So now I've informed you of what it is like to work day-by-day at the doctor's office. Of the three years that I have worked there, there is one particular memory that comes to mind each year. This is a Neurologist office that I work at, so there are some pretty serious cases that can come through. So here are my most memorable experiences.
Year one (2007): That was my first year anniversary of living in Austin and I remember thinking I had moved to a tropical habitat. It seemed like it rained every day (which we would die for now, we are in such a serious drought). But this one particular Friday it rained especially hard and there was one only one of the three doctors in and no testing facilitators (which meant it was a very unusually slow day). But I got a call from a doctors office wanting to schedule a new patient that same day. He had just been to the ER for seizures that he had never had before. They asked if we could work him in that day, which we did. He showed up only speaking limited English. My Spanish skills are lacking (unless it involves introducing myself, counting to twenty or asking to go to the bathroom; I am pretty much out). I did understand that he didn't have the money for a co-pay. Since another doctor's office referred him, we let him by without the co-pay (or filling out the paper work).
The nurse took him into the room to take his vitals and came out shortly after yelling, "get the doctor!!!" He came to the room quickly, then yelled to us, "call 911!" We did, and after we got them on their way we found out that the man was having another seizure. It was crazy to me to think that being at the doctor's office where we treat seizures, that we would call 911 when someone had a seizure! But that is what happened.
I did find out that the reason behind calling 911 was that we had no medical background on the man and he was having a particularly bad seizure (I'll spare details). The paramedics did some simple routine questions and found out that the man had recently done some hard-core illegal drugs, the kinds that can cause seizures.
I never heard about him again, but I am assuming that due to his already mounting doctor's bills and lack of money when arriving at our doctor's office, he wouldn't have the money to come back. Kind-of sad, but what am I to do?
Year two (2008): A girl only three years older than myself, so therefore she was 28 at the time, came into our office. She was experiencing numbness in her face. Which I honestly thought was something that wouldn't alarm me enough to go to the doctor (little did I know). But she came in for a visit and was sent to get an MRI. I remember her MRI coming in for the doctor to read and I put it on his desk to look at. About an hour later he came up to one of the girls in the front and told her to call this patient and tell her to come in immediately.
This doctor is always about me learning while I am working there. Not just learning how to do my job, but about the world of Neurology. He quite frequently will pull me into see or hear about something. So he told me to come into the film reviewing room (where he looks at MRI's). There he showed me this girls MRI. She had a brain tumor in the frontal loab of her brain. He explained to me that it was in a region that would be impossible to operate. He also explained to me that sometimes we forget when we are working with patients, how serious their conditions sometimes are. That we get frustrated with the patients at times about how they are acting, but we need to remember that they might have something like this waiting for us to find. Even now, it makes me feel bad that I even complain about patients at this job.
I remember her then showing up for her emergency appointment. I didn't even think about co-pays or paper work. I'd pay for the co-pay or fill out the paperwork myself if anyone ever demanded they be taken care of. I just couldn't believe she was only three years older than me and was about to be given the worst news of her life. She was such a cute girl with her business professional outfit on. Her parents had come with her since she obviously could tell the importance of the visit after our call. They handled the news better than I could've ever thought. We referred her to a facility that dealt with such cases and never saw her again that summer.
I came across her chart the other day while looking for another one. I pulled it out, just to see if it would give any other insight into her condition. It did not. I hope she's still out there living well.
Year three (2009): Who knows if this will be the forever case of the year that I will remember, but I know I will remember it regardless. The other day I just so happened to be in the hallway when the doctor needed another person in the room. He often does this, if it is a girl that is by themselves he will ask another girl in the office to come into the room with him. There really is no method to his madness of who he gets to go in there. Literally it is just who is closest. I happened to be that person the other day.
I walked in and he said to the girl, "okay, now turn around and lift your skirt but no higher than your bottom." Then he turned to me and said, "what we are looking for is twitching in her muscles. She thinks she might have ALS (or Lou Gehrig's Disease). This is actually a really easy thing to test for, we just have to look and see if we see any muscle's twitching." He started to explain to me what ALS was. I stopped him short to let him know that my farther had ALS. Of all my time there, I had never told him that. He was quite surprised to hear it.
He asked me a few questions about my father, one being if he was still alive. He is not, he passed nine years ago. But I knew exactly what the twitching looked like that we were now looking for. Before saying what he saw, he asked if I saw twitching in this lady. I quite clearly did not and I let them know that. He agreed and explained to her that whatever twitching she was experiencing was nothing to worry about. After having seen my father and the never ending twitching that occurred, I agreed.
I later just so happened to end up at lunch with that same doctor and Emily. He asked a few more questions about my dad, which I was happy to answer. It was good to get to tell him about it, let him know from someone first hand who experienced it. It was only a week before that was my father's nine year anniversary of his death. If sharing my knowledge on the subject gives insight to anyone about the disease, then I will share all the day long (especially with a doctor). But it was a great way to get out the memories of my father, with my best friend in tow and her doctor father-in-law listening and learning.
I also felt very happy that I could actually provide some sort-of help in easing this lady's mind about having the disease. Not only did the doctor feel she didn't have it, but someone who experienced it first hand for several years didn't see it in her as well. I know I always have some part in helping patients, but this has to be the most first hand way of helping a patient since my days at this doctor's office. I wouldn't wish that disease on my worst enemy, but to actually be able to help in telling someone that they didn't have it was more gratifying than I would've ever imagined.
The whole situation was crazy. The fact that the doctor could've asked anyone in the office to come in, but yet it happened to be me that was closest. Also, it was so close to the passing of my father. It was like that moment was meant to be. I am especially glad she didn't have it. That might not be something that I could've dealt with. But the stars aligned in the right way that day, and I am glad!
Wow. Good post.
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