This is a prostate cancer update.
I had my appointment with the surgeon at Weill-Cornell/New York - Presbyterian Hospital last Friday at 3:00 p.m.
I showed up on time, signed a paper, got my blood-pressure checked and was seated in a waiting room. In about 10 minutes I was taken to an examination room.
I sat in there, unattended, with no one dropping in to check on me, for 70, that's right, SEVENTY minutes, before I got sick and tired of waiting and walked out to see what was going on.
"Oh" some flunky exclaimed. "Didn't anyone come in?"
No.
I went back. It was another 10 minutes or so before I was finally escorted into Dr. God's inner-sanctum by one of his flunkies in a lab coat. She began the interview, only to quickly be joined by Dr. God, Himself.
I maintained a civil tongue but made my displeasure at being treated so badly abundantly clear.
I ran through my list of questions, which he promptly answered. I terminated the interview with, "I'll let you know."
I thought about it over the weekend and concluded that the actions of the staff were indicative of the mind-set of the teacher. That they treat people badly because he tolerates them treating people badly.
I would, under no circumstances, consider urological surgery at Weill-Cornell/New York - Presbyterian Hospital. In case anyone cares.
Next stop, Mount Sinai this coming Friday morning, followed by Memorial Sloan-Kettering a week from Wednesday.
I'm tired of doctors. I'm tired of surgeries. I'm tired.
4 comments:
It's a sign of how we were brought up to think of doctors that you even waited 70 minutes. I'm glad you blew them off. It's about time doctors treated our time as valuable as their time (I doubt this'll make it to health care reform). I have a 20 minute cut-off to be sitting in a piece of paper on a piece of paper.
I know you're tired and you just want to get whatever you decide to do over with. It seems like you'll decide soon enough.
Things just seem to have fallen into place -- I made the appointment at Mount Sinai yesterday and this morning I met, in totally unrelated circumstances, the doctor's practice manager.
She IS making sure that I'm being taken care of!
That's great to have an inside track! I saw a friend this weekend who has prostate cancer. He works in big pharma. He decided to go to Mt. Sinai; he had the seed implant procedure. According to him, there's not much difference in the outcome of the implant vs. the removal. Is this what you're finding too? Good luck with your appt.!
Thanks, Elaine. For everything.
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