I'm very frustrated with how slowly things seem to move through the bureaucracy of Johns Hopkins. Is this typical of the large cancer centers?

I now have to meet with my surgeon (the same doctor with whom I originally consulted) before I can even be put on the schedule. I asked why I couldn't be placed on the schedule and then talk to her in the interim and was told that we have to meet face to face to discuss my treatment plan before the surgery consult form can be completed. The earliest appointment to see her is Friday. What I see is ANOTHER week gone by with this time bomb ticking away.

Is this the price of going to a top center? I'm feeling very helpless, caught between the proverbial rock and hard place. Should I have gone with a slightly less renowned but undoubtedly competent center like University of Maryland or Greater Baltimore Medical Center? Now I've already invested over a month with the local ENT and nearly another month with Hopkins and no scheduled treatment yet. If I changed at this point, I'd lose even more time.

I'm not looking to you for answers today. I just really needed to vent because I'm frightened and angry. On the other hand, if you have suggestions, they are always welcomed :-).