The Lost Patient

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Over the years, I have only gone to the doctor when it was absolutely necessary. Sometimes they are absolutely necessary to get you through hard times. Here is one of my bad experiences with doctors.

 

 

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The Lost Patient

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A long about 1974, I had been very sick for a couple of days and Pam took me to see Doctor Ingham in Borger. He ran a few tests and came back and told me I had mononucleosis. He sent me to the North Plains Hospital in Borger, and told me to check in. He didn’t give me any medicine to get me on the path towards recovery. He told me he would be by to see me later that day. Later in the day, Pam asked the nurse where Doctor Ingham was and she said don’t worry, he’ll be along. About 8 AM the next morning, Pam was really worried. She tried to call Doctor Ingham all morning, but could not get through to him as they told her he was on his rounds so she left a message. The nurse came in and Pam hollered at her and told her the Doctor never did show up. She said she would contact him. A long about 10 PM that night,I still had not seen the doctor, I still had no medicine, and I still felt really bad.

 

 

North Plains Hospital in Borger where I was lost by the doctor for two days when I was very ill and waiting on him to help me.

 

 

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I guess Doctor Ingham finally got the message on the third day, because he finally showed up, apologized saying he had forgotten about me, and prescribed me some medicine. I asked him if he was going to pay for the two extra two days I spent in the hospital, and he said no problem, your insurance will take care of that. I felt like punching him in the nose, but I was too weak. It was like he was saying my time is not worth anything and it was Okay if I suffered for two extra days with no medications. I was released in two days to go back to work.

 

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Being forgotten in the hospital only happened to me that one time in my life, but that was enough. Doctors over booked then and they overbook now to keep that money rolling in. Communications are much better than they were 30 years ago, but I bet forgetting about a patient still happens today.

 

Nurse Mary Jane Cratchett here Mr. Low.  I’m sorry but you’re just going to have to lay there and suffer until we can get the doctor to acknowledge you as a patient of his. We haven’t heard anything yet.

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My daughters often ask me when I’m a little sick, why don’t you go see the doctor? I tell them, I only go to the doctor if I absolutely have to. Doctors today have gotten around this by stopping approval on medications refills unless you come in at least every two months to see them. So I do what I have to do to survive, but I don’t particularly like it.

 

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Thanks for reading The Lost Patient,
Bill