I know it's been a while since I've caught everyone up on the medical goings ons here. There's not a whole lot wrong, it's just that I get talking about it with a friend right after the appointment and then tend to forget that I didn't put it in here. Several days later, when I remember, I'm at the point of not wanting to type about it. *shrugz* I've had 2 Dr's appointments since August 26th. Well, actually 1 appointment and a "itshouldabeenanappointmentbutwasnt".
On August 26th, I was scheduled for my yearly appointment as well as my allergy shots. Early that morning, I got a call from the doctor's office and could I possibly come in earlier for my appointment? Well sure I can, just means it's all done that much sooner and I can celebrate my anniversary longer! I got myself ready and then remembered, I made the appointment later because the allergy shots aren't given all day on Tuesdays like they are on Fridays, but start around 130pm. So I call back and ask if I'll be able to get my shot earlier too and if I can't then no because there's no sense in going in twice ya know. The nurse goes and asks the allergy nurse if this would be ok. It is, so I go in early. I get talking to the receptionist and she gets me checked in. The allergist nurse pulled me in and gave me my shot. The way it should have worked is that I'd get the shot and then go straight to the Dr. This way if anything happened while the serum was working it's way through my system, then there'd be someone right by my side. I went to the waiting room ...and waited...and waited. Each time a nurse came to the door, I looked up. About 50 minutes later or so, a nurse called me over and asked if I'd checked in. Yes I had, but for some reason my name wasn't coming up in the queue. Well, it looks like when they check you in, you need to tell the computer you're there for both appointments and the receptionist who checked me in only keyed me in for the allergist and not for the doctor. *shakes head*
Once they got that straightened out and got me checked in, it was just a matter of time before I was called in. I popped my sneaks off and got on the scale. I was expecting a very heavy weight to come up but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I was brought back to the exam room and my vitals were taken. The Doctor popped in for a couple seconds while I was with the nurse and said she'd be in in a minute. Ok cool. Now usually, the Dr will want to talk to you first before you get yourself into those cute little designer paper half shirts and matching paper blankets...however after a 10 minute wait, I decided that it was entirely possible the Dr was
running a bit behind and it just may be conducive to get into that wonderful fashion wear and be ready. Fifteen minutes later..no one....20 minutes and still no one...30 minutes later and I'm STILL sitting in a chilly exam room in nothing more substantial than a pair of socks (kept on because the floors are ALWAYS cold). The nurse pops into the room and says the Dr is running a bit late and that she still had one patient ahead of me....it should only be a few more minutes. At this point I'm thinking .oO(why the BLOODY HELL was I called and told to come in early then???), but I do the understanding thing and simply say OK instead. Roughly 10-15 minutes past that, the nurse comes in and says that the Dr is in the room across the hall and will be done over there shortly but she hasn't had lunch yet and will be required to get a lunch in before she sees me. .......oO(say WHAT ???) I looked at the nurse square in the face and asked her if the Dr had had breakfast that morning to which the response of "I think so" was given. I told her that the Dr was damn lucky then because I hadn't eaten AT ALL yet and my blood sugar was dropping; it might be a really good idea if she went across the hall and see if the Dr wanted to reschedule for the following week. She left the room and I could hear her talking in the hallway; the Dr's voice was lower and I couldn't hear what she was saying but I could hear the nurse as she told the Dr that no it wasn't her idea to reschedule but the patient's. The nurse came back in and said the Dr said it was fine but that it couldn't be for another couple weeks due to scheduling.
Why were they running late? Because that morning it had been ultra slow so they called some of the afternoon appointments to see if they'd like to come in a bit earlier. Once the calls were done, a bunch of "walk-in, no appointment" patients showed up. Some with problems serious enough to have looked at right away, but not serious enough to go to a hospital for. In fact, the case across the hall had a rash all over her face and they were having trouble figuring out what it was....so maybe it's a good thing that I rescheduled, but damn....
I got dressed and went to see the allergist nurse so she could double check my injection site, then to the receptionists to reschedule. The new appointment was set for September 16th. I asked them if I was going to have to redo the lab-work and was told no. *WHEW* That's good because I wasn't about to anyhow. I get poked enough with needles with my shots, the last thing I wanna do is go play with the vampires too!
