Wednesday, August 15, 2007

The Good, The Bad and The Very Ugly...

Sorry I didn't post yesterday after our OB appointment... I was so angry, hurt, bummed and frankly kinda evil. Things are markedly better today, so here goes...

I got to the OB's office and they called us back pretty fast, but not before I figured out they had mis-scheduled our appointment!!!! Yep - they only scheduled 1/2 of it - the Nurse Only part. No talking to the OB, not for little ole' me! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

I explained the error to the nurse, who of course asked if I had actually requested the 2nd part of the appointment!! YES! Of course I had! Grrrrrrrrrrrr! She offered for me to reschedule the missing part tomorrow. While that is pretty darned soon I don't have quite so much luxury with my job - I mean I DO have to be in the office sometimes! I had just been in 2 days of training and had taken off 2 hrs at the end of the day to be at this "double" appt! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

I really wanted to cry... I realized that Bo and I were there for no good reason, as this was just the "talking and taking OB history" appointment. There was going to be no US, no measurements, no nothing useful.

After I got a good mad on and stormed about for a bit we got down to business. I peed in the cup like a good girl and took my seat, mostly quietly. Nurse Nice was good at keeping calm - a very good thing in this situation...

We talked over Bo and my family history, then I went for bloodwork. FUN! Surprise bloodwork is always a nice kicker. :) However Kick-ass Phlebotomist got my blood in the 1st try and had a great attitude to boot. I begged her to come help me out during labor/delivery. She said to just call her - she is a rogue and would certainly come stick me. :) Loved her!!!! LOVED HER!!!

Went back to Nurse Nice and finished up with a couple doozies for rules.... ALL of the rules are documented in my chart, in case I break them...
1. All travel from this point forward is at my own risk!
2. No travel is allowed after 28 wks! (the week right before Christmas week)
3. Shrimp is on the "only in small amounts" list (I love shrimp sooo much)
4. There will only be 1 US given, at 15 - 20 weeks.

Yeah, did number 4 get you too??? ONLY 1!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!
K, my head blew off at that point, and I have no idea how I made it out of that office without yelling at someone. I mean, I've had 4 pregnancies go bad, I have Throm.bophilia, I have a disease of the nervous system I won't share the name of, Hypothyroidism and I will be 1 month from 35 when the baby is born!

As we left I was considering how long it would take me to find another OB...

Without all the details let me just say that Bo didn't do himself any favors by trying to placate me with possible reasons that the OB's office doesn't do multiple USs. He also said how bad it was that we couldn't go home for Christmas, and wondered aloud if the whole family could come here instead! I told him to stuff it none too politely AND I added that I WOULD be travelling for Christmas, even if he wasn't. Our night deteriorated sharply from there, and it was only 5 PM.

By the end of the evening I was considering where I might want to live while I finished hatching our little one. Really, it was that bad. I think I might have actually said that I was thinking about it. :(

Let's just say I was a bit unwound last night... I was a very bad wife, and I feel badly about it. I have apologized, but I know it has left a mark on Bo. I'm sorry for that, really I am.

I called Mom and unwound at her a bit too... I was a real piece of shit, let me tell you. However, with Mom I told her I knew I was being unreasonable, and selfish, and scared. I garnered no illusions that I was anything other than a crazed pregnant lady. She felt sorry for Nice Nurse, but was wise enough not to say so.

OK - trip the clock forward to today! Everything is better....

Nice Nurse called and said that the OB's review of my chart lead her to believe they might need to treat me as "high risk". She setup an appt for me to see a perinatalogist at 12 wks (Aug 31st) and then come visit her at 13 wks for the results. Also, they will be adding USs to my later weeks, to keep a check on baby. Lastly, perinatalogist will most likely want to keep monitoring me too for the clotting issues.

OH, and the kicker... I mentioned how much of a stir the "no travel" thing caused... She said, "Don't worry, 1 week won't hurt. We'll copy all your records, do a vital sign check before you leave, and give you special instructions for taking care of yourself before you go. It should be just fine for you to travel Christmas week."

Wha??? HOW did everything change that fast?!?!? It has literally made me dizzy...

I'm quite happy with the change, but of course now I wonder what all are they concerned about re: the monitoring - you know which pieces specifically? Whew, I'm tired just thinking about it.

11 comments:

Natalie said...

Wow. The first half of your post nearly made me cry! I can't believe all of that!! I am SO GLAD they turned it around for you. Yikes.

I'm sooooo sorry they did that to you. Like we really need more stress in our lives!?!?!

Stacie said...

It doesn't really matter why they have decided to monitor you more closely. The important thing is that you will be monitored. I could have slapped the Nice Nurse for you!

I just want to throw out a little warning (and I pray this won't apply to you and I am just being overly cautious). With more monitoring, you can end up with more stress. It seems that all of us "high riskers" have been given huge scares that might not have been an issue otherwise. It was a sad day for me when I no longer looked forward to an ultrasound as a time to see my babies, but instead saw it as a time of unbelievable terror. Again, I pray this isn't the case for you, but it is something you should be aware of at least.

I am still so excited for your pregnancy!

Take care...

Stacie said...

Man, what a debbie downer I am! Sorry about that!

Samantha said...

Boy what a rollercoaster ride of emotions the OB "appt" put you through! These women have no idea how stressful all of this is. Probably Nice Nurse didn't really consider the details of your chart either. I'm so glad that your OB is willing to provide a little more care.

Be nice to Bo, the two of you are going to need each other!

Ann said...

Just remind Bo that you're under the influence of all sorts of hormones, and that you really aren't yourself right now.

Even for "normal" pregnant women, only one u/s sounds very strange to me. How exactly do they check to make sure the pregnancy is healthy? At least they changed their mind with you.

Furrow said...

I have had raging moments, even through my low-risk pregnancy. Give Bo and your mom a warning to expect more outbursts and apologies, and try not to feel too bad about it.

The OB debacle sounds so typical, unfortunately.

Kate said...

How frustrating! I'm glad that everything worked out! :)

Unknown said...

Hi Dawn, sorry to hear about that rollercoaster! But I'm glad you'll beable to see the doctor more now :)

DebbieDo said...

Dawn, I'm so sorry this is so stressful for you. I'm sure the nurse understands your frustration and so does Bo. This is a scary time especially with your past and I'm sure it's scary for Bo as well.

I'm thinking of you and wishing you well.

~Debbie

Gemini Girl said...

One ultrasound- what the heck is that about?

I get one evertime I come in. I dont know if that has to do with carrying twins or whatnot, but I dont think I would be able to deal with one sono. No way.

Are you sure that this is the doctor you want? Remember, you still have long ways to go. Has anyone you know recommended a good OB? My best friend recommended my own doctor, and I love him....just consider.

Plus, are you traveling by plane on christmas? If you are considered high risk, maybe you should reconsider and have some family fly out to you. My grandmother passed away almost 2 months ago, and although I was only 2 1/2 months along, my doctor wasnt comfertable with the idea of me flying.

Anonymous said...

I am glad they changed their tune!