Thursday, October 8, 2009

Add a Splash of Indignation

Ok , before I respond to all you WONDERFUL commenters to my last post (I love you, I love you, I love you!!) I have to tell you I JUST got off the phone with Dr. Trepidation.

I wanted him to know I WOKE THE FUCK UP, but in the nicest way possible. So I had a cunning plan. For those of you who are not Blackadder fans, it was a clever ruse.

I called and sweetly, innocently asked what exactly did I have since I WOKE THE FUCK UP and don't want to WAKE THE FUCK UP when I am having the head of my humerus sawed off next week. He didn't bat an eyelash or say I'm sorry or really, that's awful or ANYTHING. He just sounded a little peevish and brusquely told me the meds he used for the light sedation. It was light alright, as in practically non-existent and I paid $250 to feel, and remember feeling, my tooth being ripped out of my head.

I am so frustrated I feel like crying. I am such a wuss for not confronting him and telling him that it was unacceptable, one of the most upsetting things that I ever experienced and I paid hundreds of dollars for something I didn’t get.

My daughter says I am being unreasonable, I’m never happy, I find something to complain about for everything and that he’s a busy dentist who doesn’t have time for babies like me.

Who, me? Photobucket

I feel like the total of $650 for 10 minutes was more than enough money to make time for a baby like me.

Wah.

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7 comments:

brokenteepee said...

You are correct. It is NOT acceptable to wake up in the middle of a procedure and your daughter, I am sorry to say is wrong. You paid to be out and you were not out....

If it had been something like it hurt afterwards and you were complaining that is different. THIS is a nightmare.

Marie said...

THANK YOU!!!

I always knew I loved you for a good reason Pricilla's person!! That is what I think. Absolutely, you would expect it to hurt afterwards. Ironically, it barely hurts at all. But you are also right, it IS the stuff of nightmares.

Although, even I will admit I am a teeny bit melodramatic. But in this case I was justified.

Webster said...

Yes Marie, you are a wuss for not telling Dr. Trepidation you were not paying for the anesthesia that didn't take. We just don't hold doctors accountable in a reasonable way, and they don't reduce their exorbitant fees when errors are made. If they did, I'd guarantee you there would be fewer malpractice suits. Nightmare is right!

JD at I Do Things said...

I'm so sorry! This is traumatic, and doctors/dentists need to take it seriously.

We must've had the same doctor.

I called mine, too, after the procedure (wisdom tooth extraction), and he acted EXACTLY THE SAME WAY! And I just wanted to know what he'd given me, so the next time I could mention that, yes, I HAVE had a problem with anesthesia in the past. He was all brusque and defensive.

I didn't wake up. I just never went out. It was terrifying. I kept waiting . . . and it never happened. And then . . . CRACK! OMG, I FELT that! It lasted only a few minutes, but they were the longest minutes of my life.

Sorry to make this all about me. My heart goes out to you. I hope you're feeling better.

Lawyer Mom said...

What???!! $650.00 for a tooth-extraction anesthesia!? Are you effing kidding me? I paid like, $250.00, for an anesthetist for a tooth extraction a year or so ago. AND the guy did it right. I didn't wake up in the middle of the ordeal.

Did you pay by credit card? If so, dispute the charges. If your check hasn't cleared, stop payment. If all that fails, call the guy's office and raise holy hell with his office administrator/bookkeeper. Document the substance of all conversations with follow-up letters ("This will confirm you advised I should jump in a lake" . . etc.).

The squeeky wheel gets the oil, or something like that. I'm always mixing up my cliches, but no matter -- you get my drift.

This is total BS.

P.S. -- next time, if you do anticipate any friction, take a friend with you. Just having someone there who is supporing us does wonders in helping us grow some b-lls.

beth5393 said...

I can't think of anything nice to say about this dental experience without using potty mouth language.

Never go back, tell all your friends to never go there either.

Jane Turley said...

Oh you didn't get a discount. That's appalling. He should refund you the cost of the anathestic at the very least. Not to mention something in lieu of your distress. I would write to him in the strongest terms - you have nothing to lose.