What's Your 30 minutes of Waiting Hell?

[Sue J]

About 5 years ago during a routine physical the GP said their was a microscopic amount of blood in my urine sample. I was referred to a urologist for a procedure to scope my bladder. If you have never had this procedure you can imagine where the scope gets inserted on a male.

It was extremely embarrassing when I was led into the room and find two young lady nurses half my age, telling my to strip down below my waste, then lay down on the table while one applied a deadening cream to that insertion point. Then laying on that table for at least a 15 minutes waiting for the Dr. to come in to start the procedure. The nurses stayed in the room with me the entire time. Finally, my view of the procedure was of the Dr. in the middle shoving a probe up my insertion point with the two lady nurses looking on, one over each shoulder of the Dr.

Finally, the Dr. says everything is fine so it was a happy ending, but that was at least 30 minutes of waiting Hell before I got the all clear. I'll take a wait an the DMV over that experience at the urologist any day of the week.

Oh, I had the same procedure. It's a cystoscopy. It's just as unnerving for a woman!

In my case it was to rule out bladder cancer, as that's what the urinalysis indicated. It turns out the blood in my urine wasn't bladder cancer, it was kidney stones, so I was pretty thrilled to have a camera up in there showing no signs of cancer.

I've been dealing with this for a few years now. I recently had a renal ultrasound and the kidney stones are still there. I have occasional blood in the urine but never have had any pain. I just saw a new nephrologist and he said not to come back for a year.

 

[Scrapr]

I was so glad to get rid of that vile painful gall bladder! I felt better the minute I opened my eyes after the surgery.
.

except after I woke up after my gall bladder surgery they forgot to send the morphine to the room. So all the surgery pain meds wore off in Recovery. And in the room when they asked me my pain level I said 11!!!

You'd think that would be a one off experience wouldn't you. Nope. Bowel resection 2 years later. No pain meds in the room. I even joked in Pre op about making sure to send the pain meds down. LOL

 

[AutumnElf]

I have to agree with the poster about the emergency room waits. You're there because...it's an emergency!?! But they make you wait in line with the rest of the emergencies.

I had to go last Thanksgiving. I thought my problem was bad (it was!) But then I saw this other guy spurting blood. I guess he'd been shot. But he was standing. Then I talked with a woman who had food poisoning and looked like she'd pass out any second. It was so rough on all of us, waiting.

I'd rather pass a boring half hour in CVS. You could sit in the car and read your phone, or read magazines in the store, or look at every single product in an aisle. Way better than being in excruciating pain (or spurting blood!)

 

[Walt34]

I have to agree with the poster about the emergency room waits. You're there because...it's an emergency!?! But they make you wait in line with the rest of the emergencies.

It depends on the nature of the emergency and of course the hospital, and staffing level. I went to the ER six or seven times over the course of about 18 months for atrial fibrillation and was generally seen very quickly because afib puts you at a high level of stroke risk. And it is a cardiac issue.

When I went to get checked out after a fall that was a much lower level of risk and I did have to wait for 45 minutes or so.

 

[aja8888]

If you want instant attention when entering the ER, just go in pushing your DW's wheelchair (or their's) and saying loudly "she can't breathe!". You even get pushed ahead of the bleeders!

 

[euro]

If you want instant attention when entering the ER, just go in pushing your DW's wheelchair (or their's) and saying loudly "she can't breathe!". You even get pushed ahead of the bleeders!

I hope you only do that when there is a REALLY good reason! That bleeder could die because you cut ahead of them.....

 

[kcowan]

When I went to get checked out after a fall that was a much lower level of risk and I did have to wait for 45 minutes or so.

Yes it took 40 minutes to get the CT Scan and determination of a broken bone. But when I listened to the other "customers", they could all have been handled in a clinic.

 

[Elbata]

On the flip side, I'm a Kaiser member and I have found them to be most prompt. They have been very efficient in all my dealings with them.

 

[Car-Guy]

Doctor's office. First, you wait in the waiting room, then you wait again in the examination room. Very aggravating!

+ 1

Our PCP is usually pretty good but the DW has this one specialist that she see several times a year. The longest visit was in excess of 5 hours. Average is about 3 hours wait time per visit. Sometimes (usually) the waiting room has well over 50 people in it. Lot's of his patients complain about the long waits but most seem to keep coming back. (He's good at what he does)

On the positive side, the long waits have really sharpen my Sudoku skills.

 

[fh2000]

In California, I can call DMV electronic phone service to make an appointment. I show up 5 minutes before the appointment time. Normally won't need to wait for more than 10 minutes.

The other line with no appointments is very long. I wonder why many people do not call to make appointments first.

 

[scrabbler1]

I always bring a good book to read when I go someplace I expect to wait, such as a doctor's office or the DMV. I often have to take my LF to her doctor's office or for a medical procedure or when she goes shopping, so I have scoped out where all the nearest libraries are for me settle down and read my books.

 

[erkevin]

14 years old and sitting in an 8th grade math test. Asst. Principal calls on the PA system (to our room). "Miss Kline is Mr. Koolau there? Please send him to my office."

I show up at Asst. Principals office and am shown into his office. He looks at me for a few seconds and then accuses me of a serious school violation. (I'm a good student, never in trouble, don't know the ins and outs of the disciplinary system, etc.) I deny it and the phone rings. For 30 minutes AP talks to someone about nothing. When he finally hangs up, he calls another student into his office and asks "Is the the student you saw doing XYZ." Student answers "No." That had to be the longest 30 minutes of my life. YMMV

As a former AP/Principal, I apologize on behalf of your former, insenstiive, boob-headed asst. prinicpal. There were a few times in my career when I forgot what it feels like to be across the desk. Can be very scarey