I have NEVER been treated so disrespectfully in a medical facility as I was this morning. I had an appointment and I was seen immediately. The phlebotomist, Heather, was very crisp and business-like, which was fine--it was clear she wasn't interested in idle chatter, so I stayed silent and only answered her questions. I think she became angry when she asked how tall I am and I answered, "do you you want how tall I am now, or how tall I used to be?" I asked this because I had a bad accident this past year and I've lost and inch of height in my spine and another inch in my left leg. Rather than ask me to clarify (I suppose she thought I was being a smart-alec) she ordered me to go stand by the wall. She then measured me (with 1" shoes and a heel lift in my left shoe, so I should have just told her my old height) and told me to step away from the wall. I started back to sit down and she snapped that I was just supposed to step away as she put a scale on the floor. She took my blood pressure 3 times and snapped at me each time to turn my palm up more. On one arm she, with great irritation in her voice, repeated that I had to turn my palm up more. I had shattered that humerus and elbow in my accident, so I don't have full mobility in that arm. When I straightened my my arm and rotated my palm up from my shoulder she seemed satisfied. The more she snapped orders at me the less inclined I was to speak. We went into the next room when I realized my wallet was unzipped, so I asked if she'd given me my driver's license back because I thought I might have left it in the other room. She snapped that she still needed it to register me. She asked if I could give a urine sample and I said "I think so," then pulled out a water bottle and drank about half of it. I came back with the sample, about 1/2 inch in the cup, and she said, "well, I'll send it in and see if it's enough." I actually felt chastised by her tone. Then she asked when I had last eaten or drunk anything. I replied that it had probably been about 14 hours. Then she said, "so you haven't had any water?" She just watched me drink a half bottle of water. I said "yes, I just drank some" and she said " you said you hadn't had anything to eat or drink." I just said "I'm sorry" and was going to add that I was only thinking of other beverages, but she cut me off. When she began to draw my blood she was poking the needle around a bit and I jumped a little when I felt a sudden poke. She actually snapped at me not to move. At this point, being tired of her snarky attitude I said "I know--I'm not stupid, but it hurt" and she responded in the most condescending voice ,"I know you're not stupid, but when you move the blood vessel moves and I can't draw blood." As if she were talking to a 5-year-old. I said "I spent weeks in the hospital and didn't have a problem with needles--I think you poked too deep". She responded that she didn't, and implied that I had jumped when she stuck a needle in my arm just to be difficult. I was so totally shocked by this woman's attitude, treating me like I was a bad child and showing her clear irritation with me, that when I left I said "perhaps a more pleasant attitude would help your clients be more cooperative " and she YELLED at me that she'd NEVER had trouble with anyone in all her years doing this and that I had been unpleasant since I first came in by "slamming my things around." I asked her to clarify how I had slammed things around (I only had my cane and a bag, which is quite heavy as it has my purse, a water bottle and my iPad in it--and I don't slam my iPad around) she raised her voice and told me to leave, she wasn't going to have a discussion with me. I was asking for her name when another lady came in and told me to leave or she'd call security! This was the craziest experience I've ever had! I spent weeks in the hospital and was constantly lauded for being such a good and cooperative patient. I wasn't my usual chatty self today because from the outset she made it clear to me that she was all business. But I was in a perfectly pleasant mood and had no issues when I went in there. I was even quite happy because I got called back so quickly. I don't understand how things went bad so quickly--I am not a confrontative person. I was being cooperative the entire time, but she mistook any attempt to clarify anything as a challenge to her. I am still reeling from this epic mis-communication. Anyone who knows me would be shocked that this woman thought me difficult or unpleasant. It's not in my nature to be that. I hope she was just having a really bad morning for some reason, because I can't remember ever being treated like this. I would hope that anyone in the healthcare field would be more patient with their patients, even if they perceive them to be grouchy or misunderstanding. read more