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She also told me my WBC last time was 8.9, which is normal. I asked about the Sedimentation Rate (ESR) & it said on the report that my blood didn't clot... Which I call a great big bull poop on, as my blood clots fine. If you recall, that was the day I had the lady who used my hardened vein, couldn't get a good flow into the vial & had to change the vials a bunch of times. She didn't take enough blood to do the test! Grrr! I'll make sure I get someone different next time.
The Nurse bumped me to the end of the day's appointments, as I had a lot of questions for the Oncologist. She was very understanding & said that it was okay that I wanted to find out as much as possible. She said it was my life & I had to make the best decisions for me. I was impressed that she said this! Of course, it will still be a challenge to convince the Oncologist that I don't need another CT scan & Bleomycin...
My next call was to Dr. Lategan. He is the Oncologist that my friend Andrea went to. He is South African & arranged for Andrea to be treated at Peter Lougheed instead of Tom Baker. She said he was really nice & pleasant to be around. When I had spoken to my Oncologist's nurse, she mentioned that the Oncologist would be gone for the month of July. I thought I would take the initiative to find out if Dr. Lategan was taking patients & perhaps I could ask my Oncologist if I could be seen by Dr. Lategan for the month he was away. Oh my, oh my... did I get an earful. I'll include the conversation at the bottom of this post.
I was completely stunned. I felt like I'd just stepped out of a bad movie scene or experienced something out of the twilight zone. I have NEVER had such a rude interaction with anyone, even the grumpy passengers I used to have to please on the ship were angels compared to this gal! I was so upset! I called the Medical Registry to find out the procedures for filing a complaint. I found out (the next morning) that if I filed a complaint with the Medical Registry, it would be filed against Dr. Lategan. I don't really want to do this, as I've never met him, but I'm sure he's very nice. My other option was to notify Dr. Lategan of his receptionist's attitude & let him deal with it. I will definitely do the latter, but I'm waiting to see if he'll even see me first! I did send him an email telling him of my intentions, with a small comment about his receptionist's 'ill' behaviour.
When I spoke to Jaco about it later on, he agreed that the behaviour was over the top & very uncalled for. I felt better, hearing that someone else thought the lady was crazy!
Lawrence stopped by & boosted my car, so I'll see about a quote tomorrow to have the repair work done from the accident. Poor Contemplate! She's no bumper car!
I spoke with Jenn, finally! She's a busy girl! Sadly, their financial support has fallen through & even though she is working, it's still not enough for them to make ends meet. Mike's paperwork to work in Canada most likely won't be finalized for another 3-5 months, so if you know of any odd jobs & handyman work, leave her a note on the blog. I feel terrible for them, as I can't imagine what it's like to finally have some stability in your life, only to have it pulled away as quickly as it came!
Her husband, Mike, is traveling to Texas this week to collect the rest of their belongings & bring them back to Canada. Jenn will meet him on the weekend in Montana & then back to Cochrane. She is on her own this week, so I told her if she needs any help, let me know! I haven't babysat since I was 14, but I'll do my best! :o)
Today was another rainy day, with a nice dump of hail. It did stop raining by the end of the day & the clouds were pretty amazing. I'm still waiting for the heat of summer to come. I love the sunshine! What can I say?
Enjoy your evening... I am!
Love & hugs,
Maria & Valentina
xxxxxx
At least it's not snow!
Little pea-sized hail
Mr. Bull is taking a pelting!
Pretty clouds!
Tucked in bed
Also tucked in bed!
Here's a recap of the conversation & tail end of my letter to the Doctor:
The receptionist didn’t identify herself & seemed reluctant to talk to me from the moment she answered the phone. It wasn’t until she informed me that I had dialed her direct line that I understood her reservations. I told her I’d found the number online. When I asked to speak with you, she inquired about who I was & what I wanted. I explained my situation and she was immediately defensive.
I asked if you were accepting patients. Her reply was laced with exceptional sarcasm & rudeness:
“Well, you can’t just make an appointment. Your Oncologist would have to discuss it with Dr. Lategan & they would decide what would happen.”
I explained that I was aware of that &, as I had been informed before, I wanted to know if you were accepting ANY patients at all.
Rather than typing impatient, sarcastic, rude, harsh, aggressive & nasty over & over again, just keep in mind those tones for the duration of the conversation.
“Yes, he is taking patients.”
My next question was an inquiry as to how long you’ve been practicing medicine.
“Well, I don’t really see how that is relevant.”
I explained that I certainly did & obviously you are qualified, but I would also like to know how long you’ve been practicing for.
“Long enough”, was her reply.
Okay, is long enough 1 year, 5 years, 10, 20?
“I really don’t see where this is going”, she said. She eventually said she thought you had been in Canada since 2001.
I explained that I have taken the initiative to research & find out as much information as I can about my treatment & that included the Doctors. When she didn’t want to share any information, I asked where I could go to find out.
“The Medical Registry.”
“Okay. Do you have a number?”
“No, I don’t.” Nor could she offer anywhere to find a number.
I then chose to inform her that some of the receptionists I’ve encountered have sure made things difficult. She took this very personally. She made sure I wasn’t indicating just her. I told her, no there were several receptionists that were difficult to deal with.
“I’m NOT a receptionist. I’m a Medical Secretary.”
She went on to explain that there was a difference & she has been doing this job for 28 years, at which point I brought to her attention that it was a bit odd that she could tell me the number of years that she has been working, but could not elude to the number of years that you have been practicing!
After that statement she told me, “You know, I really don’t like where this conversation is going.”
“I really don’t like where it’s come from!” I replied, in complete & utter shock!
At this point she terminated the conversation abruptly.
Additionally, at some point, she asked for my name. I gave her my first name. She asked for my last name. I gave her my married name, which is not on any Canadian paperwork. She inquired about the number I was called from & why it was a different last name. I didn’t bother to tell her I wasn’t calling from my regular phone. When I asked her name, she refused to even share her first name, citing that it was for ‘Privacy reasons’.
I understand that everyone has bad days. However, considering the job she does, she should be accustomed to dealing with people in a FAR GREATER compassionate way than what she did with me. I am fairly tough skinned, but I don’t appreciate being disrespected for asking a few simple & completely relevant questions. There is no reason why I should be treated by a complete stranger. I have every right to inquire about someone’s experience, especially when my health & future are at stake.
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What do you think? Was I out of line or was she just plain rude & crazy?
