I'm so disappointed! | Arthritis Information

I have been waiting 5 weeks for an appointment with a new RD. He called this morning to cancel, and he can't offer me another appointment until March. I can't wait any longer. It's so hard living like this, I can't take it anymore. Maybe this is God's way of telling me there is nothing wrong with me and it's all in my head. I don't know what to do. All I've been doing is crying since he called. This doc has canceled on my SIL before, and made her wait a month. In fact she has an appointment for the Monday and he'll probably cancel her to.

I had to vent. Debbie,

Trust me, this is not all in your head....don't let him make you think that!!! Are there any other RD's in your area that you might be able to try getting into sooner? Maybe this just isn't the dr for you. Can you see if your Primary doc can call and ask for an appt...sometimes them calling for you can get you in sooner. Just some thoughts...

Sending hugs your way!!

Deb J,

I'm so sorry this happened to you. I would be very upset as well. It's so hard playing the "waiting game" when you are in pain. Every day seems like weeks!

If you have another RD in the area, I'd definitely try to get in. You could also ask the receiptionist at the RDs office who cancelled to place you on a waiting list for cancellations. Sometimes, you can get in quicker that way.

Debbie,

I agree with tender. Call your PCP and see if the referral can get you in faster with someone else. It has worked for me in the past. Especially if you have a good relationship with your PCP.

This is NOT all in your head. What this is....is a real cruddy RD. Was there a reason given for the cancellation? Did the rd suddenly decide he needed a vacation? Is there a family emergency? However, (and I am not defending this rd or his actions) it is pretty common to wait a month for an rd appt. whether it is a reschedule, a first appt., or a follow up. They are so busy because there are so many of us and not enough of them. You could try to get in with another RD, but you still might not get an appt. til like March. Maybe calling your PCP and letting them know what is going on could be helpful for you. Maybe get you on an anti-inflammatory and get you some pain meds. Maybe even get you some pred if you aren't already on it. I like Tenderjoints suggestion too. There have been a couple times my PCP has called and talked to our rd and told him one of us needs in ASAP and we have gotten in fairly quickly.

Hang in there. We are here to vent to 24/7!
I don't blame you for being upset. You have every right to be. I don't think the doctors realize how important those appointments are to us. We're in pain, we're worried, we want some answers, we want some action. I think this is going to turn out to be a blessing in disguise. He's not the right RD for you. He's unreliable and you deserve/need better than that. Kick him to the curb and get a better one. This jerk really did you a favor but you don't have to thank him! [QUOTE=tenderjoints]Debbie, Thanks guys. I've calmed down a little bit now. This appointment was my first appointment with him. I know I'll have to wait with any doctor. I guess I'm a little upset because I was told that he cannot see me because he'll be in Ft. Lauderdale. What, a golf trip he couldn't say no to?? Sorry, I'm still a bit bitter. If it was a family emergency, I would TOTALLY understand. I've been there myself. Nothing of the sort was mentioned except a trip to FL. Whatever the situation, if I have to cancel a client (I'm a hairdresser) I would do whatever possible to make sure my clients are taken care of and they won't have to wait another month to get a haircut or color, ya know?

Like I said, I am a hairdresser. Whatever is going on with my body and joints (especially hands and knees) is eventually going to prevent me from doing my job. Hairdressing is all I know...except I sell Avon, but not enough to make a living.

Thanks for letting me vent. I'm still not sure what to do next. Maybe I'll call my PCP and see what he has to say. Maybe he can find me someone reliable and trustworthy. My pcp won't treat this at all, he always sends me to any kind of specialist. He's a great doc for regular checkups and when I have a bad cold or something. LOL

Deb, I'm so sorry this happened. I agree with what the others have said, both about trying to get in sooner and/or finding a different doc. I know how hard it is. This is not all in your head. If God is sending you a message, it may be that this is not the right doc or it may be to make sure you know how strong you really are!

With my RD, he has so many patients that you have to book your appointments 2-3 months in advance. If he does have to cancel, and it may be for a conference or his kid's made it to the national soccer tournament or some time off or whatever, they try to get you in as soon as possible but sometimes there just isn't anything soon. While we are certainly the ones who have to suffer and wait, I can imagine it isn't easy for some of the really good docs, who want to spend enough time with their patients, and have an overabundance of patients, to be able to schedule other activities so far in advance. I'm not trying to make excuses or anything, but I find sometimes it helps me to cool my anger if I can try to see the other person's situation.

I hope you can get in to see an RD, a good RD, soon.

Deb, one more thought....if you do get an appointment, with this RD or another one, maybe you want to make a "back-up" appointment with another doc at the same time? This way if one cancels, you'll still have the other, and if no one cancels, you can just see the first one.Great suggestions and I don't have anymore. Just take care of you and do what is best for you!!!I have a client that sees a RD. I called my client and got the number of her doc. I got an appointment for March 19th. So here I wait another 5 weeks for an appointment. But when I called, she went ahead and made my follow up appointment for another month out. I had a nice chat with the receptionist and I'll be sending all my labs to them asap, so the doc can look at them beforehand. She also said she'd put me on a cancellation list. Since I'm a new patient, I will require more time, so that is unlikely. But, she knows just in case.

I wonder if I stuck with the other doctor, and got a sooner appointment, if he would cancel again. I know things come up all the time, but I hesitate to call him back. Especially since I was kinda rude to the guy that called to cancel my appointment in the first place. Ooops. Totally not like me, but I feel like crap, a girl can only take so much.

Thank you all for your advice. I'll be lurking about until I have a question or an appointment. Whichever comes first. I'm not one for giving advice here since I can't even figure out what is going on with me!!