Tuesday, September 21, 2004

at what point do you leave?

I had an ob check yesterday - the appt was at 10:45 am and I got there at 10:44 am (not late). I waited about 45 minutes in the lobby before they took me back. That wasn't so bad but then I waited another HOUR in the little room before the doctor came in. I was NOT happy. I kept thinking "ok at an hour and a half I walking out". 5 minutes before that deadline I heard someone enter a room near me so I thought ok I'll wait and see if I'm next. 20 minutes later I was still sitting there. I know - I chicken out. I kept wondering what I would do if they walked in while I was dressing to leave. And then I also figured it would still come back on me. They'd say I left without being seen and still charge my insurance which would be crap because I was there - THEY were the ones not seeing me. Would you have left?

So, we were already on a bad note when the doctor asked me about my Level 2 ultrasound. I guess it was too soon for her to have gotten a report back from Iowa City. Anyway, I told her they didn't see anything. PAUSE...she wasn't really responding and I have a tendency that if there is a lull in the conversation I don't think the person understood what I was trying to say so I keep talking and talking. I said, "she said if you used your imagination maybe you could see something but she didn't think it was anything". Still PAUSE....ok maybe I got a "really?". But now I thought I had said something wrong so I tried to qualify it by saying, "well, they saw a bright spot on the right side but said it was muscle tissue and said maybe there was a brighter spot on the left but they didn't think that was anything". Then she lets loose with "WELL, we can CERTAINLY show them the pictures we saw because there definitely was a bright spot!!"

pissy, pissy, pissy

I thought later how that statement was news to me because on the phone she said she didn't see anything the day of the ultrasound at her office - and that it was another doctor who "thought" they saw a "small" echo. Now all of a sudden there "definitely" was something there. It's like she was pissed they are saying it was nothing. Wasn't that the goal?! Isn't "nothing" good news in this situation?!

Ok - this next part might be TMI (too much information) for some of you so be forewarned...

So then it was time for the pelvic check. I have one at every visit so she can check my cervix. And during each of those lovely exams I can alway feel her knuckles burring into my butt as she gets in there far enough to feel the cervix. Having someones knuckles pushing into your butt doesn't feel good anyday but it especially KILLS when you have a external hemrrhoid the size of Texas. (Ok I realize that analogy would then make my butt the size of North America but go with me on this.) No, there's no being delicate - she pushed right on the puppy too.

I was in tears leaving there. My butt hurt, my feelings were hurt, my pride was hurt! I just wanted to go home and crawl back in bed. Since I had to go back to work I treated myself to lunch instead. Still felt crappy the rest of the day! What ever happened to bedside manner?

Lilypie Baby Days

3 comments:

Christine said...

That is exactly why I no longer go to that office (the waiting for an eternity part...not the knuckles on the butt cheeks part). I see that my strongly worded exit letter to them didn't get them to speed up their process any. And here I thought they were going to miss me so much they would try and clean up their act.

But in all seriousness, I would have left. Send them an invoice and let them know that you had allotted 30 minutes for that visit, but instead you missed 2 hours of work. Therefore, they owe you your hourly salary multiplied by one and a half. Just because they make the big bucks does not mean their time is more valuable then yours.

Being at the OB's office for two hours for a routine OB checkup is absolutely ridiculous. When I was pregnant with Caleb there was at least once I waited for over an hour for a regular, no complications OB visit. You know the kind where the nurse listens to the heart beat and then Abernathy comes in and measures you. You get a good 45 seconds of her time. I was so pissed by the time she came in. She cheerfully said, "How are things going?" To which I responded, "They'd be better if I hadn't just wasted an hour in this office." I don't like to mince words.

Lori said...

I've long said I would have changed OB's if this pregnancy wasn't high risk and it was Abernathy who did my LEEP procedures. I felt like she never actually had time to listen to the patient anymore, to answer questions, etc. I usually don't make any appts there later than 9:30 am because anything after that then they are running late but that was all they had this week because she was going to be out of the office. Imagine that? I don't think I will be giving them the benefit of the doubt and be waiting that long ever again. She did apologize when she came in and saw me about asleep on the table.

Anonymous said...

Ok, I would have left too. I learned to try to get the first appointment of the day. They aren't behind by then HA. Your situation happened to an acquaintance of mine. She had to wait forever for Dr. Lungren. She sorta went off on him and his response.... He had to tell a woman she had cancer. And how would she feel if he told her that and then left for his next appointment. Good point but I have ALWAYS had to wait at that office even the first appointment of the day.

necole