Much Ado About Nothing

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Just a little rant-y post here today, because it seems I’m perpetually taking one step forward and two steps back in the Land of All Things Infertility. I’ve had a heck of a time finding a doctor for surgery, and I’m getting weary of the runaround. I just want answers.

Today was supposed to be my surgical consult for endo cleanup. I mentioned in my last post that my previous consult didn’t work out due to distance, traffic, and my anxiety. After that consult fell through, I made a consult with a different doctor, which was scheduled for today.

This morning I drove the 50 minutes to the doctor’s office and arrived ten minutes early. My first impression of the place was that it was one of those “cattle mill” medical practices: you know, the kind where they churn out patients like so much chattel, overscheduling their books, always with a packed waiting room, and where their bottom line is all about getting more patients in than the doctor has time to see. This particular practice touts itself as being “OB/GYN/Infertility,” although they do not perform IVF… Meaning lots of pregnant women were in the waiting room. It never bodes well for the infertility patient to be staring at big pregnant bellies while awaiting an appointment. But, I digress. Regardless, I decided to give the place the benefit of the doubt. I checked in and sat in the waiting room. Where I waited… And waited… And waited some more! Five women who’d arrived after me were called in, and still it wasn’t my turn.

After waiting 40 minutes, I asked the receptionist when I could expect to see the doctor. Her reply? “Oh, it’s going to be at least another 45 minutes. The doctor is very behind today.” For realz? An hour and a half wait? I went out of my way to get to my appointment on time, and they didn’t even have the courtesy to phone me and let me know I could’ve come at 1:00 instead of 11:30! Unfortunately, my job is very demanding and I don’t have the luxury of spending 3 hours at a doctor’s appointment, in addition to nearly 2 hours travel time there and back. I made the call to leave without being seen. They rescheduled my consult for Tuesday, December 13. I’ll give this place another shot, though I’m not expecting much.

In other news, my intermenstrual bleeding is baaaaaack! I didn’t have the bleeding in October/November, probably because I was still in the throes of the Longest Cycle Ever and hadn’t ovulated in forever. Today I’m on cycle day 15 and have been bleeding since CD11. I ovulated right on time on CD14, so there’s some silver lining amongst the clouds.

Last time I had IM bleeding, my RE, Dr. C, told me to call the clinic if the bleeding returned. I called my clinic’s nurse today and she relayed my situation to my RE. Dr. C wants to do a hysteroscopy (this will be my third h/s) and [possibly] a D&C, as well as a biopsy and general vag exam. I’m to call back with the start of my next cycle so I can schedule the procedure. Unlike Cattle Mill Place above, Dr. C’s office is on the money: they answer their phones promptly, return calls quickly, and I can always get an appointment in no time at all. I wish Dr. C could do my surgery! He refuses though (I believe his exact words when I first met him were “No surgeon would touch you with a 10-foot pole.” How comforting), so onward the search continues.

So overall, today was just a bad day in the trenches. I have faith it will get better. It has to.

drinaminute