Why Do People Expect Doctor's To Remember Them?

If you have read any of my previous entries - I think my readership is still 0 - you know I belong to the long-tail. You would think that my doctors would remember me. Well, they do remember some things - the toilet tank incident seems to have caused an impression - but I know they see 100s of patients as well as deal with all kinds of bureaucratic issues. Why on earth would I expect them to be more responsible for my health than I am?

Now, I am not saying that there aren't times that doctors have been, well, just plain incompetent. And sometimes that has been inexcusable. What is the purpose of wearing a Medic Alert charm if nobody actually follows the instructions? Rather, I've noticed that many of the women in the IVF world are surprised by what I call the mundane idiocy of the medical world.

What do I mean? Oh, labs losing results. I know it is stressful and scary and you shouldn't have to bird dog the lab, but guess what, never assume competence. I have learned this the hard way. You need to tell everyone multiple times that such and such is necessary and that it was done. Do not expect that anyone else will do it. If you are very, very lucky, your husband might help with a few things - but he will whine throughout.

I find it rather annoying to hear people complain about medicines being messed up or the wrong chart being in front of the nurse if they didn't check. I check - sometimes obviously, sometimes not obviously. I know that I cannot trust medical personnel. It isn't their fault. They are human beings with all the foibles that entails.

Human beings are wonderful failures and successes all rolled into one. It never amazes me that someone who you have given up on can suddenly be your savior - while the best resource you have ever had can suddenly turn sour. We are used to it in other areas of our lives, but really, we don't expect it amongst medical personnel?

Since I know I am prone to days when my brain does not work all that well, I know that even physicians and nurses have those days. Medical personnel - despite their self-promotion - are not godlings. They are just people, like all the people you know.

Now, please, don't make the mistake of thinking I'm being casual about medical mistakes, I'm not. I am just saying that perfection belongs only to God, and man is not God - no matter what some may say. If you are seeing true incompetence, leave. But if you are seeing problems well within the normal failure rate for any activity, don't fly off the handle. If I flew off the handle every time some doctor tried to (inadvertently) kill me through prescribing a drug I'm allergic to (ingested alcohol is in everything, it seems, as is corn), I'd never see any doctor at all - not even the dentist!