Monday, January 19, 2015

Thankful for doctors and nurse practitioners today...

So, I went to the walk-in clinic this morning for this cough I've had, thinking I may have bronchitis or something. I figured I better get in and checked since I had the day off. The place was packed, so I had to wait. Boring, but I lived. The doctor/NP was great with me, but she said my chest sounded tight. One X-ray and another hour later, they call me back again to advise me to head to the ER. She said she saw some deflating in the sacs at the bottom of my lungs but wasn't sold on it being pneumonia. She wanted to be sure and apologized profusely for taking my time. I tried telling her it was okay and that I'd rather be sure than worse off later, but she seemed to still feel badly. 

I wasn't at the ER too long. The doctor there confirmed what the clinic had seen and explained everything to me. While I am sick, I'll be okay, and the doctor/NP did exactly what she should have. He told me once again how sorry he was... Like they did something wrong. I told him how much I appreciated him checking and explaining it all to me. He smiled, then told me how much he appreciated my words, because so often people get angry when they're sent in for a check or follow up, saying things like it's a waste of their time. 

That really bothered me... 

So, no, I didn't want to be at the doctor and hospital for several hours today, but I'd rather know what's going on and be able to be treated correctly than for her to misdiagnose or - worse - ignore it. So, to the lady who treated me today and followed through with something she knew wasn't right, thank you. I got the proper medication because you took your time with me and sent me to another doctor for immediate attention. 

Let's remember to be patient with one another, especially those people working to help us. 

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