makes me sick.
P.S. You tested positive for sarc-asm. There is no known cure.......