Keeping Your Cool at the Doctor's Office

It was a scary scene-people were shouting at each other, one woman was screaming that she was about to have a nervous breakdown, and fists were almost thrown as one person commented on another person's use of foul language. Where was I? The local hospital.

I had an appointment earlier this week, and had to check-in for it at the registration desk. Because it is a small hospital, the registration desk handles both out-patient and ER registration. I took a look at the crowd, realized I may be in for a long wait, and took a number in order to be called as soon as possible.

I sat down next to one man with a mask on who stated that the wait to be seen was at least two hours long. Another woman commented that three of the people in the waiting room with us has been diagnosed with swine flu, and because the emergency room was full, they had those people wear masks and send them back into the waiting room until a bed was available.

Tensions were high, as people were becoming more and more frustrated with the wait, along with the fact that several openly expressed their fears of catching the flu from those patients who were in the waiting room with us. As people became more passionate about their frustrations, this led to bad language. The bad language fueled the fire, and led to the yelling. In turn, this led to clenched fists and some people eventually leaving because of the stress and behaviors of others. How long did it take for this to happen? Fifteen minutes.

I want to bring attention to this because as more people become sick, confused, and frustrated, they will decide to go to their doctor. If they don't have a doctor or fear their symptoms have become severe enough, they will take the trip to the emergency room. What I saw is likely happening everywhere, but there are steps to take to avoid these situations if at all possible.

Keep your emotions in check. Know before you go to the doctor that yes, there will likely be a wait due to the public scare regarding the swine flu. Come prepared with items that will keep you busy or distracted, so the wait might go quicker than expected. Sure, you don't feel well and yes, you should not necessarily have to wait as long as a few hours just to be seen. However, don't raise your voice at the staff or at any patients in the waiting room with you. This creates additional tension for you, the others who are sick and waiting, and the staff that is likely tired and fearful as well.

If you feel anxiety building, simply excuse yourself and take a walk outside. You have the right to express yourself, but keep in mind that the staff where you are is likely doing the best that they can. Respect them and they will appreciate the fact that someone treated them nicely rather than yell at them for things out of their control.

Take some time to be alone if you need it. Make sure you let office staff know that you are going to your car for a few minutes, or that you need to step out for a moment. Pray, meditate, listen to music, or make a quick phone call. Taking yourself out of a potentially frustrating situation even for a few minutes will help your stress lower, and you'll better be able to handle the frustrations of the waiting room.

I understand that simply by being sick, that your emotions can go into overdrive and you may feel things more strongly because of your physical condition. It's frustrating to be sick, feel bad, and not have control over the situation. However, consider the fact that if you can remain calm, that you're visit is more likely to go more smoothly, and you could even help another person who is waiting alongside you. Overreacting isn't the best way to make things any better, and may even delay your appointment.

I wish you all the best as you go through the flu season, and hope you remain as healthy as possible!