On the 16th, I went in and made absolutely certain they checked me in for BOTH appointments. The allergy nurse came out and when I looked up, told me that she was going to quick get this one patient done and she'd come get me next. Less than 2 minutes later the Dr's nurse came and got me. *shakes head* I got on the scale and was down 4 pounds from the appointment before, which I was very happy about. I was brought back to an exam room and my vitals were taken.
I asked the Dr's nurse about my weight because I was pretty sure that it was down from the appointment before and she looked it up for me. Unfortunately, since the appointment on the 26th was
essentially a non-appointment, the vitals didn't get logged in. I'm guessing that the Dr has to finalize the readings in the file and since she didn't see me it didn't get added. *SIGH* Which means according to the Dr's files, I'm up by 10 pounds BUT I'm actually down by 4 from the last time I was on their scales. *grumbles* While the Dr's nurse was busy prepping me to have my blood pressure taken, the receptionist came to the door and knocked....right behind her was the allergy nurse. *laffz* I told her to just grab the serum and bring the shot in. She brought it in while I was having my bp taken and we were all talking about specialists and how high strung I am. It was definitely bad timing for that type of conversation for sure. To be honest I can't remember what even put us on it. I do know that because of it my bp read at a 150/78. ouch. The Dr and I talked for about 20 minutes and then she retook my bp, it'd come down to 130/80. Even that's a bit high... but considering that our truck broke down just before we went in, I'd been talking about the podiatrist trip in Texas AND that I knew I was going to have an exam that most women really despise.....well...it's totally understandable why my bp was as high as it was.
The Dr's nurse left and the allergy nurse discussed what we'd be doing in the line of my shot for the week. You see, it hasn't been all going forward lately. The reactions have been getting worse and worse. According to the allergy nurse, there should be some reaction but not to the extent we've been getting. The welts at the injection site have been getting larger and larger and the itching has been alot longer than it should be. Three weeks ago she'd decided we needed to take a step back. The reaction welted 1"x0.5" and stayed swelled well into the next day. The next week she backed it up another half step. This one swelled to 0.5"x 0.5" and still itched well into the next day. Nothing helps calm the itching either....not Benedryl gel, not hydrocortizone, not ice. I've started trying the Aveeno hydrocortizone because it has oats and aloe in it. It seems to help a bit better than the other stuff has been. This week, we took the same amount of serum as last week. This effectively puts me about 4.5 steps behind where I really should be *sigh* so the weekly shots are going to take longer. Now that hubby is on nights, I could reasonably have him bring me in twice a week and start doubling up but it also means my co-pay doubles (it's $15 per trip in even for just a shot).
Anyhow, the rest of the appointment on the 16th went ok. I was sent off with 4 referrals, an order to go to the lab to check if I was pregnant and a stern warning about my weight. When I was done with the Dr, I went to the allergy nurse to have the injection spot checked. It itched, but not as bad as usual because my mind was on that other rather uncomfortable exam the Dr had just performed (ugh). I was able to make appointments for all but 1 of my referrals while there. I went to radiology to set the appointment for my first ever press n squeeze for the girls... Then it was off to the lab to have blood drawn for the pregnancy test. They ended up having to draw the blood from my left hand because the vein in my right arm simply would NOT cooperate. They were able to get the needle in but damned if it would release any blood! I musta died and my body just didn't realize it yet. My final stop was to the back of the building to make appointments for the ob-gyn and the dietitian. The 4th referral was for an oncologist to find out why the heck my white cell count is always as high as it is. It's not too much beyond normal, but it's all the time. I think it's simply because of the stupid allergies that have things backed up all the time that's doing it.
By the next day, I got a call telling me not to worry about the oncologist...that the Dr would just keep an eye on it and that my exam had come back clean.
I guess that's about it...at least medically. I know there's another entry rattling around in my brain yet. It's possible I'll get it written later when I get up for the day.
