tell me your thoughts about this...(sorry long vent)

[mshel]

Last friday while I was at work, I suddenly lost the last tiny bit of my already bad hearing, suddenly in both ears. I went asap to ENT docs office for hearing test, was put on high dose steoroids. went back today for re-test to see if it helped.the result- no change i am below 120 decibles in both ears.So because of all this I had dropped off papers earlier for doc to sign for my work, but when my husband gathered all the papers up he accidently put some paperwork that was to go back to work...not to ent doc. While I was still at office, I asked if i could retreive those papers since i needed to turn them in as soon as possible. I explained what papers to the lady at least six or seven times, as she turned to go get them she said ( I read her lips) "god dammit you", when she came back with the paper work, she told me I needed to go into this office becasue I was "being too loud". I told her sorry I couldnt hear and cant hear myself talk. She gave me a very dirty look and told me to get in the office and shut up. When I tried again to tell her why I needed the paperwork, she told me that I needed to pay for the paperwork,and "why was it even in there, HUH? why was I stupid to put them in there?" I asked her why she was being so rude to me? When I tried to get paperwork, she snatched itout of my hands and then told me that i needed to leave the office right now or she would call the cops on me. Already upset at my non regained loss, now being treated like this i was getting frustrated and upset.
I asked her again why she is being so rude to me, that all i needed was the paperwork to turn into work. She told me "I was scaring the hearing people in the waiting room". Then a nurse and a doc came in to see what the prob was. I explained it to them as best i could and said that I was a nurse and would never treat my pateints like that. Said I didnt understand why she was being so rude to me, and if thats how she treats deaf patients at an ENT office then she needs to be talked to. The doc said she would be talked to but I am still mad about the whole thing and left there in tears. What do you think? should I write an official complaint? As i was leaving parking lot, there were two cop cars that pulled into the lot. I am still upset about all of this.... any suggestions would be appreciated. And FYI- I work with many of those ENT docs in surgery so they know me.

 

[TWA]

Sorry to hear about this experience. That totally sucks.

Yes, you should absolutely write a letter of complaint. Be sure to talk about how belittling the lady was and how you were pushed to tears. Someone like that should not be working in an ENT office. How maddeningly ironic.

 

[GoBears]

I would write the complaint. It should be calm and professional. The person who the complaint is about will try and make you seem like you are irrational. If you are calm in tone in the complaint and just give the facts and about how you felt that day I would think it would be taken seriously.

 

[Frisky Feline]

I feel that writing the complaint would help her to understand how she approach to the deaf people. it doesn't matter if she and you had problem before. But she needs to be aware about people who lose their hearing that are more harder than deaf people that they need to take it easy on them. Just wake her up for changing her attitude toward to deaf and hearing loss people. seriously! If they think you are scaring them because of your loud voice then they have no considerate feeling of you when they know you are losing your hearing which is unfair. just filling out the complaint in a nice way that way she would learn how to change her attitude.

I am so sorry for your frustrating with people.

 

[Sosie]

Mshel, I am so sorry how they mistreated you. Yes, definitely you should write the Medical Board of Oregon a letter. State agency that licenses medical doctors, investigates complaints and disciplines those who violate the law.

 

[Banjo]

This isn't the first time I've heard of such a thing. It appears to be a problem in a good number of medical clinics and doctor offices. The doctors are usually out of the loop, it's the receptionist who is usually the problem.

 

[purplecatty]

You're not alone with this situation...

I have been treated bad by Dentist's assistant. He made me very angry because he was playing game on my wife while she was on the phone trying to explaining to him about my missed appointment which was not my fault. He hung up on her several time and I got upset and went over to the office and told him that you were rude to my wife. He laughed at me and I demanded kindly to give me my dentist record so I can take it to another Dentist office. He threatened to call police. I was too mad to wait for police so I left. He did call cop and few days later I got court summon.

On the day of court, I was with my lawyer and dentist assistant LIED under the oath. My lawyer was shocked he had gall to do that and Surprisingly that Judge said it was a "toss up" trail so she decide to charge me for Disturbance of Peace and pay $224 fine!! My lawyer was shocked cuz he knew I'm innocent. He asked me if I want to go another trial with different judge. I said no because after he explained that it is 50/50 chance to win and don't want to pay another $350 attorney fee.

It's so sad that those Medical professional are very rude and unfriendly to deafie and handicapped. I've seen some of them were very unkind. I wish there are law that protects deaf and handicapped from discrimination without going through lot of paperwork and fights to prove that they are discriminating them. I wish that if they act inappropriately, they should have their license suspended to teach them a hard lesson for mistreating their patient!!!

So you're not alone!!!

Catty

 

[sallylou]

mshel, I'm sorry that the receptionist was so rude. She obviously has some kind of problem. I seriously doubt that you are the only person who had a problem with her but her behavior was so egregious in your case. I would write directly to the dr. The employer is the one who should deal with her.

 

[khar59]

You're not alone with this situation...

