A Doctor Was an Hour Late and Brushed Off the Delay — the Patient Had Already Posted On Social Media and the Comment Section Had Suggested Opening the Cabinets

A patient turned to Reddit after their doctor’s appointment booked for 9:00 a.m. was delayed for over an hour. During the long wait for the medical expert to arrive, they turned to Reddit in exasperation—and they had rather creative ideas about it. 

The the subreddit r/mildlyinfuriating recently shared a story from @transfatpikachu that received 47,000 upvotes as of publication. They shared a picture of the room they were in for an hour and ten minutes until the doctor had finally arrived. 

The room, like any other hospital room, appeared clean and sanitized, with all its cabinets containing medical equipment and other paraphernalia shut. Everything seemed intact and present; all except the doctor. 

In the caption of the Reddit post, the user empathized with the grueling job of a medical professional. They also understood how busy a doctor often is and the hard work that goes into it. They also acknowledged there might have been a legitimate reason for the delay.

However, what infuriated them was the lack of communication or acknowledgement about a delay. The user noted the time was 9:55 a.m. and said the doctor had still not arrived when they posted.

Patient Turned to Reddit for Help—and They Had Some Theories…

The post received over 3,900 comments with an array of responses. The most popular ones, though, involved what the patient could do while waiting for the doctor to arrive. A user who received 14,000 upvotes had a thought: “Start opening cabinets. They will be right in...” 

This sparked a thread of suggestions with other Redditors who had similar creative solutions to kill time. One user recommended making balloon animals using the disposable gloves from the glove cabinet. They said, “Time to start making glove balloon animals.” 

Several commenters said they had tried it themselves. A commenter said she had done the same with her young son at a pediatrician's office.

Another one told the OP, “Start taking samples as compensation for your time.” Some of the other responses included making a trip to Costco or Walmart. Eventually, the OP shared an update: The doctor returned within 10 minutes of sharing the post on Reddit.

According to the poster, the doctor did not acknowledge the delay and “brushed off” concerns throughout the appointment. They had but one sarcastic remark to add in the aftermath: “Gotta love American healthcare!”