24 weeks

I think it takes a lot for me to get to the point of frustration where I start to feel like I’m losing control of my emotions. But that happened yesterday. The short version is the healthcare that we have experienced while pregnant has SUCKED. The longer version is this: about 2 weeks ago I realized that no one had followed up with us to schedule another OB appointment. We had simply slipped through the cracks and been forgotten about. EMOTIONAL DAMAGE! No one likes to feel like they are a number on a screen, unimportant, forgettable. I called to find out what happened and was told basically it didn’t matter what happened we just needed to get on a schedule again. So we scheduled with the same provider (Lisa) and her first available slot was yesterday. I don’t remember if they asked me what clinic or not, but we’d seen her last at the Valley Clinic so that was where I assumed our appointment would be. When we showed up at the valley clinic 10 minutes before our appointment, we were told bluntly that we were at the wrong location and the correct location was half an hour away. Ugh. Maybe if the receptionist had shown an ounce of empathy I wouldn’t have been so frustrated but it was obvious that our problems were the least of her worries. We emphasized that we knew it wasn’t her fault but asked how in the world did we get scheduled for the Maple clinic. After some tense back and forth it came out that it was a big mistake and she was going to see if a provider at the Valley clinic (where we were) could squeeze us in. She came back a few minutes later and said yes we could slip into the 9 AM slot (about 10 minutes away at this point). Problem solved. I felt pretty anxious about it honestly. Would this new provider (who had about 20 minutes to review our chart) even know us? Would they have seen our scans and be capable of providing quality care? Or were we just being pushed through the machine again? I grudgingly told Drew that maybe this would end up being a good thing and we’d find a provider who we connected with. I was trying to see the silver lining in what felt like another of life’s cruel jokes. If this had been the first mistake with CHAS then you’d be right in calling me over dramatic. But every appointment we’ve had so far at CHAS had it’s own unique frustration. So this most recent mistake was just another brick on the ever growing mound of dislike for CHAS and consequently, healthcare in general. I’m starting to see why people use non traditionally trained midwives and have home births. The simplicity of avoiding the medical care system almost makes it seem worth it.

I digress.

We ended up seeing Peggy and LOVED her. She was the first doctor that we’ve seen in Spokane in the last 8 years of infertility and now pregnancy who we felt like actually listened to us, provided quality care and seemed like she LIKED us and wasn’t just trying to push us through the system. The other shoe dropped when we found out that she isn’t actually a regular provider at CHAS, she is from the West Side and is just helping out for a bit in Spokane. Of course. She’ll be in Spokane in November though and we were able to schedule our follow up with her so we at least have one more month with her and then, like before, we are providerless.