[Lauliza]

I just wanted to update everyone here since you were all so supportive and helpful during my imagined "crisis".

My pdoc did call me this afternoon and he said not to worry at all- that he didn't give it a second thought. He said he read my apology email to him and "thought it was cute".

So he was at most amused by the whole thing and I can breath a sigh of relief.

Thanks again everyone!

[Raging Quiet]

I'm glad it ended okay

[sweepy62]

Yay!!!!! I'm so happy for you. You have a great pdoc.

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[Bill3]

Yay!!! Thanks for letting us know.

[meganmf15]

We always obsessively worry...:then it turns out ok. You'd think we'd learn something, eh?

[Lauliza]

Originally Posted by meganmf15

We always obsessively worry...:then it turns out ok. You'd think we'd learn something, eh?

Yup and it never happens. The receptionist was trying to avoid asking him to call me. He kept saying he just filed the email so I don't think he saw a reason to call an will just address it at your appointment. So I was like I understand that but I am asking you to tell Dr. that I want him to call me anyway. The kid was taken aback a but really? Just give my doctor the message! Which he did

[AustenFan]

Wait, what? You called the office and asked for the doctor to call you? I thought you just sent the explanatory email and your doctor chose to call you on his own...

[Lauliza]

Originally Posted by AustenFan

Wait, what? You called the office and asked for the doctor to call you? I thought you just sent the explanatory email and your doctor chose to call you on his own...

No, which at first I thought was unusual because he responds to every one of my emails and does so with a phone call. But, to be fair, every other email I've sent has asked a very direct question. This email didn't ask a question, it just offered an explanation. I know it's often the case that if you don't ask a question, the receiver doesn't think you want or need a response. Plus in this practice the the emails go through a server and other people see them. What I wasn't fully aware of until yesterday is that the admin staff actually read the emails first. Then they print them and bring them to the doctors to read. So he wasn't sitting there checking his emails privately, the secretary was waiting for him read it and return to him so he could put it in my file. My email didn't relay any anxiety so I explained this to the receptionist who seems perplexed that I actually expected my doctor to call me. Either way, soon after I got a call from my doc from his cell on his way home.

The receptionists act like gatekeepers in my doctor's office and I think it's unusual for him to call patients unless he deems it necessary. He might make some exceptions for me since I don't ask for much but otherwise, if information can be relayed through the secretary, it is.

[AustenFan]

Wow, that must have unsettled you even more then if he always calls you after an email and this time he didn't call for either email! Yikes! Sorry you went through all that!

[Lauliza]

Originally Posted by AustenFan

Wow, that must have unsettled you even more then if he always calls you after an email and this time he didn't call for either email! Yikes! Sorry you went through all that!

Yes, it really did. I actually called my therapist because I was so anxious which I'm glad I did. They are in the same practice and she knows him well.

She said "Lauliza when you get off the phone with me call and tell the secretary you want to speak to him. I guarantee he has no idea how anxious you are right now so he doesn't know you want or need him to call back. He took your explanation at face value and hasn't given it another thought. That's what he's like, you know that!"

[sweepy62]

I still can't get over that the receptionists read emails, before pdoc does!'!!! I guess that's a policy.

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[Lauliza]

Originally Posted by sweepy62

I still can't get over that the receptionists read emails, before pdoc does!'!!! I guess that's a policy.

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Yup, and they have access to all the files too, but that's policy in a lot of places so the doctors and Ts don't have to do all the administrative stuff.

The email form advises you to call for issues that are very personal and you want kept confidential since email goes through a server and other people may see it. That and the doctors/Ts don't have time during office hours to read through all their emails and respond in a reasonable amount of time. Once they leave the office they are done for the day.

[sweepy62]

My t reads her own emails , and voicemails. The files and stuff are part of the treatment team, my t , pdoc , supervisors ect... Crisis team.

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[Lauliza]

I'm sure it's different for everyone, especially the therapists. I've never emailed my T before so I don't know how she uses it. If there's ever an issue I generally call. I emailed my son's T once at this practice using this form, and her reply was from her gmail. So it really depends.

I've learned to assume that anyone can read them. My pdoc is part of a clinic, and when she's out of the office another one will reply to my email that it's been received and is being saved for her.

The last therapist I saw told me to use her email and not the office email because she said it was "private" which I took to mean "confidential" only to learn through an error made by her office staff that all emails were funneled into the office staff's system and were filtered by staff first. I was pretty pissed about that because I'd been led to think that private meant private. It made me wonder why in the world she told me to use her personal email.

[Lauliza]

Yeah it wasn't until yesterday that I knew the emails were actually filtered by office staff first. Now that you mention what happened with your T's personal email, they may do the same at my practice. Personal addresses might be synced with their server.