Surgeon never sent post-op meds... any advice? (lemmy.world)

submitted 3 days ago by Pheral@lemmy.world to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world

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Apologies for any weird formatting. I'm a lurker with no idea how to post. For context, I live in the USA, asscrack of the planet.

I had a surgical extraction of a broken tooth at an oral surgeon in a town about an hour away from me. It was a little bit brutal, so I was told to load up on the prescribed ibuprofen/acetominophen and start antibiotics that evening after surgery. After the hour drive home, I went to the pharmacy that I had listed in my paperwork. They had no scripts for me since last year. I called the surgeon's office. The woman on the phone said she saw them in her system, had an hour left in her shift, and would call me if she saw them sent out. I told her not to worry, that the pharmacy would contact me as soon as they received it. I assumed there was no way they'd leave a patient without post-op meds. Well, I was wrong.

They never sent my prescriptions before closing up for the weekend.

The office doesn't have an emergency number of any kind. Voicemails or text messages can be left for them to check on Monday. What in the world do I do or even say to these incompetent assholes?

I'm managing my pain with my own medication, but it's expensive, and they sure as hell aren't antibiotics. I'm broke, if that helps.

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[-] db_null@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 3 days ago

No wonder healthcare cost in the US is as it is if something benign as this can't be resolved without involving lawyers.

[-] Quexotic@infosec.pub 1 points 2 days ago

Exactly. I mean, this is probably just some office worker that made a mistake, but the problem here is that there's nothing this person could have done except maybe going to the emergency room and then incur fees because of that. If it was a single payer system, it would just be a matter of contacting some urgent care that's over open 24 hours or something like that, a low-level thing, and then just getting the prescriptions written. Done. No problem, no infection, no complications.

Most importantly, no fucking lawyers.

[-] db_null@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Terrible mistake to make and shit like that mustn't happen, especially after a follow up call and a promise to get it sorted.

That office should be covering any additional cost to get the prescription via tele doc or urgent care and apologise to OP. I don't see malpractice or a need for lawyers to 'get them'

[-] Quexotic@infosec.pub 1 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

I see where you're coming from, but there's probably not a snowball's chance in hell that the clinic would make it right. It would be appropriate to ask, but unrealistic to expect.

Also, if it doesn't qualify as malpractice according to US law, the lawyer would 99% likely recommend what you suggested. The biggest concern is a quick infection and severe pain. Being so close to the brain, that can go bad fast.

this post was submitted on 19 Sep 2026

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