*Disclaimer: The following blog entry contains whining and complaining. If you're not interested in my ranting, I'd suggest you stop reading now. Otherwise, carry on.*
Yesterday was not a good day. I understand that it definitely could have been much worse, but it also could have been a lot better! By the time the evening rolled around, I felt like I had been beaten severely and run over by a truck. Based on the behavior I witnessed last night, I think the kids were right there with me.
Zoe had a well-check appointment, Ethan had to get two booster shots, and I had an OB appointment, complete with gestational diabetes test (my least favorite part of pregnancy) and my Rhogam shot. Fun stuff. I recruited my mother to go with me, because I'm not even going to pretend that I would ever be able to wrangle three kids for that long while trying to have intelligent conversations with health care providers. Hah.
Why is it that kids always get up at the crack of dawn when you don't have anywhere to go, and sleep late on the days you have to get up and be somewhere at a particular time? I basically had to drag the kids out of bed and to the breakfast table yesterday morning, because they were snoozing like crazy, and we had to head to Austin between 8:00-8:30. We were ready to go by 8:00, which was amazing. We made it about ten minutes early for Zoe's appointment at 9:45 (despite some ugly Austin traffic).
Sometime during all this, I started drinking my lovely glucose drink (gag) for my gestational diabetes test.
Mmmm. Delicious.
My job was to drink the whole thing within a ten-minute time period, then be in the lab exactly one hour after I finished drinking it for my blood test. It's extremely time-sensitive, so I was a crazy clock-watcher during Zoe's appointment. Keep in mind that I didn't have any food or anything to drink since about 8:00 Monday evening.
Everything went well at Zoe's appointment (more about that later), until it came time for her immunizations. She only had to get one, thank goodness, but Ethan was due for two. So, we waited. And we waited. Finally, I checked the time and realized that I only had about 15-20 minutes to finish up at the pediatrician's office and get my pregnant self across the street for my lab appointment, or my test would be voided. I had to stick my head out into the hallway and help the nurses hurry up a little bit. I tried so hard not to be rude.
We finally got out of there, and I practically sprinted to the car, dragging three kids and a Grammy with me, and sped across the street. Then, I hauled myself (and a 30-pound toddler) across a huge parking lot and up a long flight of stairs at top speed, finally reaching my destination exactly one minute before I was supposed to be in the lab. Whew. Too close for comfort.
I told the receptionist, "I need to be in the lab right now for my blood test," and I signed in on the little slips at the front desk. There's even a special place to write down whether you're there for lab work and what time you finished your drink. Obviously, they don't actually look at the slips. She told me they'd get my lab paperwork ready and get me back there "immediately." I was told to have a seat. The clock was ticking, and I was getting irritated. TWENTY-FIVE minutes later, they finally called my name and gave me the lab slip.
I got back to the lab, and waited another ten minutes or so before they finally asked me, "What time did you finish your drink?" It was approaching 11:30 at that point. My answer was, "At 9:57." After the lab techs exchanged concerned glances, they had to call my nurses. It was determined that they would go ahead and take the blood sample and talk to my OB about whether or not it would be usable.
I forgot to mention that my OB appointment was scheduled for 11:00 also, so I was very, very late. After I finished my blood work (and almost passed out/puked for the third time), I went back to the lobby to wait to see my doctor. Finally, at about 12:20-ish, they called me back. I wasn't seeing my OB, but I was going to see his PA, whom I love. She's super sweet.
She told me that I passed the GD test, but they weren't really sure if the numbers were accurate because I didn't have my blood drawn within the appropriate time frame. I told her, "I guess I should have just gone back there and been rude about it, but I didn't have my paperwork." Her eyes got really big as she asked, "You were here at the right time?!" I told her that I was barely here at the right time, but that I would have been able to get my test done correctly if they had sent me back to the lab immediately. She was not happy at that point.
Final results? Well, we're going to have to ask Dr. P what he wants to do. My options right now are either to repeat the test at some point (oh, joy), or to be subjected to finger sticks and blood sugar tests at every appointment from here to the end of my pregnancy, just to be certain that I don't have diabetes.
Eat your heart out, Wilford Brimley.
The other wonderful piece of news that I received at this appointment? I am anemic. This means we get to shell out some more money every month for iron supplements, which do wonders for my stomach.
We eventually got out of there, went to find a place to eat, and I finally got to have some food and liquid sometime after 1:00. Seventeen hours with no food or drink (besides sugar water) is not a picnic.
What did I learn from this experience? Well, no matter how inconvenient it is to make multiple trips to Austin for a slew of appointments, it is so much better than trying to stack them all in the same day. I will never again take all three of my children at the same time when we know we'll be stuck somewhere for hours and hours. Also, I've discovered that I need to raise my level of rudeness when it comes to health care because the individuals I typically have to deal with do not seem to care whether or not they're doing their jobs well or helping anyone at all. Let me say, first of all, that this does not include the doctors or nurses at any of the practices I've mentioned. They are wonderful and would bend over backward to help us. I'm speaking of the office and hospital receptionists, insurance company personnel, and lab techs, to name a few. Must be nice to get a paycheck even if you're not doing your job.
I was so happy to be home last night that I almost cried.
I'm done complaining now, I think. Sorry.
