The Ute Drama Continues..... (pg ment)

It has been a rough week. I have spent most of the last three days on the phone with various nurse practitioners, schedulers and other generally rude staff. WARNING - THIS IS A BORING AND SOMEWHAT INCOMPREHENSIBLE RANT ABOUT HOW I HATE THE MEDICAL SYSTEM. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

See, I had my cervical check last week. The Peri told me all was good and to have it checked again at my 20 week scan (4 weeks later.) After consulting with the wise ladies on the MA boards, it was advised that I push for a check every two weeks - that 4 weeks was too much time for dramatic shortening or funneling to occur. So I called the Peri and made the request. They said, call your OB and get another referral. OB said, "we talked to the Peri and the Peri says no" - NO MORE CHECKS FOR YOU!

By now I am hysterical. I talk with the nurse practitioner at the OB. She is kind, reassuring and tells me if it will give me piece of mind then I can have the check. She talks to the referral coordinator. The referral coordinator goes back to the Peri and the Peri says - NO MORE CHECKS FOR YOU! The kind nurse practitioner calls me back with her tail between her legs to relay the message. She says my last option is to talk to the Peri myself.

So I call Maternal Fetal Medicine and leave a message with their nurse practitioner. She calls me back and tells me the the Peri is not in the office (ummm, so who is telling a fib? Cuz my OB claims to have "spoken" to him). Perhaps by speaking to him they mean they read the report. This nurse practitioner, as kind as the first, tells me to go ahead and call the scheduler and make the appointment. She wants me to feel comfortable. I am finally, after two days, somewhat relieved. I call the scheduler. The only appointment she can give me is a mere 4 DAYS prior to my anatomy scan??? What is the use? I went through all of that to get in there 4 days sooner? AAAAHHHHHH!

In the midst of all this I am frantically calling all over for recommendations for a new practice - both OB and Peri. If this is how they treat their patients, then I am not so sure I want them near my cooch when that kid comes flying out. With each phone call to a new OB I am met with a variety of disappointing results. First issue is that all roads lead back to this same Peri. Seems no matter what OB I go to they all send you to this douche-bag. So that leads me to believe I need to go to a different hospital system. I thought I was at the best in the city? The other problem is that there either a 6 week wait for an appointment pretty much everywhere, or, practices are not accepting patients at all.

In the end I find a GREAT new practice in a suburban hospital. Yes, it is a 30 minute drive, but it is only 10 minutes from my work - so not entirely inconvenient. The staff was hell-a-awesome - spending time with me on the phone, listening to my concerns and squeezing me in in 2 weeks even though they are booked 6 weeks in advance too! I think what sealed the deal was that I asked, "What is going on, why is everyone so booked - like, everywhere." Seems the glorious state of Pennsylvania (or Pennsyltucky if you prefer) is in the midst of an OB crisis. Doctors are leaving the state at an alarming rate because the malpractice insurance here is so high. So basically, they are being forced out. Practices are closing, even whole maternity wards are shutting down. As a result, every damn pregnant women in the state is trying to jam into the same shortened list of practices - over-stretching their time and resource. No wonder why that douche-bag Peri told me to buzz off. He doesn't have the time or staff to manage the onslaught of knocked-up-ed-ness.

Health care in this country is in a deplorable state. I guess what I learned is if you live in Philly, plan to have your kid on the other side of the bridge. New Jersey. The obstetrical land of promise. Besides, all of the doctors who used to practice here just moved over there...