Medical Communication

A friend warned me not to let the fertility specialists get under my skin. She said, "They're a little distant and impersonal." I should have written it down and kept it with me. Today was one of the days I spent on the phone with a nurse for the specialist. They wanted to remind me to get an HSG and to get my progesterone test. They also wanted me to get my infectious disease blood work (which they've taken several times since mid-January).

Finally, I was able to speak to a nurse on the phone -- not just voicemail. She said that they didn't really know which lab work had been done because they didn't have my charts. "Your charts are with Doctor." They're going to check. I have my fingers crossed. Since this nurse was fairly forth-coming about the communications problems in her office, I asked whether I really need to meet with the psycho-social specialist. "Doctor," as her staff calls her, specifically said she didn't see any reason for me to have that appointment. I've got my fingers crossed that I'm off the hook for that too. 

In the meantime, I've got to figure out a way to communicate with the staff that doesn't involve eight phone calls a day. My stress increases with each phone call. Plus, "psycho-social" and "infectious diseases lab" aren't things I like to say once let alone repeatedly in the office. For my Valentine's Day gift to myself, I'm not going to procrastinate one minute longer. I'm filling out the paperwork for the specialist who works in town. If it isn't better than this office, at least I'll feel as if I had a choice. 

Thank goodness I can dream of knitting baby booties. It makes it all better somehow.