I have been treated bad by Dentist's assistant. He made me very angry because he was playing game on my wife while she was on the phone trying to explaining to him about my missed appointment which was not my fault. He hung up on her several time and I got upset and went over to the office and told him that you were rude to my wife. He laughed at me and I demanded kindly to give me my dentist record so I can take it to another Dentist office. He threatened to call police. I was too mad to wait for police so I left. He did call cop and few days later I got court summon.

On the day of court, I was with my lawyer and dentist assistant LIED under the oath. My lawyer was shocked he had gall to do that and Surprisingly that Judge said it was a "toss up" trail so she decide to charge me for Disturbance of Peace and pay $224 fine!! My lawyer was shocked cuz he knew I'm innocent. He asked me if I want to go another trial with different judge. I said no because after he explained that it is 50/50 chance to win and don't want to pay another $350 attorney fee.

It's so sad that those Medical professional are very rude and unfriendly to deafie and handicapped. I've seen some of them were very unkind. I wish there are law that protects deaf and handicapped from discrimination without going through lot of paperwork and fights to prove that they are discriminating them. I wish that if they act inappropriately, they should have their license suspended to teach them a hard lesson for mistreating their patient!!!

So you're not alone!!!

Catty

My goodness, it reminds me of the saying "It can only happen in America". I mean the bit about going to court and stuff like that.

I live in the USA and have been here for 10 years. I am originally from NZ. I find that people here call the police for everything! I think these professionals are dispicable.

I still have a dental assistant from a past dentist who eyeballs me in the mall and has even returned a middle finger to me after I did it to her. Yes, I did it first, but then I just can't believe that this is happening, even if I did that first. All this was over money that I had deposited with them and the attitude I got about my complaints to dentist about my treatment in office. I put it down to the fact that I am an immigrant and they had pre-conceived assumptions about me.

There are some weird things that happen in this country. I think it is why Americans go to war so often. Very stand up and fight in your face people around here!

 

[purplecatty]

My goodness, it reminds me of the saying "It can only happen in America". I mean the bit about going to court and stuff like that.

I live in the USA and have been here for 10 years. I am originally from NZ. I find that people here call the police for everything! I think these professionals are dispicable.

I still have a dental assistant from a past dentist who eyeballs me in the mall and has even returned a middle finger to me after I did it to her. Yes, I did it first, but then I just can't believe that this is happening, even if I did that first. All this was over money that I had deposited with them and the attitude I got about my complaints to dentist about my treatment in office. I put it down to the fact that I am an immigrant and they had pre-conceived assumptions about me.

There are some weird things that happen in this country. I think it is why Americans go to war so often. Very stand up and fight in your face people around here!

It's just the professional people who just got too prideful of job.

Actually, at Dentist office, there are glass partition between waiting area and Receptionist office. My lawyer said that partition shouldn't be there and it's making him big in ego and prideful. Dentist assistant did admit he had issue with other patient before. IN fact that I went to another dentist office and they had NO glass partition and they were very friendly to me. I had no problem with them, They were very nice to write down what they were asking me.

My belief is that it's Judge's fault because she didn't punish him for hearsay (broken oath). Back in old day, Judge are very strict on that. Now Judge are too soft on Professionals and hard on innocent people. They got to be very careful because they'll lose vote on next couple years (national election). I believe that They should be strict with Professional people cuz they preys on innocent people just for money or try to punish just cause. This should be stopped and teach professional people to respect clients!! I would rather having them walk on tight rope than walk on broad street. If they want to keep the job as professional, they better clean up their act and be like one!!

Catty

 

[Kai Onca]

I got days just like that but I gotta relax myself as I'm not going to conquer and change the situation overnight. There always will be one crabby person out there that inflects the negative for everybody I remind that myself at the verge of crying. I told myself last year no more crying over the injustice of not being treated fair-

from my experiences there would be some snotty/overworked/overstressed rececptionist/techs/nurses/aide at the vet's office, at the doc's office, at the dentists- in hosptials whatever their reason of being crabby they probably forget they're the first person the client sees

sometimes clients/customers are total jerks/asses towards the receptionist then the receptionist in turn become negative and take it out on the rest of the people. I've seen enough crabby nurses to last me a lifetime

my most favorite customer service of the health care system is the emergency room! every single time I have been in the ER at few hospitals, I'm treated with kindness from every single employee in the area. Those people really do rock!

 

[mshel]

Thanks to everyone who responded, I am writting a complaint letter. The saddest thing is that I am an RN and would never treat anybody the way she treated me, so for those who think all medical personnel are like that....they are not. I am going to make it a personal agenda to re-educate the medical community about how the deaf or anyone with disabilities are treated, and change it. So, give me support with this and hopefully, there will be good changes in the near future.

 

[inspirabull]

You're not alone with this situation...

I have been treated bad by Dentist's assistant. He made me very angry because he was playing game on my wife while she was on the phone trying to explaining to him about my missed appointment which was not my fault. He hung up on her several time and I got upset and went over to the office and told him that you were rude to my wife. He laughed at me and I demanded kindly to give me my dentist record so I can take it to another Dentist office. He threatened to call police. I was too mad to wait for police so I left. He did call cop and few days later I got court summon.

