Waiting Too Long

The past three weeks have been nervewracking, nail biting times for me and my family. My father has not been doing well in his appetite, his energy level has been low and he is losing weight really fast.

He has been to the doctors, from the oncologist to the surgeon then to the gastroenterologist to ENT doctor not to mention the bloodworks and scans. He went through a lot of pokes, pins and needles and he endured it all with much patience that surprised us all.

With all those things he went through, I can really say that waiting feels the longest, the most hurting when you’re the one who does the waiting. I wish that there is a way that waiting for the doctors could be shortened. It’s not only infuriating but also quite tiring especially if you’re not really feeling well.

Imagine, starting to wait at eight o’ clock in the morning at the lobby of the doctor’s clinic. You watched the TV while you wait then you got bored. You then tried reading but you’re starting to get drowsy. You fall asleep and after an hour, it’s almost noon. Your butt is getting numb, you need to get to the comfort room. You want to take a walk but you’re worried that the doctor might come and somebody might take your place in the line.

The doctor’s secretary assured that the doctor would come. He did come but came in when it’s already past lunchtime. Your stomach is already complaining but since the doctor is already in, you decided to wait. You’re number 8 and you were thinking that the doctor might take about 30 minutes to talk to the patient. You’re wrong, he saw his patient at more than an hour each. By then, your head is swimming with hunger.

Finally, at 7 o’clock in the evening, it’s your turn to talk to the doctor. Already, the doctor is tired. You are also tired and hungry but you need to know what’s wrong with you. After almost an hour of consultation with the doctor and paying at least P1000 for the consultation, you went home..drained, swimming with information overload and probably, still as confused as ever.