Medical: Female Issues

Why do some doctors have to be so impossible?

I had Friday off work, so I had scheduled a couple of doctor appointments – one for my knees, the other for my female problems with a brand new doc. (Don’t worry, I’ll cut tag when I get to that part.) Both doctors are located in the professional suite at the local hospital — in fact they’re at opposite ends of the hall from each other. So getting from one office to another would be nice and easy, as long as the first appointment didn’t go over. First appointment was at 10AM, the second at 11:45AM, but they wanted me there by 11:15AM since I’m a new patient.

My knee doctor appointment was to get the first in a series of 3 shots to each knee. Since mom & I weren’t sure how my knees would react to the shots, she volunteered to drive me to the hospital and drop me off, then come back up there at 12:15PM to pick me up. That way, if my knees DID decide to seize up (like they have in the past with the steroid injections), I wouldn’t have to worry about attempting to drive. And, she wasn’t stuck all day at the hospital with me, waiting. She might have to wait for me a little to finish up with the second doctor, but we figured it wouldn’t be too terribly long (especially since it was close to when they break for lunch!).

We left so that I would get there about 15 minutes before my appointment with the knee doc. That left me time to run down the hall and drop off my new patient questionnaire with the other doc, and still make it to the knee doc right on time. I walked into the knee doc’s office with 2 other families. This made me a little paranoid that my timing would be off and I’d be late for the second appointment, but I didn’t need to worry. I got in there, had a brief wait, then it was back to an exam room where I waited a little more. After a quick examination of my knees, it was time for the shots. The ones I’m getting now, as I said, are in a series of 3 per knee, and I’m getting both knees done at the same time. The brand of injections is Supartz, not Euflexxa as I thought it was going to be – but either way, they accomplish the same thing of replacing the synovial fluid that is lacking in my joints. After both shots were administered, I paid and headed down the hall to the little lobby area near the elevators. It was only 10:45AM, so I still had 30 minutes until my next appointment. I was pleased that my planning the two appointments so close together didn’t backfire in my face! haha.

After killing time, I headed to the other doctor’s office. There was only one other person waiting, so that was encouraging. I figured that they had wanted me there early to fill out paperwork – the stuff that I’d already filled out and dropped off that morning. So if I had to wait another 30 minutes before going back because my paperwork was already done, I was cool with that. I had my book and settled in to wait. Well, I ended up getting called back early – probably about 11:20-ish. I went through all the normal pre-visit questions with the nurse as she went over my files, took my pulse and BP and all that fun stuff.

Quick aside – I forgot to mention that my heart doesn’t beat right before she took my pulse. It completely freaked her out at first that it was beating fast, then stopping, then starting again. Haha. She had to attempt to take it a second time, but the funky beats do make it difficult to take a 10 or 30 second pulse and multiply it out to a minute. *giggles*

Anyway, we get all that stuff, and she leaves the room, saying the doctor will be with me shortly. Since I’m in there so early, and the doctor is apparently already on her way, I decide to text mom and tell her to go ahead and come up a little early, maybe shoot for getting there @ 12 instead of 12:15. About 5 minutes later, the nurse comes back in and asks if the front desk had informed me that the doctor was doing a c-section that morning (no, they hadn’t), and to let me know that the surgery was running a little late, but the doctor would be down as soon as possible. The surgery part of the hospital is just a 5 minute walk from the professional offices, so no biggie. I was not annoyed that I’d have to wait a little more – but I was annoyed that I hadn’t been told that earlier, since I’d just told mom to come up earlier. I texted her again — she’d already left. Crap. Oh well, she said she’d still come up and wait.

So we wait – me in the exam room, mom out in the waiting room. And we wait. And we wait. Again, I’m not upset that I have to wait. If there an issue with the surgery, that’s much more important than me. I understand that. I had my book, so I just settled in and read. At one point, the nurse popped her head in to let me know that the doctor was done with surgery, and was rushing back to the office and would be in to see me shortly. It’s a bit after noon, so I’ve been waiting for about an hour at this point. I texted mom and let her know they told me the doctor would be in to see me shortly. The nurse came back in a few minutes later, and we determined that they had misplaced the medical records I had brought up at the beginning of the week. About 10 minutes later, she pops in again to let me know they finally found them.

