My Surgeon Appointment OR How I Humiliated Myself Today at TWH

We are always taught to be polite, don't rock the boat...but there are times in our lives when we have to be our own advocate!  You did amazing.  Do not feel bad, one small bump in this journey and definitely one worth fighting for.  You are so lucky to have such a wonderful support person there for you during this stressful time.  Good things always come to those who persevere and I know next week will be so much better.  Hold your head up high and be proud of your accomplishment.  You followed your intuition and it has paid off.  Diane

So sorry to hear about your day. On the plus side you will most likely still have your surgery earlier waiting another week than if you saw the doc today.
good luck next week

 So sorry you had to go through that today!  Good for you for standing your ground.  I would have caved and said OK just give me whoever!
You should be proud of yourself.  

HUGS

Char

I hear you. I had a similar confrontation when I was to meet my surgeon which was to be one at St Mike since that is where my GP wanted me to go. I got there at 10:15 only to be told that I was late and that my appt was a 9:00 that morning. I promptly said no, in fact I AM early! She started to say that it says here that my appt.... I said i don't care what you've got written down... it looks like there has been some change and no one notified me. Well she got all in a huff and said that she would eventually fit me in that day!!!!!!!!!!! That is when I got seriously pissed by this idiot and said.. 'I did not book the whole day off from work' in a semi loud voice which she then said we would fit you in. Well lo and behold I was called next. But wait..... when i went in with the nurse i was told that my appt would be with Dr Jackson.... I said  WHO???? She then said that my DR could not make i today and was assigned another DR. She then said that if I really wanted my doc from St Mike's I would have to rebook and was told the wait was longer. I said NO let's proceed I just want this done asap. When cutie pie Dr Jackson came in I told about the screw up and he said don't worry we'll take care of you. the receptionist had the nerve to attach to my file that my appt was at 09;00. I told him it was BS and he did say that my surgeon could not make it today. PS don't let them bully you.

Glad you stood up for yourself Melissa..... AND that you can see the dr. next week. .  When we get so close to getting a surgery date; I think our emotions become so raw and close to the surface. It certainly sounds like you had a panic attack .....but please don't worry about releasing your emotions.....glad your hubby was their for you 

Good luck next Friday....... sounds like you will have some fellow OH members there with you.  

Sorry for you kiddo....we are all nervous enough going thru this process.....and then to be let down is disheartening..

Hope all goes well for you next week

Barb

Oh Melissa, I'm so sorry that you had to go through all that - I'm amazed at how well you kept your cool!  You are really a class act, my dear! I hope that you have no further problems and that your meeting with the surgeon goes smooth as clockwork for you! I'll send positive thoughts out to you!

I don't understand why TWH is so erratic & disorganized lately & I'm really worried that I'm going to have a problem with them. My file went up in Sept & they needed another document so it got sent up & when I called & spoke with Sharon on Tuesday, she told me that they are still reviewing my file - WTH? How long does it take when I've had a green light since mid-Sept???? Now that I hear more and more of these posts about all the confusion so many people are experiencing, I'm afraid that I will end up with a doctor from another hospital and a date sometime in the spring!!!!! At this point I'm wondering if I should just take any hospital or doctor and not try to get TWH........I was so excited but now I just feel worried about the whole scenario.

Sorry Melissa, I didn't mean to hijack your post - I'm just getting really worried & scared.

Deb

Deb try hard not to worry girl!  I know it's hard to do - TWH has been going through quite the administrative switcheroo lately - it seems every time I go there is someone new at the desk or someone different answering the phone but aside from my experience today my interactions with all of the individual staff members has been remarkable...people like Jairo, Lorraine & Katie really deserve to be praised for their kindness and hard work - I understand all to well how it is when old staff members exit and new staff members arrive to take their place so I have been doing my best to remain calm and patient as they work through it but quite frankly my anxiety just was at it's peak and they caught me off guard with the disorganization - it felt weird that they were blaming me when I had been told on not one, not two, but THREE seperate occasions that I could meet with a TWH surgeon so long as I was patient - and I feel like I was, have been, and continue to be patient. I don't ever present there as someone with a sense of entitlement so I guess it just felt like they were treating me like I was asking them to turn sand into gold.  

I feel like my adrenaline has settled down now and I can think of a few things I might have said differently if I could do it over again - specifically things around them taking some accountability for their mistakes but truthfully I am not looking to point fingers.  I feel happy that I did stand my ground but there was a wavering moment where I just considered meeting with the surgeon that was there that day but I feel it's important for them to understand that they are accountable and responsible to the messages they give to patients so in the end I accepted the December 2nd appointment even though when they gave it to me they commented "now you have your appointment with the surgeon you wanted"....which made me groan internally because they didn't listen to a word I had said about it not being about the surgeon but rather the actual location and need for the knowledge of when the surgery would be.  In the end the one girl at reception was really nice and understanding of what was going on for me but gahhhh!!  It was just so frustrating!

Deb, you should never feel afraid to advocate for the care you want to receive.  The worst that can happen is they will say no they are unable to provide you the preference you want.  I know for myself I have been bullied and treated like crap by so many medical professionals because of my obesity that I just decided this year that enough was enough.  Keep your chin up and everything will work out just great!  I'll even come visit you in hospital when its your time!  : )

Now.....ask me what I'm going to do with childcare next week at my appointment!?  I have no clue!!  Maybe I'll bring my 3 year old daughter along and let her entertain everyone in the waiting room!  Haha!

Aw, thanks Melissa - I'll try to follow your example & advocate for what I want! 

"Keep your chin up and everything will work out just great!  I'll even come visit you in hospital when its your time!  : ) "
Watch out - I just might hold you to that.....LOL!

Maybe I'll bring my 3 year old daughter along and let her entertain everyone in the waiting room! 
Hmmm, that sounds like an excellent idea.......hee, hee, hee.....

Deb

I had an appt with Dr. Jackson yeserday too - it was my one year post so not as big a deal as your appt - but I was hoping to see him since he was the surgeon I saw pre-op. 
The surgeon you see is not necessarily the surgeon who will do the surgery.  Also be prepared to have your surgery date changed last minute.  My surgery was at TWH and they moved mine UP from a Wed to a Monday.

When you make your child care/work arrangements - make sure you have a little flexibility built in. 

I suspect that they need to adjust things a lot given that these appts are booked weeks-months in advance.  They also need to account for unexpected emergencies with other patients.

Be prepared for last minute changes - they will likely happen.