There's a medical procedure I need to get done sometime. It's not urgent, but I prefer getting it done sooner than later. And now I am trying to shop for a doctor.
Unlike the first operation I had, that was rather more urgent than not. I had to take my gallbladder out. If readers remember, I had to take an ambulance ride, and I was sent to a hospital because of a pain in my chest feeling like it would explode. I was given emergency medication to contain it, and for the next month, I took it while scheduling my gallbladder surgery. When my GP heard where I wanted it done, he told me that he would rather send me to a different hospital, so I followed his advice and scheduled a surgery to a different hospital. That was fine.
This time, I have another procedure that needs to be done. It's less complicated than taking a gallbladder out, and as I said earlier, it is not urgent. The procedure is outpatient surgery, so I show up in the morning, they do the thing, and by the evening I'll be home. This time, my GP recommended a clinic nearby, so I went to get checked.
Now that was fine, the check was professional, except I just had a bad vibe about it. Not only me, but my other half as well. My other half was asking questions, and at some point, the physician was clearly annoyed and told us that I was the patient, not my other half. I decided to override the doctor, and told the doctor that the questions my other half asked are also my questions, so it would be nice if she would answer them as well.
There were other little things not worth explaining, but the crux of the matter is that it was clear to the whole clinic that I brought my next-of-kin with me, yet they seemed to ignore him completely that and only wanted to deal with me. I am not even claiming that it was homophobia, as I have no evidence that they would treat an opposite sex couple differently. Nevertheless, it was obvious that the person with me was not a mere stranger, nor in this case, a translator, but my next-of-kin. And I didn't like the vibe the way we were treated; and while it wasn't a medical issue at all, I think it nevertheless plays a role in feeling whether I would be comfortable being operated in this clinic or not.
My other half had other additional concerns. The fact that this clinic was a stand-alone clinic as opposed to a section in a hospital was a negative point. He thinks that if I had the operation in the hospital, no matter how minor it might be, if something extraordinary and unusual happens, the emergency room is just within the same compound. If something bad happens while being operated in a clinic, then I might need to ride an ambulance to be transported to the nearest hospital. I have to say that he has a point.
Anyway, so I am on the look for a second opinion, and a second location. Thankfully, this isn't an urgent process, so I have some time to shop around.