On August 26th, I was scheduled for my yearly appointment as well as my allergy shots. Early that morning, I got a call from the doctor's office and could I possibly come in earlier for my appointment? Well sure I can, just means it's all done that much sooner and I can celebrate my anniversary longer! I got myself ready and then remembered, I made the appointment later because the allergy shots aren't given all day on Tuesdays like they are on Fridays, but start around 130pm. So I call back and ask if I'll be able to get my shot earlier too and if I can't then no because there's no sense in going in twice ya know. The nurse goes and asks the allergy nurse if this would be ok. It is, so I go in early. I get talking to the receptionist and she gets me checked in. The allergist nurse pulled me in and gave me my shot. The way it should have worked is that I'd get the shot and then go straight to the Dr. This way if anything happened while the serum was working it's way through my system, then there'd be someone right by my side. I went to the waiting room ...and waited...and waited. Each time a nurse came to the door, I looked up. About 50 minutes later or so, a nurse called me over and asked if I'd checked in. Yes I had, but for some reason my name wasn't coming up in the queue. Well, it looks like when they check you in, you need to tell the computer you're there for both appointments and the receptionist who checked me in only keyed me in for the allergist and not for the doctor. *shakes head*
Once they got that straightened out and got me checked in, it was just a matter of time before I was called in. I popped my sneaks off and got on the scale. I was expecting a very heavy weight to come up but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I was brought back to the exam room and my vitals were taken. The Doctor popped in for a couple seconds while I was with the nurse and said she'd be in in a minute. Ok cool. Now usually, the Dr will want to talk to you first before you get yourself into those cute little designer paper half shirts and matching paper blankets...however after a 10 minute wait, I decided that it was entirely possible the Dr was
running a bit behind and it just may be conducive to get into that wonderful fashion wear and be ready. Fifteen minutes later..no one....20 minutes and still no one...30 minutes later and I'm STILL sitting in a chilly exam room in nothing more substantial than a pair of socks (kept on because the floors are ALWAYS cold). The nurse pops into the room and says the Dr is running a bit late and that she still had one patient ahead of me....it should only be a few more minutes. At this point I'm thinking .oO(why the BLOODY HELL was I called and told to come in early then???), but I do the understanding thing and simply say OK instead. Roughly 10-15 minutes past that, the nurse comes in and says that the Dr is in the room across the hall and will be done over there shortly but she hasn't had lunch yet and will be required to get a lunch in before she sees me. .......oO(say WHAT ???) I looked at the nurse square in the face and asked her if the Dr had had breakfast that morning to which the response of "I think so" was given. I told her that the Dr was damn lucky then because I hadn't eaten AT ALL yet and my blood sugar was dropping; it might be a really good idea if she went across the hall and see if the Dr wanted to reschedule for the following week. She left the room and I could hear her talking in the hallway; the Dr's voice was lower and I couldn't hear what she was saying but I could hear the nurse as she told the Dr that no it wasn't her idea to reschedule but the patient's. The nurse came back in and said the Dr said it was fine but that it couldn't be for another couple weeks due to scheduling.Why were they running late? Because that morning it had been ultra slow so they called some of the afternoon appointments to see if they'd like to come in a bit earlier. Once the calls were done, a bunch of "walk-in, no appointment" patients showed up. Some with problems serious enough to have looked at right away, but not serious enough to go to a hospital for. In fact, the case across the hall had a rash all over her face and they were having trouble figuring out what it was....so maybe it's a good thing that I rescheduled, but damn....
I got dressed and went to see the allergist nurse so she could double check my injection site, then to the receptionists to reschedule. The new appointment was set for September 16th. I asked them if I was going to have to redo the lab-work and was told no. *WHEW* That's good because I wasn't about to anyhow. I get poked enough with needles with my shots, the last thing I wanna do is go play with the vampires too!
On the 16th, I went in and made absolutely certain they checked me in for BOTH appointments. The allergy nurse came out and when I looked up, told me that she was going to quick get this one patient done and she'd come get me next. Less than 2 minutes later the Dr's nurse came and got me. *shakes head* I got on the scale and was down 4 pounds from the appointment before, which I was very happy about. I was brought back to an exam room and my vitals were taken.
