"Patronising, unnecessary and completely unprofessional"

Prior to attending my appointment, I had a phone call with a doctor who explained the procedure, possible side effects etc of the toenail operation. He also sent me a link which duplicated what he said and some extra information. I read this at the time it was sent over, even though I was advised there would be around a 6-8 week wait time for the appointment. A few days later I had a phone call offering me an appointment the very next day due to a cancellation, which I jumped at. 

I attended the appointment, and was greeted by a bit of hostility...I assume because I was 7 minutes late (even though I called up to advise of traffic delays) and profusely apologised once I got there. Within a minute of sitting in the chair, the staff member began questioning me. When I say questioning, I mean testing. They began asking me questions such as what do you think we’re going to do today, what do you think an infection looks like, what are the rare side effects etc and this carried on for a long time. I answered their questions with things I remembered from the link, the phone call with the doctor and what I already knew.. as I’d had the procedure done on another toe previously, so this wasn’t alien to me and I'd told them that. They didn't seem content with any answer I gave (even though they were correct) as I may have only listed 3 side effects rather than all 10 rare side effects. I would also like to note that some of the questions they asked wasn’t even information given to me via the link or the doctor. They even said that unless I get this right then they shouldn't continue with the procedure.

They also looked at me and said, to make it clear, this is not a cosmetic procedure, as Id expressed that I'd have liked as little toenail removed as possible. Was this an attempt to make me look silly? It was derogatory. At no point did I think I was going in for a bit of botox. It just added to the whole patronising atmosphere.

At this point, I'd had enough, I explained that I have a very small baby and my mind is very busy so I may not remember everything and I didn’t know it was going to be a test. I should not have to explain myself to somebody as to why I havent attended the appointment with the answers written up my arm. For example, when asked how long do you think this will take to heal? I answered over two weeks… they replied, nope. 2-10 weeks. So my answer was correct? It’s besides the point. If they wanted to know that I have a general understanding of the process, then fine, but this was patronising, unnecessary and completely unprofessional. If I had not NEEDED this procedure, I would have walked out. I felt I didn't have a choice because of the pain I was in.

I haven't taken the dressing off yet so I'm not sure how well it was carried out, but by my current pain levels, I assumed it was done well. I am not questioning this person’s capability, but I am disgusted at the way in which I was treated prior to the procedure. Once it was done, they were fine and amicable. However, nobody should attend an appointment and get interrogated to this extent. Had I been a vulnerable person lacking in capacity, would I have been treated in the same way? I would hope not. But it shouldn't make a difference.