The Waiting Game: A Violation Of The Hippocratic Oath

Doctor's offices can be mind numbing; the white walls, the outdated magazines, the sometimes less than inviting chairs, and of course, most tedious of all, the WAITING, in the "waiting room,"  and then the WAITING again in the closet sized exam rooms (not big enough to fit a double stroller & a rolling walker).

Now imagine yourself in the doctor's office sitting with  chasing, twin 18 month old girls, and 1 moderately senile, but cute, 86 year old woman.

If you can imagine that you have just witnessed my own special hell. 

Today's doctor visit started out innocently enough. I was in a good mood despite the inevitable and exhausting workout routine of lifting, chasing, tickling, chastising, feeding and generally doing whatever is humanly possible in order to keep the girls from completely DESTROYING the waiting room. But what was innocent became torturous.

Here's the timeline:

Appointment time: 1:30pm

Arrival time: 1:40  only 10 minutes late, my posse rolls! No really (refer to closet sized exam room problem noted above)

1:41 pm Waiting begins aka Race to asylum level mental health

Tick, Tick Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick Tock.....No Gracie No Gloria No Gracie No Gloria Grandma its alright .....No Gracie No Gloria No Gracie No Gloria Grandma its alright .....No Gracie No Gloria No Gracie No Gloria Grandma its alright
.....No Gracie No Gloria No Gracie No Gloria Grandma its alright

50 minutes have passed since our arrival

2:30pm Practitioner comes into the room

2:31 Gracie falls face first off a chair & begins screaming at the top of her lungs

2:32 Practitioner attempts to obtain information from Grandma. Gracie is still screaming. Grandma totally misinforms practitioner, Gracie Still Screaming

2:34 Practitioner leaves room

2:31-2:50 Two screaming inconsolable babies.

2:51 Both babies finally fall asleep

1 HOUR 17 MINUTES HAVE PASSED

2:57 Doctor comes into room

3:02 Doctor leaves room

In total 1 hour 22 minutes passed since our arrival. We saw the doctor for 5 of those minutes. My girls cried LOUDLY for at least 20 minutes straight while I did everything but stand on my head to quiet them.

WHY? WHY did they make my little posse wait so long? They could hear our struggle. It's horrendous enough that anyone should have to wait that long for a 5 minute face-to-face.  Does my posse deserve special more expedient treatment?

You damn right! After all, we roll!

Doctors out there please use some common sense when serving your patients and don't make overburdened caregivers wait so long it violates the central tenant of the Hippocratic Oath, "first do no harm."

If I seem a little "off" today you can thank Dr. Powers.