I’m now expecting the doctor to be in at any time, since they told me she’d be there. But I sit there and wait. And wait. And wait. I start getting a little grumpy. (I later find out from mom that they took back another family while I was back there waiting. We believe the doc went and saw them FIRST, before coming in to see me. Even though my appointment was earlier than theirs.) Finally, around 1PM, I start texting mom, telling her if she wants to go get something to eat, it’s okay. She doesn’t have to wait on me to be done. At 1:07PM, mom finally agrees. The text she sent me said “Am going to get lunch. Nurse said she [doc] would be with you for about an hour.” I texted her back a minute later saying I still hadn’t seen the doc yet, so it’s fine for her to go eat. I get a response from mom at 1:10, saying “she told me she was on her way in to see you”. Right as I receive & am reading the text, the doctor walks in.

So, now it’s 1:10 PM, (Yes, the time is important) and I’m finally seeing the doctor. And this is where I’ll go ahead and cut-tag the entry, since it’s all about personal things & female issues. Female-related issues behind this cut tag! Be warned!!!!

Ramblings

It’s been 7 years today since my dad passed away. Sometimes, it feels like it’s been a lot longer. Other times – it feels like it was very recent. Lately, it’s been feeling very recent. In remembrance, I want to link to a post I made later that year – scans of a letter about my dad that we received in a Christmas card.

I am currently filling out some new patient paperwork for my ob/gyn appointment on Friday. There is a section listed as “Contraception: Which method do you use to prevent pregancy?” One of the choices I can pick from is “Female partner.” Now, yes, I know how biology works and all, and that 2 women can’t knock each other up. I just wasn’t aware that having a female partner was a FORM of contraception — like something you can pick up at the pharmacy counter. *giggles*

I have a dental appointment tomorrow – just a cleaning. But it’ll set up another long series of dental appointments. I have to have work done on both of my upper cuspids, as well as a molar or two. Ugh. Friday, in addition to my gyno appt, I have the first in a series of Euflexxa shots in my knees. I’ll have to get those the next 3 weeks in a row. I hope they don’t hurt too bad.

I’m .. rambly tonight, but I don’t have anything to ramble about. Not really.

So lonely inside, so busy out there

Now on to a little more “serious” post than the last few.

Work is… well, it’s not the best. Not that it’s bad, either things just aren’t good around here. After the layoffs and store closings, they never did anything to definitively tell people “hey, we’re in it to stay, we’re focused on staying open” or other things of that nature. There was just a lot of spin talk, but nothing that gave any confidence in our future. As a result, people have been jumping ship like crazy. Some departments have actually brought back people that were laid off because the people left behind all quit to go work elsewhere.

They kept finding reasons and ways to extend my boss’ 30 days out into more like 60+ days. His boss wanted to keep him around until he was able to find something new, so it wouldn’t be so hard on him and his family. I have to say that was pretty nice. He finally did find a new job though, and so his last day is May 2. I am truly going to miss him, he was probably one of the better bosses I’ve ever had; by far the nicest.

In the larger scope of my department, we are losing 3 more people this week to new jobs. I’m talking about managers, senior directors, etc. Higher level folks, with no one to come in and take over their positions. I wouldn’t be surprised if we lose even more, as almost everyone around here is looking for a new job. Even my only remaining coworker is looking.

As for me? It may be stupid, foolish, or whatever, but I haven’t started looking yet. Partly because I’m comfortable. I don’t want the hassle and stress of looking. I might have a little stress now whereas before I had none, but it’s still a decent job. Plus, if I’m staying, I have a modicum of job security (as long as we stay in business) since everyone else is leaving. Someone will have to do the work, after all. 😉

I also haven’t started looking for a new job … because I don’t have a clue as to what on earth I would want to do. I don’t know if I’d want to do the same thing again somewhere else. I can’t do data entry anymore – my typing speed just isn’t what it used to be, and with my tendency towards tendonitis (and the possibility of it developing into carpal tunnel), I know that I will never be able to type as fast as I used to again. The check room stuff is nice, it’s fun getting to cut checks. But at the same time, I don’t know if I’d want to do it full time somewhere. There are plenty of things I’m “good” at, that I just don’t really enjoy doing. And the stuff that I do enjoy, I’m not good at. Figures, eh? I’ve rarely done the same thing twice in any of the many jobs I’ve had. This is the longest I’ve ever worked at any company by a long shot. (It will be 8 years in Sept, but officially 8 in Oct because I started as a temp.) I’m tired of being here, but like I said, it’s comfortable. I know what I can and can’t get away with. Hah.

