Wednesday 15 July 2009

Dr Moron

On Monday I took TSC to his follow-up appointment with the eye specialist. I don't like this man. Firstly, he always keeps us waiting. And I'm not talking about 15 minutes either. When TSC went in for the op, he waited for four and a half hours. Secondly, the doctor has this patronising way of speaking to people, like he's the only one over the age of five in the room. That is one of my pet peeves in life (probably because I'm small and tend to get it a lot as people think I'm younger than I am).

Also (and this is the biggie), the twit didn't explain properly to TSC how to use the meds he gave him at the last appointment. Instead of the little eye-drop bottles with stick-on labels that contain dosage details and instructions like you'd get at the pharmacy, TSC was given bottles with handwritten orange stickers that just had the name of the drops, not how often / how long to use them for.

I was at the last appointment, and I made notes on how often TSC needed to use the drops (the clear one needs to be kept in the fridge and should be used morning and night; the one in the white and green bottle should also be used twice daily but doesn't need to be refrigerated; the tear gel should be used at least four times a day...etc).

After a week of TSC using all these lovely, expensive meds, I asked how long he had to use them for. He didn't know - neither the nurse he saw after the op who dished them out, nor the moronic doctor had mentioned it. "Well call them!" I said.

But the doctor was on holiday. He was still on holiday when TSC got the paint in his eye. I couldn't believe he hadn't left someone responsible for his patients. TSC explained he had - his associate, who would happily see TSC. And charge him his exorbitant new-patient consultation fee.

We reasoned that if nobody had said anything, the meds were probably meant to be taken until the follow-up consultation.

So, on Monday, we get there and the doctor asks TSC how his eye is doing. TSC says it's still sore, scratchy, light-sensitive and blurry and that the meds aren't helping - they actually seem to make it worse. At which point the doctor says that they probably are making it worse, seeing they are only meant to be used for a week post-op. He also manages to make it sound like we are silly children who didn't listen properly and that this is all our fault. I interject that we weren't told how long they were to be used. "Oh. Sorry," he says nonchalantly, before going on to tell TSC that by using the drops, he's probably made the eye far worse than it could be and that he'll need another prescription of new expensive meds to correct the damage.

He removes the last stitch from TSC's eye (shudder!) and shooes us out of his office. Without the promised prescription. TSC will now need to call and go through to pick it up. What a waste of time!

Not happy with this doctor dude - supposedly one of the top specialists in his field in the province. I have a fantasy of breaking into his house while he's sleeping and sticking an earbud (Q-tip) into his eye and yelling, "How do you like that, hey? Hey?!"

Grrrr.

12 comments:

Helen said...

That's shocking! I know opthamologists are pretty much the highest-paid doctors out there, but that doesn't mean that they gt to mess you around like that! I would seriously complain! I mean what if the meds had done lasting damage?


grrrr, now I'm all angry for you!

Damaria Senne said...

That's just wrong. the problem is, even if you complain, it's a he said/she said, because he does't sound like he take responsibility for his actions.
No chance to move to another eye doctor?

boldly benny said...

I'd be WILD!

Louisa said...

What an idiot...next time I see you in person please tell me his name so I can warn people against him?

NIKolaS said...

Top what? ass? sorry about all the trouble you have encountered, i do hope TSC's eye gets better soonest!

po said...

EEEEESH that is scary, there should be no messing around where eyes are concerned! I say this with feeling after having yellow flourescent dye flung into my eye yesterday, they are fragile things!

AngelConradie said...

Oh I loathe how so many doctors seem to have completely forgotten that they are providing a service.
I say report him. To whomever will isten. With lots of details about his attitude and his technique.

Unknown said...

Hi Tamara. As always, thank you for the nice comment on my blog. Another book I can recommend for the 'Strong Men' drive at your church is this one: The Secrets Men Keep by Steven Arterburn. Available from CUM books.

On the Eye Dr. There is one here where I live in the Vaal, who is also supposedly one of the very best, but he is NOTORIOUSLY rude. He is hurtfully rude. I wonder why they have to be like that?

Slyde said...

one of my constant dissapointments in life is that the real doctors i meet are nowhere near as cool, or care near as much, as the ones i see on tv...

Anonymous said...

I am so enraged by this doctor! Oh my WORD! I'm passive aggressive; but when it comes to that I would not take it lying down. I wish South Africans were brave enough to sue. I mean- you could slap a malpractice suit on him so fast his head would spin. GOSH!

I am sickened by people who don't love what they do. If your doctor loved what he does he wouldn't have been such a big stitch.

I am so mad!

Anonymous said...

I'm mainly mad because its not just him; its a TRUCKLOAD of doctors in SOuth Africa who are like that... I thank the stars that I got a doctor as fantastic and as passionate about health as I did.

My word. I know someone whos doctor opperated on him and now he has a limp only to find out he didn't need the operation and would have been fine without it. That was incompetance tho... but the damage it caused... ARRRRRR

Doctors are such punces sometimes.

cybersass said...

that sounds really awful! not to mention incompetent!