Monday, January 18, 2010

Doctor Vent

The doctor's appointment went fine but the more I rotate the more I realize how much I like my real doctor. I feel like one of those kids with the lower lip quivering when the step-mom tries to be nice and they say but you're not my real mom! I don't want to be induced if I don't have to, but I do think that one positive of scheduling when I deliver would be coordinating my own OB to deliver Sunflower because so far my two experiences with the other doctors have been unpleasant.

The last time I saw a rotating doctor, I asked if I was expanding too much and he pulled up my chart and said well you have two kids so you grow larger with each subsequent pregnancy. He simply glanced at my chart, saw prior pregnancies but failed to see that I miscarried. I felt too horrified to correct him but then tried working it in later by saying I'm just a little nervous because I've had two miscarriages. He did a double take at my chart and looked a little sheepish but it was clear he had not read my chart or had any clue who I was.

Still he was an angel compared to the doctor I saw today. I wanted to talk about breastfeeding and PCOS with Dr. M since I know I may have issues and my local La Leche League contact person suggested I talk to my healthcare provider. Dr. M had no idea about PCOS and said that's just silly that PCOS would cause low milk supply, just because its on the internet doesn't make it true. I do NOT appreciate being condescended to. First off, you don't know anything about PCOS and since I have the diagnosis I happen to be informed, and second of all do you think I got my information just based on a random message board? I stood my ground and told her no I read scientific journals that published studies on PCOS and breast milk supply. Only then did she concede there could be a correlation. She then chided me on worrying about preterm labor saying look, move on from your miscarriages, you are in different territory now. I get what she was trying to say, but she said it in such a curt manner I felt I got scolded by my mother. You know what lady? If I'm scared about a symptom I will call and ask. You only have to deal with me until May, so deal with it. It was frustrating and she was in a rush to get done so we were in and out in ten minutes.

My next appointment at 28 weeks will be with Dr. T who is notoriously mean. The internet is filled with former patients and horror stories. She was the doctor on call when I was miscarrying my second pregnancy. When she called me back I said I'm pregnant but I'm bleeding a lot, her response: Yeah? And? I will never forget her lack of compassion and her nonchalant attitude about miscarrying, if you're miscarrying its not a big deal, it'll feel like a heavy period. Let me tell you, miscarrying a nearly seven week fetus is NOT like having your period. I told my regular OB I don't want Dr. T but she said that Dr. T is nicer now and has realized she was too harsh. But, still.

I'm disappointed by the doctor experience but at least baby-wise things look good. I'm excited about my MFM on Wednesday. He is a sweetheart and luckily I don't have to rotate with him. Seems like there a few of you, Susan and Kate, with ultarsounds Wednesday. Hopefully we will all hear good news that all is well!

6 comments:

  1. i am totally with you on the rotating doctors thing, it's not that i think the other doctors in the practice are bad dcotors or anything, honestly, my experiences with the other doctors in my practice have not been as bad as yours, but i go this practice because i like MY doctor. that is another reason (besides the obvious) that i like the idea of induction, i can schedule it on a day that my doctor is delivering. my step-sister said that she was very nervous about having a dcotor besides her own deliver her baby but when the time actually came it was the last thing on her mind and she did not care at all that she didn't get her doctor, she just wanted to get the baby out.

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  2. I wish you didn't have to deal with crappy docs covering for yours. To be honest, you probably won't have a ton of interaction with whoever delivers your baby anyhow. Mostly it's the nurses that you spend time with, and the doctor shows up for the few minutes at the end to catch the baby. The only time you really want to be with "your" doc is if something ends up going wrong and you need their help to discuss and make decisions about how to proceed.
    I'll have one of 16 or so doctors get me on call, and will probably end up being delivered by a resident or potentially med student (unless they're really nice and give me some professional courtesy as a fellow doc and have the staff look after me). I'm glad I know most of the staff from my time as a resident, because there's no provision made for meeting the others in the call group at my clinic. And I'm glad that I was obsessed by Ob/Gyn during med school, and have a fair bit of experience in it, and won't (I don't think) have a problem holding my own in discussions should anything weird come up.
    Thanks for the shout-out! I sure hope all three of us get good news on Wed. It's coming up fast. Are they going to check growth and your cervical length again? I sure hope squirmy in here has continued to grow and is back on the curve. I need to keep her baking for another few weeks!

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  3. Your doctors make me angry. I want to bitch-slap them on your behalf. Hope that everything looks superfabulicious on Wednesday.

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  4. Oh man, that's AWFUL!! What horrible, horrible docs!! So you have to rotate in this practice? With my OB, even though she is in a group, I only see the other docs if she is unvailable for some reason.

    Get a doula, seriously. I didn't have one with Bean and I regret it big time. Get some recommendations, interview them, and pick a great one. Worth every penny.

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  5. Have to say, the older I get, the more I realize there are more crappy doctors than good ones. Sad truth. Given what they make, seems they could be nice to their patients. There should be a personality test they have to pass to go into practice...bedside manner is so important!

    The rotation part sucks ducks. That was the whole reason I left Kaiser. My current OB, bless her heart, guarantees minimum 80% chance she'll deliver me. That was worth the switch. You don't want your delivery experience ruined by a crappy doctor. I sure hope things turn around, and that it works out that your OB can deliver you.

    Good luck on the scan on Wednesday! Woohoo!

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  6. Sorry you had a sucky experience!

    My advice is to get a doula or (preferably) a midwife who can be with you during delivery at the hospital. She will be familiar and will help you to relax/cope through labor's stages. The doc generally shows up right at the end and does little beyond catching the baby.

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