Due to the layoffs and ever shrinking staff, we no longer need the entire building we are occupying. (Basement, 10 “regular” floors, plus the 11th floor exec level which is only accessible by the freight elevator or a staircase in the 10th floor reception area. PLUS a small 1 story bank building detached from the main building.) As a result, “sometime in the future” we are consolidating down to the first 5 floors of the building. The folks in the bank building are apparently going to share the basement with the mail guys. Rumor has it, my area will be going down to the 1st floor. That will be nice, I won’t have to wait on the elevators any longer. Being on the 10th floor is absolutely AWFUL when trying to take the elevators, since we’re the top floor they service, and there are all those stops in between. Ugh. But, I’ll lose my nice window view when we move, and that makes me kind of sad. The room that is (again, rumored) to become my office is currently an interior file room, no windows; but it is a bit bigger than my current office. (Possibly slightly narrower, but definitely longer.) I can live without the windows after all I have to have the blinds here closed 99% of the time thanks to the glare on the computer screen. One thing I’m worried about, though, is that because the room is bigger, they might set it up so I have to share the office with the ECWFH. I REALLY hope not. I absolutely love having a space that is 100% mine. Back several years ago, the cash office (my office) used to be in that same file room down on the first floor, and they did have it configured for 2 people. So I know they can fit 2 in there. I just don’t want it that way. Haha. Too bad I don’t have a say in it.

As I said at the beginning, though, even the ECWFH is looking for a new job. So my fears of sharing with her might be unfounded, because she might quit. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if she did come summer time, regardless of if she has found a new job or not. She doesn’t need to work, she just does it to get out of the house. I have a hunch she is planning a trip this summer, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she just quit so that she could take it and spend time with her kids on summer vacation before getting a new job. If and when that does happen? That is when I will lose what is left of my sanity. While she may drive me absolutely crazy, and I might already be doing the majority of the work … if she’s gone, then I really will be doing ALL of the work, with no one to back me up when I want to go on vacation or I need to stay home sick. I don’t like that prospect, at all.

And in other news, my Nana was hospitalized over the weekend. Her pulse had dropped down to 30 bpm. They did surgery to implant a pace maker, and she went home on Monday and is recovering well. She could have gone home sooner, but they didn’t want to her to have to go home via ambulance, so she stayed an extra night at the hospital. When we were out for dinner with my Grandma the other week, we learned that Aunt Cookie still hasn’t started her physical therapy from her strokes last October. She has slight paralysis, but she would be able to see improvement if she started her therapy. It just seems like she doesn’t care or want to. When my grandma had her strokes @ 8 years ago, they didn’t even expect her to live, much less walk, talk, etc. But she’s a determined woman, and she gets around just fine now, with the aid of just a cane. If Cookie tried, I’m sure she could be doing a lot better than she is, too.

My leg/knee is still in the process of healing. The majority of the swelling and bruising is finally gone, but I do still have a small knot in one part of the leg as well as very faint spots of bruising. I’m getting there though, slowly but surely.

I’ve got another doctor’s appointment on Saturday. Follow-up testing from all the crap I went through before, just to make sure everything’s still okay. I won’t say more than that for two reasons: A) I don’t want to have to password protect this whole post just because of one little mention and B) there just isn’t anything TO say right now.

And, to end this on a purely trivial note… it’s been just over one year since I chopped off all my hair. I still like it, too. It’s a little longer right now since I’m in need for another trim, but I like being able to put it up in a short ponytail, so I’m in no hurry to get it cut. Haha. But if it gets much longer, it’ll be time for another chop. Even a year later, though, sometimes I forget that it’s short now.