for years, my tonsils have been a problem. they are always inflamed. they have always had holes in them. and those holes bleed, like… every day.
i know i’ve written about this before, so i’ll just leave it at that.
anyway, i finally went to the doctor. mostly because everyone in my immediate family has yelled at me to do so. i knew it would end one of 2 ways–i would get my tonsils removed, or a doc would tell me that it’s all “normal” and that i’ll be fine.
i walked into the room and sat down with the nurse, where she proceeded to ask me everything i had already written down on my check-in sheet.
…why are you here? (my tonsils are bleeding and it makes my stomach upset which makes me throw up entirely too much)
…do you get strep throat a lot? (no)
…do you ever get tonsil stones? (sometimes)
…are you concerned about chronic bad breath? (no)
…do you get sore throats a lot? (no)
i answered her questions. evidently, she was incapable of writing down my answers. at least, correctly.
5 minutes later, the doctor came in with a different nurse. same check in sheet.
i wish i was making this next part up.
doc: “so you’re here about chronic bad breath?”
me: cue WTF look on my face “umm, no. i’m here because my tonsils bleed and it makes me throw up”
doc: “i’ve never heard of that. are you sure it’s your tonsils?”
me: “yes. i look at them every day, and i can see them bleeding…”
doc: “well, that’s strange. tonsils usually don’t bleed”
me: “well, they’re bleeding”
doc: “i’m not saying i don’t believe you… but i don’t see why they would be bleeding”
me: “they bleed. i wake up in the morning and i throw up. I CAN SEE THEM WHEN THEY’RE BLEEDING” (at this point, i am intentionally being a bitch)
doc: “well, let’s take a look. i’m going to use this camera”
the nurse squirted a stinging liquid in both sides of my nose, i proceeded to gag. eyes teared up like crazy. sneezing followed. OW.
and before i could even process what he was about to do with said camera, there was a 6 inch tube and tiny camera shoved through my nose and down my throat. what the hell just happened?
he removed the camera, sat back in his chair, and continued to try and explain to me that “tonsils don’t generally bleed” and that i don’t need to have my tonsils removed unless i have recurring infections or tonsil stones.
WHAT?
me: “but i do get tonsil stones.”
doc: “your sheet says you don’t.”
me: “but i marked on it that i do and i told the nurse that, too.”
are these people completely incapable of paying attention?
so i walked out with a prescription for an antibiotic that i’ve never heard of that may or may not help the “inflammation” that “could POSSIBLY cause the bleeding”.
i have never been so unbelievably pissed off at a doctor, or so amazed at their ignorance.
i’ll try the prescription to see if it “helps the inflammation”… but otherwise, i’m pretty sure i’m about to pay a crapload of money for a jerk doctor to tell me that i was wrong, and i’ll end up going elsewhere to get a real diagnosis.