Gage’s foot hurts. Not a broken-Mom-I-can’t-stand-on-it kind of way, but a Mom-my-foot-hurts kind of way. It’s the arch on his right foot. I tried to get him in to see an orthopedist. The appointment was three weeks away so I agreed to be seen by the doc’s Phycisian Assistant. During that three day wait I decided to take Gage to see our ped’s PA and she said hold off and see the doctor if possible, as Gage was getting around okay and not in a great deal of pain. So I cancelled the PA appointment and remarkably got in the very next day to see the Doctor – I was told due to a cancellation. Great! I think…even lucky.

I bring both kids after school to the office of 7 doctors, located in a congested area of town. It’s raining. The appointment is at 2:50. I arrive at 2:20. I fill out tons of paperwork including diagnosis, medication, other care team physicians, and handover the insurance cards, all the while keeping Gage and Quinn engaged in not running wild around the 30 people or so in the office.

The nurse comes out and says: “the doctor is running about 1 hour behind today” and says to me “your appointment is actually one month from today. Not today.” She continues “if you would like to wait 2 hours, the Doctor can see you.”

“What?” I say to the person THAT. MADE. THE. APPOINTMENT. WITH. ME.

“I just made this appointment yesterday, you said because of a cancellation. If it was one month away I would have taken the appointment that was two weeks away, not one month away. Does that make sense to you?”

She stares. Blankly. Like I have just spoken another language.

“It is not a good idea for me to stay with two children, who have spent all day at school, and will be hungry, because by the time I see the doctor, IT WILL BE THEIR DINNERTIME.”

Barely acting like she is alive, she says “would you like to stay or make another appointment?”

“I will make an appointment, but I will likely not keep it, because there is no way I want to see a physican who has employees that have no regard for their patients time…regardless of who is at fault for the miscommunication you could at least pretend you are sorry this has happened.”

Not one word from Miss No-pulse.

And as I run through the rain back to the car with the kids, tears start to flow. Because I so badly didn’t need to waste 2 ½ hours today. Gage says “Mommy, why are you crying?” I respond “Because that woman wasn’t very nice when she realized today was not our appointment and I’m upset because you and Quinn have to spend way too much time going to and from doctors and I wished we had been at home playing instead.”

Gage, not missing a beat says “we should not come here again.” 

“Exactly” I say. I stop the car, call to find a new doctor and schedule an appointment for one week from yesterday, and cancel the “new” appointment with Miss No-pulse.

I wish Doctors knew sometimes they are as good as their staff. I hope I can be a consultant to the pediatric medical community in my next life.

My first requirement of all staff? A pulse.