Waxy Buildup and Patient Relations
Jan. 24th, 2015 03:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jamesqI had to go see a doctor today for something I consider fairly routine - I get excessive wax built up in my ears and every few years I have to get them flushed out. This is irritating, but i've done it before, and it has the side benefit that it feels like I have super-human hearing for the rest of the day.
I knew I'd need to be doing this trip soon because my hearing has been getting worse over the last week and my ears have been fully plugged a few mornings this week since I tend to sleep on my side. I've been treating it with mineral oil to soften up the wax, based on previous doctor's orders (by itself it should soften things up enough so that the wax will fall out - eventually. And if that doesn't work, at least the wax isn't a chunk of concrete that might impact the eardrum (which is what they're really concerned about).
This morning, one ear would not unplug. Time to go to the clinic, I decided.
I went to the Brentwood clinic, even though they've refused to do the procedure in the past. They always want to prescribe ear drops that do the same job as mineral oil. Since I'd been putting the mineral oil in for a few days, I figured that would change their mind. Plus, I'd rather not bother the folks at the hospital for something trivial.
Dr. M: "Here's a prescription."
Me: "Can't you just flush it out?"
Dr. M: "No, this is the procedure for your condition."
Me: "Gotta be honest with you Doc, if you won't flush it out, I'm just going to go to another doctor who will."
Dr. M: "Why don't you want the prescription? Wouldn't you rather have drops for a few days than a procedure that will give you an ear ache and two hours of vertigo and nausea?"
Me: *thinking that's a load of bullshit meant to scare me*
Me: "I've had this procedure done four times in the last decade. I'm fine with a five minute procedure than not hearing anything for half a week. Hell, I'd be OK with two hours of nausea and vertigo than not hearing anything for half a week.
Dr. M: "Well that's the treatment. I can't believe you'd rather risk permanent injury rather than follow a simple procedure."
She continued for a few moments in full-on you're-disagreeing-with-a-doctor-so-I'm-going-to-treat-you-stupid mode. I kept my mouth shut until she finished.
Me: "Are we finished?"
I then went to Foothills hospital. During the drive, the bad ear popped and I could hear. I figured I'd keep going though otherwise, I'd just be back tomorrow when it plugged up again. After walking through the maze that is the Health Science Centre, I made my way to triage. The joint was surprisingly not busy. Good luck for me!
Triage Nurse: "You're welcome to wait here, but since we take people in priority order, and you're basically healthy, that could take awhile. Or we could give you a 1 PM appointment at the PCN clinic in Kensington."
At this point it was about noon, so I opted for the clinic.
The PCN clinic down is in the old Grace Hospital. Side note: I was born in this building. And my Mother died in the hospice next door. That makes the area briefly weird for me.
After a quick sushi lunch at Globefish, I went to my appointment. Apparently the building isn't heavily used on the weekends so they combine several doctor's offices/clinic into the Obstetrics clinic in the building, which added to the weirdness. As I joked on Facebook, I don't want to know what's in my ear if they're sending me to an Obstetrics clinic.
And I saw the Doctor there.
Dr Y: *looking in ear* "Yep, they're fully plugged. Want us to flush them out?"
Me: "Yes, please!"
He proceeded to do that, while educating one of the nurses on how to do it. And now I'm good for another couple of years. Or possibly forever, if I actually use the mineral oil once a week, instead of waiting for it to get bad.
Moral of this story: Pretty much everyone associated with Foothills Hospital (and their satellite clinics) knows what they hell they're doing. Conversely, at least one doctor at Brentwood likes to half-ass things. Given I've seen them over other things in the past and the other doctors also half-ass things, I'm just going to stop going to Brentwood. I learn slowly, but I do learn.
I knew I'd need to be doing this trip soon because my hearing has been getting worse over the last week and my ears have been fully plugged a few mornings this week since I tend to sleep on my side. I've been treating it with mineral oil to soften up the wax, based on previous doctor's orders (by itself it should soften things up enough so that the wax will fall out - eventually. And if that doesn't work, at least the wax isn't a chunk of concrete that might impact the eardrum (which is what they're really concerned about).
This morning, one ear would not unplug. Time to go to the clinic, I decided.
I went to the Brentwood clinic, even though they've refused to do the procedure in the past. They always want to prescribe ear drops that do the same job as mineral oil. Since I'd been putting the mineral oil in for a few days, I figured that would change their mind. Plus, I'd rather not bother the folks at the hospital for something trivial.
Dr. M: "Here's a prescription."
Me: "Can't you just flush it out?"
Dr. M: "No, this is the procedure for your condition."
Me: "Gotta be honest with you Doc, if you won't flush it out, I'm just going to go to another doctor who will."
Dr. M: "Why don't you want the prescription? Wouldn't you rather have drops for a few days than a procedure that will give you an ear ache and two hours of vertigo and nausea?"
Me: *thinking that's a load of bullshit meant to scare me*
Me: "I've had this procedure done four times in the last decade. I'm fine with a five minute procedure than not hearing anything for half a week. Hell, I'd be OK with two hours of nausea and vertigo than not hearing anything for half a week.
Dr. M: "Well that's the treatment. I can't believe you'd rather risk permanent injury rather than follow a simple procedure."
She continued for a few moments in full-on you're-disagreeing-with-a-doctor-so-I'm-going-to-treat-you-stupid mode. I kept my mouth shut until she finished.
Me: "Are we finished?"
I then went to Foothills hospital. During the drive, the bad ear popped and I could hear. I figured I'd keep going though otherwise, I'd just be back tomorrow when it plugged up again. After walking through the maze that is the Health Science Centre, I made my way to triage. The joint was surprisingly not busy. Good luck for me!
Triage Nurse: "You're welcome to wait here, but since we take people in priority order, and you're basically healthy, that could take awhile. Or we could give you a 1 PM appointment at the PCN clinic in Kensington."
At this point it was about noon, so I opted for the clinic.
The PCN clinic down is in the old Grace Hospital. Side note: I was born in this building. And my Mother died in the hospice next door. That makes the area briefly weird for me.
After a quick sushi lunch at Globefish, I went to my appointment. Apparently the building isn't heavily used on the weekends so they combine several doctor's offices/clinic into the Obstetrics clinic in the building, which added to the weirdness. As I joked on Facebook, I don't want to know what's in my ear if they're sending me to an Obstetrics clinic.
And I saw the Doctor there.
Dr Y: *looking in ear* "Yep, they're fully plugged. Want us to flush them out?"
Me: "Yes, please!"
He proceeded to do that, while educating one of the nurses on how to do it. And now I'm good for another couple of years. Or possibly forever, if I actually use the mineral oil once a week, instead of waiting for it to get bad.
Moral of this story: Pretty much everyone associated with Foothills Hospital (and their satellite clinics) knows what they hell they're doing. Conversely, at least one doctor at Brentwood likes to half-ass things. Given I've seen them over other things in the past and the other doctors also half-ass things, I'm just going to stop going to Brentwood. I learn slowly, but I do learn.
