The Fastest Doctor

I had an appointment with an ENT today to have a risk assessment evaluation prior to some dental work.  I was a new patient but they took my insurance type and gave me an appointment time.  When I asked how long the appointment would take she said, "about thirty minutes".   I asked her if I would have a diagnosis by then and she said, "oh yes, you'll have everything you need before you leave."

Then I asked if they were going to do a CT scan of my sinuses to verify everything was okay.  She said, "yes, they will most likely do that to confirm you have no sinus issues."   I hung up and was pleased at the plan.

This morning I was thinking about this doctor.  He came highly recommended by my endodontist and I had no concerns about getting the evaluation I needed from him.  But that thirty minutes, could that be possible?  I further got to thinking about how I was a new patient.  They didn't ask me to come in fifteen minutes early or the appointment would be cancelled.  They also didn't ask me to come in early to fill out new patient paperwork.  Nor did they send me to their website to print out information to fill out before I arrived.   Thirty minutes, really?

So I get there today, highly skeptical, and they checked me right in.  They did give me two pages to fill out of questions, but it was quick to do and I was called back before I got to page two.  While I was in the technician's room, answering questions, and older gentleman came in and lo, he was the doctor.  He gave me an examination, asked some questions, and clearly knew what he was doing by the questions he asked and the observations he made.  (For instance, he knew from my neck scar I had had surgery and guessed it was a fusion verses a thyroid issue.)

He said I'd have a CT next and he'd come in and review the results with me.  We went immediately to the CT machine, took a forty-second scan and he came in within two minutes to review the results with me.  We made a plan to recheck things in three weeks to ensure all was still well, shook hands and he left.

I would have been out of there in thirty minutes too if the technician and I didn't get involved talking about the National Pharmaceutical Online Database.  We were trying to remember a medication I took last month and had a very interesting time looking at how the database worked and discussing how it was a valuable tool for physicians. 

At any rate, it was one of those great experiences all around.  

The Big Boy Update:  Rainbow.  There was a brief but heavy shower this evening that resulted in a rainbow.  I think it's the first one my son has seen that he really understood.  He grinned and pointed.

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  Rainbow not so much.  My daughter didn't really understand the rainbow way up in the sky.  My husband said it could be that the rainbows on television or their books or in any other form of media they see are so bright, big and bold that a real rainbow in it's diaphanous state off in the sky didn't click with her.

Fitness Update:  No no, we don't have to do the running.  We told that to our trainer this morning when he wanted to send us back to the treadmill to do more eight percent incline/eight pace runs.  Our excuse was that we were saving ourselves for the Rock & Roll half marathon this weekend.  He said, "but I thought you two loved to do the running."