I am freaking out
Member
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: East Coast USA
Posts: 120,867
Originally Posted by Tetra 
I just wanted to update this as a lot of you took the time to reply when I was very close to the edge so to speak, and I am very thankful.
Well as some of you know I work as a PA/medical secretary to a consultant. Pretty much anything that needs doing, he says "let Tetra know". So he handed me a biopsy report 6 weeks ago with a note written "urgent - notes please". That means he wanted the patients hospital chart. I checked the system and saw the patient was an inpatient at that time under a different consultant and I knew I could not get the chart. I put it in my tray and I meant to keep an eye on the situation but it slipped my mind.
So I came across the report this week when I was tidying up a bit and I immediately started to panic. I note the patient has cancer - in two different places I think. What I gathered from the system is that he/she is already having chemo under someone else. But I am not a doctor. What if they had cancer in both places? Would they need two types of chemo? I felt sick at the thought of someone's treatment being delayed 6 weeks because of my sloppiness.
I did speak to my dad (who is not a doctor either) but he did say "you worry too much. There is no way they would give him/her two types of chemo at once time. It is very hard on the system". I spoke to my colleague who just said "if the chart is available just leave it out for him. If anything he will dictate a letter saying something about the delay. To be truthful its not a big deal as everyone who works here has access to lab reports and someone would have picked up on it and been in touch".
So I did fetch the chart and left it on his desk. I had to leave early last Thursday and I did not see him but I saw he came in late in the evening to do paperwork as the file was back on my own desk yesterday morning with a post it saying "Ok, dealt with. Chart back to sort and file".
So you were all perfectly right. I do overthink and jump to the worst possible conclusions, This anxiety is very very hard to deal with. I thought I was coming to grips with it but I still have my ok days and my very bad days.
Anyway thanks again to all of you.
Well as some of you know I work as a PA/medical secretary to a consultant. Pretty much anything that needs doing, he says "let Tetra know". So he handed me a biopsy report 6 weeks ago with a note written "urgent - notes please". That means he wanted the patients hospital chart. I checked the system and saw the patient was an inpatient at that time under a different consultant and I knew I could not get the chart. I put it in my tray and I meant to keep an eye on the situation but it slipped my mind.
So I came across the report this week when I was tidying up a bit and I immediately started to panic. I note the patient has cancer - in two different places I think. What I gathered from the system is that he/she is already having chemo under someone else. But I am not a doctor. What if they had cancer in both places? Would they need two types of chemo? I felt sick at the thought of someone's treatment being delayed 6 weeks because of my sloppiness.
I did speak to my dad (who is not a doctor either) but he did say "you worry too much. There is no way they would give him/her two types of chemo at once time. It is very hard on the system". I spoke to my colleague who just said "if the chart is available just leave it out for him. If anything he will dictate a letter saying something about the delay. To be truthful its not a big deal as everyone who works here has access to lab reports and someone would have picked up on it and been in touch".
So I did fetch the chart and left it on his desk. I had to leave early last Thursday and I did not see him but I saw he came in late in the evening to do paperwork as the file was back on my own desk yesterday morning with a post it saying "Ok, dealt with. Chart back to sort and file".
So you were all perfectly right. I do overthink and jump to the worst possible conclusions, This anxiety is very very hard to deal with. I thought I was coming to grips with it but I still have my ok days and my very bad days.
Anyway thanks again to all of you.
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