Most of us have avoided seeing the doctor as much as possible since COVID. Didn’t want to sit in an office with sick patients or be guilted into taking vaccines we didn’t like. Unfortunately, our bodies sometimes betray us. Our hinges get rusty. We have accidents and falls. We do stupid things that strain backs. Sooner or later, we have to submit ourselves to an exam and/or procedure in a health care clinic. We’re confident that the administrators of these facilities are masters in pain management. But sometimes they seem totally clueless. For example, if you need a back x ray, you’re forced to lie face down on a narrow table. After they get the needed pictures, pain intervenes, and you can’t get up off the table. At that point, the technician has no recourse but to yank you up to make room for the next patient. That’s when you experience torture on the X Ray table.
I have to admit that I embarrassed everyone at that point, because I heard a loud yell coming from my own throat. Excuse me, but this is not acceptable in a clinic where many patients can hear you. Bad optics. After all, it’s not like you’re having a baby. Except, it hurts every bit as much, although maybe for a shorter period of time. Quickly, they ushered me back into the patient waiting room and firmly shut the door.
The doctor was cheerful and friendly. He listened carefully and treated me successfully for the bad shoulder and back joints I’d originally come in to complain about. He did the best he could for the back sprain I’d just recently acquired. . But now it was too late , because I had a new pain caused by the rough treatment of the x ray technician. And it still hurts.
Should I blame the technician involved ?. Not really. Because if the facility administrators had cared to make the investment, there are x ray machines designed for patients with back injuries. I suppose they’re a bit pricey, but I would have paid for the contraption myself to avoid that pain. No, it wasn’t the quality of patient care that I objected to. It was torture on the X Ray Table.