To say I've had my fair share of doctor problems over the years is an understatement. I have had everything from doctors who had terrible schedules, to a doctor who actually used to ask me what I thought was wrong with myself...you know, because I am really a doctor in hiding, of course! I've had doctors who blamed everything on my weight and treated me poorly. Doctors who were uncaring and ones with terrible bedside manner.
I don't believe I'm particularly more needy or demanding than any other patient, in fact, I don't enjoy being a "bother" and certainly don't want to become one of those patients who the doctor rolls their eyes at whenever they hear they called again about something. So even when I'm ready to rip their hair out, I don't show it. It's an area that I suffer silently (er, well...silent to them, anyway).
After having really high hopes for a great doctor, I thought I got so lucky with this guy. He had been amazing at my first appointment. It was productive, I had done everything he wanted me to do...got all of my paperwork released from my previous docs, I went in for my ultrasound, hubby went in for his semen analysis...all was well. I just had to wait for results. We've discussed the impatient-factor I have before, but I WAS patient. Very patient. 11 days patient. I waited out those results, praying every day something would be posted in my online portal. Wishing for a phone call. Making sure my phone was charged and right next to me at every moment, just in case. During that time, I was also in the 2ww and obsessing about what I was hoping was going to be my BFP, so that I didn't have to wait and worry anymore anyway.
I had high hopes this cycle, we had taken the route my new doctor prescribed...less frequency, better timing. Turns out we had perfect timing according to his schedule for us. I had an amazing looking chart. My temp kept going up, up, up! Best looking chart in over a YEAR! I started testing at 9 dpo, looking for any hint of a line so I could call and they could get me in for a level check. Nothing. 10 dpo: Nothing. 11 dpo: HUGE temperature drop, and since I'm a glutton for punishment, I tested anyway and got another big fat NOTHING. And, "Aunt Flo" (I really need another nickname for her...Aunt Flo sounds much too friendly) made her appearance that very day.
My doctor had instructed me to make sure I called right away on the first day of my next cycle to get my HSG (AKA hysterosalpingogram, a test where they place a dye which runs through the uterus and fallopian tubes to ensure everything is clear and there are no abnormalities or blockages) scheduled. So, being the very obedient patient I am, I call. And that's when everything starts to fall apart.
The next several days consist of me being angry and impatient. First, I am told there is no order in the system and that they have to have an order before they can schedule the HSG. Ok, fine. But why is there no order? He specifically told me to call on CD1. The receptionist tells me she will have to talk to the nurse first. At the same time, I ask her if I can get the test results I've been waiting on for 11 days. Oh sure! The nurse will call me back to talk to me about that. The rest of the day goes by...no call back. The weekend passes...no call. I pushed everything to the back of my mind and we tried to enjoy ourselves. It's nagging in the back of my head still though, so I call again this morning and again am told I'll be called back by the nurse.
After finally hearing back from the nurse late this morning, I'm even more frustrated than I was to begin with. Apparently she has to coordinate my schedule (which I told her was 100% open...certainly I am not the issue) with the radiologist's schedule with my OB's schedule. She tells me she will call me back with some options because Dr.'s schedule was "a little fuller than I'd like to see". When she calls me back, she tells me that she has me tentatively scheduled for Jan 30th, at 1:00 (ha, so much for "options"), but that she needed to confirm my doctor would be able to do it that day. Otherwise I would have to wait for yet another cycle. Uh, so I'm not really scheduled, now am I?
She asks if there is anything else she can do for me, so I ask again about the test results. "Oh yeah!" she says. "Ok, it looks like you have a 1.5 x 1.7 cm cyst on your right ovary. We expected that but we want to monitor it with another ultrasound next month. It could be nothing." My response was "Ok, just one cyst?" I mentioned that my last U/S showed tons of cysts, so if I'm down to one, that's pretty good. She says "Oh, well, I'm not sure because it looks like they couldn't get the left ovary at all". Say WHA?!?!?!? That U/S tech took a bazillion pics as she was clicking away at her computer but she didn't get ONE shot of my left ovary?? NOT ONE??????? What complete and utter nonsense. Obviously it's in there SOMEWHERE, keep looking!!!
At my original appointment, I had spoken to this nurse and she was very sweet and kind. I really liked her a lot. She told me that she wouldn't be able to release hubby's results to me because of HIPAA. Ok, totally understandable. So, when we got to that point, I assumed she was going to tell me that she would have to talk to him about the results like she told me earlier. I was expecting it. But, no. She just starts rattling it all off. Not that I care (in fact, it was the only thing that got me a bit off the ledge), but so much for HIPAA standards, I guess.
Out of the 5 things she rattles off, hubby is normal in 4 out of the 5. His morphology (normal shaped sperm) is a bit low, but she tossed out an odd number that I had never seen in my research. Typically you see a small percentage number, but she told me his was 24 and they want it higher than 29. She tells me that might still be totally ok with the rest of his results, but that the doctor would review it in the morning. Ha. Not holding my breath for that one.
So, my frustrations continue. It's great that I LIKE the doctor, however if there is this much dysfunction involved with everything, I'm not sure liking a doctor is enough. Not that I have much choice. *sigh*
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