The Waiting Room
Dec 21st, 2006 at 1:59 pm by Susie
I made the appointment back in August, and this morning was my first visit to the dental school clinic. As it turned out, two students were gone for the holidays and one doctor was out sick, so we had to wait. (And wait.) I was there at 8:30 and was finally seen at 10 to 11.
The student (who looked just like a friend’s ex) was a little nervous. He tried to take my blood pressure and frowned. “”Did anyone ever tell you your pulse was too faint to hear?” he said.
“No. Never,” I said. (He’s too young to be deaf, so I jumped to the obvious conclusion. Keep the iPod out of your ear, and maybe you won’t have this problem.)
So he kept pumping, and pumping, and PUMPING. (Harder, faster, longer. Boys just can’t help it, can they?) My hand began to swell up and turn blue.
“Uh, my hand is turning blue,” I pointed out through clenched teeth.
“Let me get the doctor,” he said. Mercifully, he did remember to let the air out of the blood pressure cuff first.
The doctor came over and walked him through the steps again, and he tried it again. “Your blood pressure’s still the same - 110 over 120. We’ll have to keep an eye on it,” he said.
I saved myself the argument. My blood pressure is always 80, 85 over 120 - except when people
who don’t know how to take BPs try, try again. “Okay,” I said, shrugging. Whatever.
The evaluation was over, and he walked me over to the x-ray department - where they wanted me to make an appointment to come back another day. “I just had a full set taken in July. Can’t we use those?” I said.
“Oh! Okay, but you have to get them in right away,” he said.
So now I have to figure out how to get downtown and park without it costing me an arm and a leg, pick up my x-rays, then drive all the way back to North Philadelphia, find parking and drop them off at their new home.
Now I’ve spent the last hour on hold with my former dentist’s office, and finally got through. They need 48 hours notice, there’s a $30 charge, and since they’re closed all next week for the holiday, I can’t pick them up until Jan. 2nd.
Those of us without money do spend an inordinate amount of time waiting.
Uhhh, it will cost you WHAT???? The information on those films belongs to you. Tell them you want the films sent wherever you want them sent and tell them if you get shit that you are calling the board that regulates them. $30?????? Bastards.
I already checked. Legally, they own the films - I’m only entitled to the information on them. They get to charge me to make another copy.
Then by all means, please post the name of your former dentist so that we may all avoid the same fate.