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I’m not intervening on you for lack of good deeds. But jesus, fucking christ. You NEED to get another phone line. When you are waiting to receive news on your health, getting that answering machine fifteen times in a row is enough to make someone vomit. —Worrier
This article appears in Jan 13-19, 2011.
24 Comments
OP, there is more than one patient calling that same number, and only one person to answer it. Would you prefer the hospitals outsource the calls to India along with your medical history/condition/results? Just calm down and be patient. Eventually your call will get answered, or make an appointment with your doctor to get the results.
Sebastard…. please learn when to STFU sometimes. OP is clearly under duress over the anticipation of hearing some important medical news. Is this not the place to come and vent/get things off your chest? Sometimes silence is golden…. (and clearly in your case, required)
OP- I can only hope that the news you receive is good news. My thoughts will be with you……
Usually they won’t give you any information over the phone anyway, or at least they won’t at my doctor’s office. They just make an appointment for you to come in and discuss the results.
Yeah Jonno – that’s Seb’s own hair….
What Jonno said, OP. Keeping a good thought for a stranger.
OB, the others are correct. You’ll get answers quicker by contacting your Doctor.
A couple of years ago I was in for some important tests. The Doctor basically told me that “no news would be god news”, if I heard from them quickly, it meant a problem. If I didn’t hear from them – no problem.
Maybe and hopefully the case is similar for you. All the best.
My Ma was an RN for 35 years, my Uncle a Doctor for over 40 and they always said the same thing: “The longer the phone doesn’t ring, the better” That being said, I too know first hand what it’s like when waiting for test results. I tried to keep Ma and Uncle J’s words in mind, but it didn’t always work.
Best wishes OB! We may be the Venerable Halifax Bitchers Society but that doesn’t mean we don’t care. All the best!
(I know I just made a typo but I’m going to do this anyways)
truer words were never mis-spoken
“no news would be god news”
here ye, here ye, read all about it.
jebus gets tipsy on dad’s blood and nailed with a DUI
Oh Z3…
Hey,I’monawireless.SmetimeswhenItypequikly,spaces&chrctersgetdropped.
As far as I know, you cannot get a DUI while riding a donkey.
Oh Hugo…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEOeA-iR3y8
Sebastard: there are women well clinics throughout the city run by the IWK and not everyone goes to their family doc (or has a family doc) for a pap test, and not everyone will be called regarding these tests and are advised to call in.
I’m sorry but I don’t find what Sebastian said to be all that bad. If you’re waiting for results then a doctor will be in touch – via IWK, general doctor – whomever ordered the tests. I have been too many places for tests from the VG to the IWK ect and I’ve always heard when something comes back (except the Cobequid – avoid that place like the plague). I call my doctors and get a machine 10 times a day – I call my OB and there’s always a button to press for emergency. Listen to zZz OP – no news is good news and wait it out. I’m crossing my fingers for you!
Hi Rosie 🙂 You commute from Windsor to Halifx every day? That sucks 🙁
RC, the Cobequid, friggn right stay away from there. That’s where my sister (nurse ratshit) works.
I didn’t find it that bad, really, either, as pap tests are routine tests and not done just if cancer is suspected (maybe that’s what jonno was thinking?). I get one every year and so should every female out there above the age of 18 or any female who has ever had sex (even just once, ladies!).
Though, OP COULD be waiting for colposcopy results, in which case it would be best to get a hold of the referring doc/clinic.
I just wanted to mention that some of the more routine tests (pap for example, not colposcopy)are not done through a family doctor, but rather a clinic that may not be so apt to call out to everyone they screen for whatever they screen for.
The Windsor-Halifax commute can be a drag! My parents commuted from hantsport to Halifax for years, Rosie. My dad didn’t mind, but my mom hated it. It’s just such a pain to have to drive back to the valley after a long day at work (I did it for a month before I moved to the city).
I don’t know what’s up with the cobequid, but I’ve been there waiting to see someone when there was only one other person in the waiting room and STILL waited 2+ hours to get into an exam room and another hour or so to see someone. WHen I was little and split my knee open I went in when the waiting room was jammed and was there for 8 hours and my mom had to be the “nurse” when they stitched me up because they didn’t have any available (she essentially had to hold my 8 year old ass down while they stuck the freezing needle in my poor knee — my dad said he had to step outside because the entire waiting room could hear me screaming and he couldn’t handle his baby girl screaming her face off 🙁 )
As well, my dad went their for blood work one morning and there were 127 people ahead of him. 127!
your answering thing or theirs? fucking i hate those robot fucking answerers. press 1 to hold on, press 2 to fuck off. press3 to rip phone out of wall, and so on.
I don’t mind the drive at all… when I’m not scared shitless of what my car is going to do 😀 Poor Angus is not in the best of shape right now and with the cut in my hours I can’t fix him as well as I want (finally got snow tires :D). But the driving itself– no sweat!
I broke my leg and was sent home with a half cast and told to come back in 2 weeks for a full one – went to my doctor a week later and she freaked – sent me right back there and my bones had grown too far apart and had to have a metal plate put in and my bone screwed back together. The took 3 weeks to my results to my doctor when I went there with pneumonia and mono – mono when I was finally told I had it I had to be rushed to the IWK because my throat almost closed up.
Rosie please be careful. That’s such a crappy highway to breakdown on – I hope you at least have a cell with you at all times.
My aunt broke her leg and was bed ridden for a week before she got her “emergency” surgery at the hospital. She was told that there would be a chance that the bones would start healing and have to be re broken in the OR.
And when my mom had her accident it took almost 5 weeks to get the x ray from the x ray department to her doctor. And the requisition had “urgent” on it. But apparently if her ankle was broken they would’ve sent it over asap. *eyeroll* whatever.
Also: some docs offices have answering services and you can’t actually get a hold of anyone in the office. I had a slight eye emergency and called my opthamologist’s office and got their answering service. After not hearing back I stopped in his office that day and he took a look at my eye no problem. So perhaps stop in if you can, OP?
TBR, I understand, it was the 2 hours added onto my day that buged me more than the drive itself. Some guys I knew, used the long drive home to unwind & forget about work.
PK, RC – are you freakin serious?!? Wow, some glad I joined the military.
When Angus is working well it only adds just over an hour and a half to my day… but you didn’t hear that from me. Thing that bugs me the most: no radio! Arrrgh!
Of course the OB, instead of calling 20,000 times could have left a message the first time. “Hi this is so and so. I was wondering of my test results came in. You can call me at XXX-XXXX.” Problem solved.
BT: it’s almost impossible to get a call back when you leave voice mail messages. OP probably did leave a message and got no response so kept calling back. Often, I’ve left messages only to never hear back and I’ve had to call back.
I don’t even bother leaving messages anymore. I’ll just call back.