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frustrating appointments

Yesterday after work I went and got my pre-natal massage.  It was very relaxing, which was great because the day didn't start out too well.  I couldn't sleep for various reasons and so I went into work late. Apparently public transportation pretty much shuts down after 9 AM and I ended up waiting 20 minutes for the bus in the freezing cold.  According to the schedule the bus was 10 minutes late.  I just didn't feel good all day and a nice massage really helped my mood.  What it didn't help was the stabbing pain in my back. 

The masseuse went really light on me, I think she was afraid of hurting the baby, which I totally respect - I don't want her to hurt the baby either, but I don't think an intense rub on my lower back would be a problem.  I was enjoying myself too much to worry about it at the time, but as I hobbled out I felt like it was a little bit of a waste as far as helping me walk without pain. 

I might try this other place my doctor recommended and make sure they know it's ok to be a little rough.  The masseuse knew about my sciatic nerve problem and worked on it a little bit, but clearly not enough to really make any difference.

This morning we had an appointment with a different pediatric practice.  This place only has two doctors and is much more mom and pop than the well-oiled machine we went to before.  As with any practice with only two doctors the hours are definitely less accommodating, but on the up side there aren't any cancellation or late fees, which we liked.  They are housed an older condominium building and the office space and equipment are old.  There were boxes of files stacked in the doctor's office and behind the front desk that made her seem disorganized. 

We spoke with the main doctor who owns the practice and she seemed fine, but we had already made up our minds that we didn't really like the place, mostly based on the hours and the unprofessional atmosphere.  Plus I felt like I was going to sneeze the whole time.  I think I was allergic to something in there. 

I started to compare it to my OB doctor's office. She's the only one in the office so it's small, but it's professional and welcoming so I don't feel like just because you only have one or two doctors in an office that it has to lack in that department.  I didn't like that both doctors work elsewhere as well.  The main doctor works in DC and MD on top of the practice in VA and the other doctor works somewhere else too so it really limits their availability.

I have an appointment on Monday afternoon with a family physician for my physical and we'll see if we like that practice.  They don't have a lot on their website about taking care of newborns, but it might be something to consider.  If that doesn't work out I think we'll stick with the first place until we find something better.  We're running out of time and don't like having to take off work to interview pediatricians when we have so many other doctor's appointments we have to go to all the time and so much else to worry about.  I was hoping that it would be easier to find someone we like.

Comments

Amanda said…
I think cancellation and late fees are probably mostly a moot point - you're not the kind of person who would just set an appointment then cancel it or be late. The "late" fee is weird given the fact that they don't pay us if they aren't running "on time". I get if you're hours late but a few minutes...if that's what they're charging, I don't blame you with not wanting to go there. Sounds like you guys have a good plan, though. You might find you like it just fine once you get there. :)
mj said…
We go to a large practice for Adele and it's . . . fine. I like some of the doctors a lot and the others okay, and I have had one of them get too concerned about her weight and it bugged me (the next one we saw was like "of course she's small--look at her parents"). But what really mattered when she was a newborn is the hours and even moreso, the on-call response time. It seemed like we always had a question on a Sunday. Or Christmas. And the dr. got back to us in a reasonable time every time, which made all the difference in the world. Now, it cost a bit more, but it saved us from insanity, so I was cool with it. Maybe a small practice would be like that too--it probably depends on the practice.

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