The impatient patient

I finally had my second fill tonight. My surgeon is soo fantastic that he just has too many patients to manage. There is always such a long wait to get into see him. For those of you who know me, I am not one to wait. I am the person who abandons a full grocery cart if I'm waiting in line too long. I do not wait...for anything...it gets to the cut off my nose to spite my face point, in fact...but we all have our opportunities for improvement. ;-)

Half of the reason it took me five years to get the lap band was because getting an appointment to see a surgeon took so long to schedule, and there were so many appointments involved before you could actually get it done. It was just too much for me to sign up for at the time. I choose my PCP based upon how quickly they can see me from when I first call the office. It's not about reputation or experience, it's about convenience. I realize that as a professional working within healthcare, my outlook on these matters is a bit off, but this is me, and this is where I am.

It is not uncommon to wait two hours to get in to see my lap band MD. I have waited over three hours to see him on more than one occasion. When I finally committed to this journey, I knew I would need to set aside my impatience and just accept that if I want this, I will not only need to sacrifice my gluttony and my insistence upon instant gratification, I will also need to be patient. I was so good about this for all of my pre-op appointments, and for the first two post-op appointments as well, but I am nearing the end of my tolerance for waiting at this point.

For some reason, there was no traffic as I left Boston this afternoon to get to my 5PM appointment, and I was 30 minutes early. I did not see my MD until after 6:30, and I was with him for about 2 minutes. There were at least four times during my wait that I considered leaving...this is how it starts with me. First, I fantasize about leaving, and then, I always follow through...this time I was able to overcome my flights of fancy, but I'm not sure how much longer I can hold out.

I don't have to go to him to get my fill - I can go to any MD office that offers lap band surgery - I could even go to an MD that's 2 minutes away from my house, rather than nearly an hour away. I feel guilty for having these thoughts. I love my surgeon, and I would recommend him a thousand times over. I have now met hundreds of his patients, and they all sing his praises as much as I do. There is a reason people wait hours on end to see him. I know he will look out for my best interests better than any other MD, and for now, that trumps the terrible waiting time.

I read almost an entire book in the waiting room today - normally I bring a lap top as they have free wifi. These things are fine solutions, and I need to keep reminding myself that it is worth the wait.

Yours, fatigued...KC