Don't get me wrong. My current primary doctor is actually really nice and friendly, and a lot better than doctors I’ve had in the past. But has anyone actually ever felt good about going to the doctor’s office? Or has anyone ever felt happy about their visit to the doctor’s office? I didn’t think so.
Firstly, if I ever have to go to the doctor’s office for a check-up, I almost always reschedule. It has officially become a habit. It’s not that I’m extremely busy all the time, but I want to avoid going to the doctor’s office in every way possible. Something will always come up even though I know in the back of my mind that I have a doctor’s appointment.
Actually, going to the appointment is, at least, half the struggle. I had to be up at 6 a.m. Sunday morning, and considering I wake up between 6 and 6:30 a.m. for class during the week, I definitely was looking forward to sleeping in during the weekend. The first thing I could mutter was “ugh.” And that truly sums up how I feel about going to the doctor’s office. I was in no rush to get ready that morning and my dad offered to drive me, but even that couldn’t get me to leave on time.
I didn’t have a set appointment for Sunday and that only made matters worse. It was first come, first serve. If you arrive at 9 a.m., which is when my doctor’s office opens on Saturdays, then you’re very lucky. But if you arrive at 10 a.m., you’re screwed. I, of course, arrived after 10 a.m., since I left later than originally planned. I sat in the waiting room for almost two hours, and believe me, when I say that it felt like a lot longer. I was the only person in the room that was under 40 years of age, not including the receptionists. I had brought a book with me that I need to read for class, as well as my tablet, to use after my appointment to get some work done if my check-up were to have been shorter than expected.
I brought both for nothing. It was just a heavy weight on my shoulder. There was a TV on the wall, and although the volume was reasonably low, the chatter in the room was not. It was like a reunion was happening right in front of my eyes. Bukharian women and men saw old friends, and talked loudly about how many kids so and so has now, how old so and so is now, how many grandkids, what each of them has been up to, etc. I was constantly moving my bag and my coat for someone who was coming and going, and it felt like I was never going to leave. I didn’t bother trying to read my book, and sat patiently with my headphones in, listening to music or watching YouTube videos, or scrolling through social media. But naturally, I grew impatient.
I went up to the reception desk to check how many people were ahead of me, and then I checked again, and again. Suddenly, I noticed that the person after me had already been crossed off and as if I hadn’t been frustrated already, I really tried to keep my composure when asking the receptionist about it. I wasn’t going to sit there for nothing when I didn’t want to be there in the first place.
When I was finally called, I didn’t even hear it because I had put my headphones back on. One of the women sitting beside me had to give me a slight tap on the arm to let me know. And after leaving that main waiting room, I was in another waiting room. I couldn’t sit still by then. I put my coat and bag down, and sat on a chair and looked around like a child waiting for something interesting to happen. Fortunately, the time spent talking to my doctor went fairly well. And because it’s been almost a year since I’ve seen her, I honestly forgot how great she is. But since the commute is longer now that I’ve moved further away, I’ve actually considered changing doctors, but now I think I’ll have to manage. Who knows if I’ll find a better doctor?
Regardless of how not awful she is, my experience with the doctor’s office is not a fun or happy one. I absolutely hate going to the doctor’s office and yes I’m an "adult" now but why can’t going to the doctor’s office feel not like a burden? Until then, I will continue avoiding the doctor’s office as much as I can. (Also: there’s usually so much judgment from your doctor, that you leave the doctor’s office with more insecurities than you did come in, but that’s a whole other story.)
