I have this issue with my left wrist: it hurts. Quite a lot sometimes. Fortunately, I’m right handed, but it’s surprising how many everyday tasks set it off. Riding my motorbikes and bicycles is uncomfortable. Picking things up is very difficult. Typing can be painful.

So, after 6 weeks of enduring the discomfort and not wanting to go to the doctors (like a typical bloke), I finally snapped today.

I see my doctor very rarely. I hate going to the doctor and I hate going to hospitals - I’ve had too many bad experiences at the bungling hands of the NHS. My wife, on the other hand, must be on first name terms with her doctor  because she seems to see her every other week, either for herself or one of the kids. She usually just phones up in the morning and then goes straight in. I don’t remember ever seeing her wait for an appointment.

I just phoned my doctor’s surgery and asked for an appointment. The conversation went something like this…

S: “Hello, North Street Surgery.”
D: “Hi. Can I book an appointment with Dr. ****** today please?”
S: “Erm… [pause] no, he’s fully booked. [long pause where no further suggestions were offered]“
D: “Ooookaaaay, how about tomorrow?”
S: “No, sorry he’s fully booked… and, he’s on annual leave next week.”
D: “Right.”
S: “Is it something he could deal with in a phone call?”
D: “Probably not.”
S: “Oh.”
D: “Uhm.”
S: “Sorry.”
D: “Yes. Is there anyone else I could see?”
S: “You could phone tomorrow to see if Dr. Unpronouncable has any cancellations.”
D: “Thanks.”

Maybe I’m being picky, but the surgery didn’t really seem at all interested in my plight or getting me an appointment to see the doctor. Surely, if he can spare a few minutes to talk to me on the phone, he could talk to me in person? Don’t get me wrong, I don’t begrudge my doc his annual leave, but you might think that some common sense and planning would take place at the surgery. Given that he’s going to be off, it’s highly likely that appointments will get bunched up during his last couple of days in, and some additional cover might be useful.

I overcame my phobias and issues to phone the surgery and ask for help, and I hung up the phone with the feeling that they just couldn’t really give a toss.

I guess I’ll just add the wrist to all the other maladies that I just put up with, because the docs seem completely unable to fix any of them.

It’s a good job I’m not dieing.

UPDATE:
I phoned my wife and related my experience. She phoned the doctors and immediately got an appointment for this afternoon with her doc! What?!?!?!?!