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  • "Well, this tells me something about your service!"

    Well, some bad news on the foot front. I'm having more issues with my left foot. As some of you may know, I had surgery for plantar fasciitis last May. I did well with the surgery, overall.

    I had some pain on the left blade of the foot (the outside edge of the foot) ever since the surgery. I chalked it up to muscle weakness from being in a boot for six weeks. It got pretty sore for awhile, enough that when it didn't seem to be healing, I went back to my regular doctor. He was concerned about a compression fracture, which I thought pretty unlikely, but I agreed to an X ray. He found an old calcification on the 5th metatarsal (what becomes your little toe); I remembered that was the foot that was broken 15 years ago when a patient ran over my foot with a wheelchair. So he suggested rest, ice, motrin, the usual.

    I did that, and it got a lot better. I was able to start Tae Kwon Do again, and took off some weight. Foot did great, gradually getting better. I was having problems with balance on the left foot, though.

    So fast forward to Friday. I get to class a bit early. I put in 5 hours a week towards my black belt testing in December. I practice my testing kicks, no problem. I step away from the master and feel a sudden sharp pain in my foot. I try to walk it off. Nope, still hurting horribly.

    So to make a long story short, I end up going back to my podiatrist. I called, and they worked in a 3:30 appointment. I put my walking boot back on, and went back to crutches; the pain was so excruciating I could not bear any weight at all.

    I get there about 15 minutes early and camp out to wait my turn. 35 minutes later, an old man (OM) with a walker comes into the office. He goes to the receptionist's window and tells her he has a 3:30 appointment with my doctor in the practice, Dr. A. She tells him to sign in on the clip board, then says, "You do know your appointment is with Dr. J, right?"

    OM: Then there's going to be a problem. I was referred to Dr. A and I want to see her because my doctor thought she would be the one to fix my problem.

    R: I'm sorry, but we don't have any appointments left today for Dr. A.

    CMA: And even if we did, you do know you're 20 minutes late, don't you? We have every appointment filled up today.

    OM: Well, when I called earlier they gave me a choice between a 2 pm and 3:30, and I took the 3:30 because I knew I'd have to find the place. I got lost.

    Me: *thinking* How the hell do you get lost looking for this office? The road it's on is very short, and the entrance well marked. I call BS on this one.

    CMA: We're sorry but we don't have an opening for Dr. A. We do have openings for Dr. J.

    OM: Well, I'm not seeing Dr. J. I was told Dr. A (*sorry pal, that's my appointment, and I'm not giving it up to an entitled jerk like you).

    OM: I'll come back. When can I reschedule?

    R: We have Monday appointments at 2, 2:15, or 2:30.

    OM: Wait a minute. Are you telling me the doctor sees patients on 15 minute intervals

    R; Uhm, yes.

    OM: Well that tells me something about this practice *in a very condescending tone*

    Me: *thinking* Yeah. It tells me she's consistent with every other doctor in this, or any other, town. You have to have the volume to make a living, especially in a small practice.

    CMA: *equally condecending* We're sorry if you're unhappy sir, but the doctor does see patients every 15 minutes, and everyone gets seen. We will be happy to reschedule you. Dr. A still has two people waiting to see her (it's nearly 4 by now, and the office closes at 5, and my appointment is already 45 minutes behind).

    OM: Well it says something very bad if the doctor can only spend 15 minutes with the patient. I drove 70 miles to get here (probably true; probably from a very rural area), and I expect better.

    About this time Dr. A comes up to the front, on her way to her office. She hears the argument, but doesn't say anything. She does give her staff a funny look. That's when the CMA offers to squeeze OM in for Dr. A, if he's willing to wait. He says he is.

    He turns to the rest of the waiting room (me and two other patients waiting) and says, "Sorry about you having to listen to my rant."

    Nobody says anything. Me and another patient do the . Sorry dude, it's the staff you should have apologized to (although the CMA was equally rude at one point; she should have just smiled, said she was sorry, and rescheduled him for another day).
    They say that God only gives us what we can handle. Apparently, God thinks I'm a bad ass.
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