When enough is enough with your doctor
I was really looking forward to my yearly exam this past Monday... not something that I normally look forward to, but with us TTC, I was excited about the opportunity to talk to my doctor again about next steps.
For about three weeks now I've had a plan - I wanted to get her thoughts on if the metformin should be upped to 1500mg, if I should have a full set of bloodwork done (to check key hormones like progesterone and estrogen), and possibly to have another ultrasound done to find out what cysts I might be dealing with at the present time (in case she wanted to start me on clomid soon).
And what did I get out of the appt? Nothing. Zero. Nadda. Actually, I didn't even get to see my OB in person, rather I'm guessing it was her nurse practicioner (NP). Which, would normally be ok - maybe not the best scenerio, but I know OBGYNs are busy professionals and that happens from time to time. What I DO have a problem with is the lack of professonalism I received from the NP. Not once did she introduce herself. I still have no clue who actually stuck those things in me, which is a bit frightening. The other thing I found a bit alarming is that I'm guessing she didn't bother to open my file up before she came into the room b/c when she was doing the breast exam she pointed to my stomach and asked "what do we going on here?", referring to my vertical scar beneath my belly button. Well... you see... I ONLY HAVE ONE OVARY AND FALLOPIAN TUBE for crying out loud. Shouldn't a OBGYN of all people know that when they're talking to you?! I'm thinking I should get a black marker and put it on the top of my folder for them. As much as I like my primary OBGYN, it was pretty common for me to have to remind her about that as well. She did, however, appoligize for not remembering that right off the bat, which is nice, but still - not really very acceptable.
The best part about that appointment is that I actually tried to briefly explain my story and ask questions to which I was given what seemed like text-book replies and suggestions, at best. I could respect if she didn't feel comfortable giving me a hard-fast answer b/c she's not my primary OB, but the I would have appreciated if she would have been straigtfoward and told me to reschedule or phone the doctor. Instead, she gave me blanket replies or answers that didn't seem very accurate. Among these were "you know, it really does help to just relax and not stress about the whole situation" (thanks, I haven't heard that a million times) and "you don't need an ultrasound b/c cysts on your ovary really arn't that bad" (which I don't believe is totally correct).
There was lots more, but truthfully, I'd rather not think about it any more. Monday just wan't a good day and this whole week has been way too long as a result. What really didn't make things better is that I don't have many people who I can truely talk to about this and it just gets too much to bare on my own at times.
I DO know that I need to find a new OBGYN. Not because I don't like my doctor, I do, but only when I have her undivided attention, which is VERY hard to come by b/c she's just so busy. Other than that - her staff is not the friendliest and the NP thing just really rubbed me the wrong way. I would hate it if I actually WAS pregnant and had to work with her, so maybe this all worked out in the long run. I mean, I guess now is probably the best time to find someone who I'm totally comfortable with so that when I do get pregnant I feel comfortable and am as stress free as possible!
For about three weeks now I've had a plan - I wanted to get her thoughts on if the metformin should be upped to 1500mg, if I should have a full set of bloodwork done (to check key hormones like progesterone and estrogen), and possibly to have another ultrasound done to find out what cysts I might be dealing with at the present time (in case she wanted to start me on clomid soon).
And what did I get out of the appt? Nothing. Zero. Nadda. Actually, I didn't even get to see my OB in person, rather I'm guessing it was her nurse practicioner (NP). Which, would normally be ok - maybe not the best scenerio, but I know OBGYNs are busy professionals and that happens from time to time. What I DO have a problem with is the lack of professonalism I received from the NP. Not once did she introduce herself. I still have no clue who actually stuck those things in me, which is a bit frightening. The other thing I found a bit alarming is that I'm guessing she didn't bother to open my file up before she came into the room b/c when she was doing the breast exam she pointed to my stomach and asked "what do we going on here?", referring to my vertical scar beneath my belly button. Well... you see... I ONLY HAVE ONE OVARY AND FALLOPIAN TUBE for crying out loud. Shouldn't a OBGYN of all people know that when they're talking to you?! I'm thinking I should get a black marker and put it on the top of my folder for them. As much as I like my primary OBGYN, it was pretty common for me to have to remind her about that as well. She did, however, appoligize for not remembering that right off the bat, which is nice, but still - not really very acceptable.
The best part about that appointment is that I actually tried to briefly explain my story and ask questions to which I was given what seemed like text-book replies and suggestions, at best. I could respect if she didn't feel comfortable giving me a hard-fast answer b/c she's not my primary OB, but the I would have appreciated if she would have been straigtfoward and told me to reschedule or phone the doctor. Instead, she gave me blanket replies or answers that didn't seem very accurate. Among these were "you know, it really does help to just relax and not stress about the whole situation" (thanks, I haven't heard that a million times) and "you don't need an ultrasound b/c cysts on your ovary really arn't that bad" (which I don't believe is totally correct).
There was lots more, but truthfully, I'd rather not think about it any more. Monday just wan't a good day and this whole week has been way too long as a result. What really didn't make things better is that I don't have many people who I can truely talk to about this and it just gets too much to bare on my own at times.
I DO know that I need to find a new OBGYN. Not because I don't like my doctor, I do, but only when I have her undivided attention, which is VERY hard to come by b/c she's just so busy. Other than that - her staff is not the friendliest and the NP thing just really rubbed me the wrong way. I would hate it if I actually WAS pregnant and had to work with her, so maybe this all worked out in the long run. I mean, I guess now is probably the best time to find someone who I'm totally comfortable with so that when I do get pregnant I feel comfortable and am as stress free as possible!
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