I had our 30 week appointment an hour before we were scheduled to leave for Peter and Lindsay's wedding in Ohio. They scheduled it this way to make sure I could get the green-light to travel. I was anxious to get the results from my glucose screening at 26 weeks, and had a blackberry memo list of questions for the doctor. I scheduled this appointment with the physician Daniel and I thought we wanted to deliver us, if possible (because really it is whomever is on call that day/night).
The doctor came in, asked me how I was feeling, and started up the machine to hear the heartbeat. He told me that he had delivered a baby at 2:30 a.m. that morning, and hadn't slept yet...and that he wanted to cancel his appointments, but he knew I needed to be seen. We found the heartbeat, so he quickly turned off the monitor and asked me if I had any questions. I pulled out my phone and started to ask him about the illness (head cold/sore throat) I had come down with earlier that week. He blew off the question and told me he couldn't give me anything (duh, that's not what I was asking for) but that if I developed a fever to go to the ER immediately, especially while I was in Ohio. Then he started rambling on about the cord-blood bank registry, asking me if I had signed up yet. I told him to refer to our chart and he would see that at 20 weeks, we discussed this and declined this procedure. He started to leave the room as if we were done, so I couldn't get any more questions answered. I was able to sneak in one more about my swelling and the pressure I felt the night before (literally....felt like so much pain and that baby boy wanted OUT NOW!). He said, "maybe they were light contractions...is that what they felt like?" I told him "um, this is my first baby, so I have no idea what an actual contraction 'feels like'." His response....unbelievably, "I'm not a woman, so I have no idea either...but if you were able to talk on the phone or to your husband, it wasn't a contraction". OMG. He did not seriously say that. And then he left.
I was befuddled and in tears as I left the office. Then it hit me when I got to the parking lot...he never gave me the results of my glucose test. That a-hole. Now I was not just upset and confused....I was raging mad. I ran back in the building because I knew they would be closing soon....but even if I could get with the nurse about the test results, I could rest easy that weekend in Ohio. Coincidentally, I ran into the doctor on the elevator. He was on his cell phone, but I interrupted him by screaming that he never told me the test results, or finished answering my questions. He continued on his cell with his friend, until the call dropped from being in the elevator...when he proceeded to cuss and throw a little fit because he didn't have the phone as a scape-goat anymore. He told me to call the office to get the results, that he forgot. Then he was on his way... and I quickly decided since it was too late to leave the whole practice all-together (not that I really want to because I LOVE my normal physician...she just doesn't deliver babies) that this doctor WOULD NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES deliver my baby.
I called the office to get the test results. The nurse must of had a head's up, because normally they aren't permitted to discuss it over the phone, so I was ready for the whole story about how I was supposed to call to get the results because of an unprofessional/negligent doctor. Good news...and the silver lining....I passed with flying colors.
I promptly called to rescheduled all future appointments with anyone but him. I'm half-tempted to write a letter to the board, or at least to the partners of the practice....maybe I'll just refer them to my blog. haha :)
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