On the day of court, I was with my lawyer and dentist assistant LIED under the oath. My lawyer was shocked he had gall to do that and Surprisingly that Judge said it was a "toss up" trail so she decide to charge me for Disturbance of Peace and pay $224 fine!! My lawyer was shocked cuz he knew I'm innocent. He asked me if I want to go another trial with different judge. I said no because after he explained that it is 50/50 chance to win and don't want to pay another $350 attorney fee.

It's so sad that those Medical professional are very rude and unfriendly to deafie and handicapped. I've seen some of them were very unkind. I wish there are law that protects deaf and handicapped from discrimination without going through lot of paperwork and fights to prove that they are discriminating them. I wish that if they act inappropriately, they should have their license suspended to teach them a hard lesson for mistreating their patient!!!

So you're not alone!!!

Catty

Several years ago I was in a civil case- a property dispute. It went to court and there I learned a very very hard lesson. People lie in court. They lie and can shed real tears. Lawyers lie as well, they construct cases around lies. If you are not careful in the desire to win you can find your self telling a lie.
The judge is a member of the community and moves in circles in that community that are usually made up of other professionals and business people. The reputation they care about is with those people. Whether or not the judge knows that he or she has a bias really does not matter as long as you know. The main lesson I learned is this: avoid the courtroom. And know this: if you are an angry male you will get hosed. Guaranteed. The system just naturally does it with astonishing gusto. It is amazing. I know it is easy to say, "don't be one" but I am saying it. It does not pay. I commiserate with you, what happened was wrong. Once you have been right and lost in court you know how our system really works.

 

[nope]

The only advice I have to share is what my dad told me when I was being treated poorly by a doctor. I had been getting very, very ill for no reason quite suddenly and thought it might have been an allergy. I went to the doctor in my area and he completely blew me off - told me it was nothing and I was wasting his time. I was crying when I left the office and called my mom later that dad and left a message. My dad called me back and told me that we have the right to fire our doctors. They exist to offer us a service, and even if they are very educated that doesn't give them or anyone the right to treat us poorly. I went to another doctor when I went home for the weekend and she diagnosed me with anaphylaxis in about 30 minutes and now I have to carry an EPIPEN at all times to make sure I don't die. I don't like to think what could have happened if I'd listened to that first rude doctor. I called the clinic supervisor person and spoke with them about my experience. I don't know if he reprimanded the doctor or not, but no patient should be treated rudely no matter what problem they are having!!!

I'm so sorry you had such a bad experience! It's awful to be concerned for your health and then be laughed at or yelled at. I hope you don't experience this again!

 

[inspirabull]

mshel

You are doing the right thing. Do not be surprised if something like what happened to catty ---- where the lady(in this case) tries to lie her way out of it.
I hope not and that some kind of resolution takes place and you receive reassurance that actions have taken place to make sure something like that does not happen again. Take care, okay?

 

[LDNanna]

Good luck and I hope that you have a good outcome. Please keep us posted. We all care and share a common interest, we want to be treated properly and well. This is most important especially in a medical setting. Go get em! (calmly is good advice tho) lol

 

[DeafDoc1]

Mshel, you were treated very badly, and there's no excuse for that. You were upset and having a bad day, and were traumatized by the loss of your hearing. But to play the devil's advocate, have you tried to speak with the person again? I wonder if she was also having a terrible day, had bad news, was highly stressed, etc. While a formal letter of complaint will certainly send a message, a personal (polite) confrontation may do more to modify her behavior.

 

[Wonderlust King]

Wow. I'm surprised you handled the situation so well given the circumstances. My initial thoughts were "Wow, this (other) lady sounds like a real jerk...she should be fired." Because that is ridiculous. No one deserves to be treated that way. Then I had an afterthought...

Just as you were having a bad day caused by uncontrollable circumstances, perhaps she was experiencing the same thing in one way or another...a cheating husband? A rebellious child? No love life? The possibilities are endless.

HOWEVER...none of the circumstances are/would be excusable for her unkind, unprofessional behavior. If she were experiencing something like that outside of work, she should have taken a sick day. Or asked someone else to help you. Not take it out on you. And if she really is just a mean person and there's no reason for it, she should be fired.

I hope you enjoy the rest of your week, and I'm sorry to hear about the bad news.

 

[djchur]

Thanks to everyone who responded, I am writting a complaint letter. The saddest thing is that I am an RN and would never treat anybody the way she treated me, so for those who think all medical personnel are like that....they are not. I am going to make it a personal agenda to re-educate the medical community about how the deaf or anyone with disabilities are treated, and change it. So, give me support with this and hopefully, there will be good changes in the near future.

I am a deaf student nurse just starting my final year. I have to write a dissertation and am going to entitle it 'How can nurses better communicate with Deaf patients?' Due to some problems I have had whilst at uni I could just as well call it 'How can lecturers better communicate with Deaf students?'

The way you were treated is disgusting. I would have thought that the healthcare professionals who would be most likely to have some knowledge of Deaf awareness would be those employed in ENT and audiology offices.

 

[Babyblue]

I am sorry for your bad experience. The Lady works at the ENT office. She should know more about hearing loss since majority of the ENT do take care of Deaf and HOH patients. I would go ahead and file a complaint with her superiors and see if they handle it the appropriate way.