I asked the Dr's nurse about my weight because I was pretty sure that it was down from the appointment before and she looked it up for me. Unfortunately, since the appointment on the 26th was
essentially a non-appointment, the vitals didn't get logged in. I'm guessing that the Dr has to finalize the readings in the file and since she didn't see me it didn't get added. *SIGH* Which means according to the Dr's files, I'm up by 10 pounds BUT I'm actually down by 4 from the last time I was on their scales. *grumbles* While the Dr's nurse was busy prepping me to have my blood pressure taken, the receptionist came to the door and knocked....right behind her was the allergy nurse. *laffz* I told her to just grab the serum and bring the shot in. She brought it in while I was having my bp taken and we were all talking about specialists and how high strung I am. It was definitely bad timing for that type of conversation for sure. To be honest I can't remember what even put us on it. I do know that because of it my bp read at a 150/78. ouch. The Dr and I talked for about 20 minutes and then she retook my bp, it'd come down to 130/80. Even that's a bit high... but considering that our truck broke down just before we went in, I'd been talking about the podiatrist trip in Texas AND that I knew I was going to have an exam that most women really despise.....well...it's totally understandable why my bp was as high as it was.The Dr's nurse left and the allergy nurse discussed what we'd be doing in the line of my shot for the week. You see, it hasn't been all going forward lately. The reactions have been getting worse and worse. According to the allergy nurse, there should be some reaction but not to the extent we've been getting. The welts at the injection site have been getting larger and larger and the itching has been alot longer than it should be. Three weeks ago she'd decided we needed to take a step back. The reaction welted 1"x0.5" and stayed swelled well into the next day. The next week she backed it up another half step. This one swelled to 0.5"x 0.5" and still itched well into the next day. Nothing helps calm the itching either....not Benedryl gel, not hydrocortizone, not ice. I've started trying the Aveeno hydrocortizone because it has oats and aloe in it. It seems to help a bit better than the other stuff has been. This week, we took the same amount of serum as last week. This effectively puts me about 4.5 steps behind where I really should be *sigh* so the weekly shots are going to take longer. Now that hubby is on nights, I could reasonably have him bring me in twice a week and start doubling up but it also means my co-pay doubles (it's $15 per trip in even for just a shot).
Anyhow, the rest of the appointment on the 16th went ok. I was sent off with 4 referrals, an order to go to the lab to check if I was pregnant and a stern warning about my weight. When I was done with the Dr, I went to the allergy nurse to have the injection spot checked. It itched, but not as bad as usual because my mind was on that other rather uncomfortable exam the Dr had just performed (ugh). I was able to make appointments for all but 1 of my referrals while there. I went to radiology to set the appointment for my first ever press n squeeze for the girls... Then it was off to the lab to have blood drawn for the pregnancy test. They ended up having to draw the blood from my left hand because the vein in my right arm simply would NOT cooperate. They were able to get the needle in but damned if it would release any blood! I musta died and my body just didn't realize it yet. My final stop was to the back of the building to make appointments for the ob-gyn and the dietitian. The 4th referral was for an oncologist to find out why the heck my white cell count is always as high as it is. It's not too much beyond normal, but it's all the time. I think it's simply because of the stupid allergies that have things backed up all the time that's doing it.
By the next day, I got a call telling me not to worry about the oncologist...that the Dr would just keep an eye on it and that my exam had come back clean.
I guess that's about it...at least medically. I know there's another entry rattling around in my brain yet. It's possible I'll get it written later when I get up for the day.
7 comments:
looks at picture and winces - makes you appreciate it more when an appointment goes well huh - hope things turn around quickly
dang! those shots must really hurt! Hope they figure it out soon.
I'm with Karla....I hope they figure it out soon. Just looking at your arm makes me itch. Sure looks like nasty stuff to go thru. (I need to get a couple of those tests done too but I've been putting them off. I'm overdue for them.)
Ouch! Every time you tell your latest adventure with the shots, I'm more glad that I don't need them.
doctors.
they're so bad at...everything.
Oh, and please check the comment on my site from some pissed off person who didn't like that I used the word "retarded."
It was a really retarded comment.
- Mila
*Hugz* I would have been really upset at the amount of time spent at the Drs. office and then not seeing her.
Those allergy shots look like they really, really hurt. I spent a year and 1/2 getting allergy shots and never experienced anything like you are talking about. You must have all the luck ;)
Hope they get things figured out soon. I know how you're feeling with all the needles. My hands are covered in little cuts from the doctors' "attempts" at finding a good vein for my drip to go in last week. And I ended up having a blood test today on top of all that. My veins are starting to rebel against all these needles! :(
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