Doctor's Appointment

I hate going to see the doctor. In fact, usually I’d prefer going to see the dentist over the doctor.  It all comes from being very sick when I was really little and having my blood drawn every day because the doctors couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me. And more than I hate seeing the doctor, I hate getting stuck with a needle. I don’t faint or get sick. But the rest of the day I ache all over, and the length of my forearm (because that’s the only place I’ve been stuck as an adult) itches on the inside. I am sure it is all in my head, but that’s what I feel.

I remember once when I was little, going with my mom and brother to the doctor’s office. My brother needed to get a shot. While we waited in the exam room for the doctor to arrive with the shot, I started scheming. I wanted to trip the doctor when he came in, grab the shot, stick the doctor with it, grab my brother, and run out. Of course I knew that the flaw with the plan was that my mom would not allow me to carry it out. I didn’t attempt it.   

So besides all of the other things to worry about with getting pregnant, I was also not looking forward to all of the doctor’s visits. For my first pregnancy appointment, I tried a new OB/GYN, and luckily, it turns out I like her.  So my appointments have generally not been too stressful. But since I have borderline high blood pressure, my pregnancy is considered “high risk” and I have to see my doctor every two weeks.

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This is where you should stop reading this post if you don’t want to know the “fun” bits of my doctor’s appointments. Don’t worry, I don’t know the gender yet to reveal it.

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The routine is to show my insurance card, go to the bathroom and pee in a cup, get weighed, get my blood pressure checked, and then meet with my doctor.  

On the first two initial visits the baby was too small to see with the kind of ultrasound machine they have that goes on the belly. Instead, I was surprised to find out those first visits required the use of a wand type of ultrasound that goes inside. Gosh, they don’t show that on TV or in movies. At least the first time I got to take home a picture for my discomfort. 

After the first two initial visits, the doctor checked the baby’s heartbeat with a regular “on the belly” ultrasound machine. Now just to be clear, the ultrasound machine that my doctor has is nothing fancy. I will have to go to different office for a real ultrasound at 20 weeks to find out the gender and have all of the other baby ultrasound checkup stuff done.   

All was well until my doctor was in training for a week, and I had to make an appointment with a different OB/GYN. I saw this same guy doctor in April for a regular female check-up, and when I told him I was thinking about getting pregnant, he told me to take folic acid, lose weight, and come back in a year if I‘m not pregnant. I wasn’t impressed, so that’s why I switched to my female doctor. But I assumed I could suffer a short routine appointment with him. Instead of using the belly ultrasound, he just tried to use the Doppler to hear the baby’s heart beat. I could hear something that sounded like the heartbeat, but every time I did, he’d move the Doppler. I wondered if his hearing was up to par for listening to the Doppler. But whatever, he wasn’t concerned. He asked me if I had had my first trimester ultrasound yet.  I hadn’t, so he put in a referral. While he was at it, I asked him if I could have a referral for my 20 week ultrasound, so that I could make that appointment and have it coincide with my mom’s visit. But guy doctor didn’t understand that I wanted to make the appointment to occur in my 20^th week. Instead, he thought I wanted to have the 20 week ultrasound around then, which was 13-14 weeks. He told me I couldn’t have it until 20 -24 weeks, which was also different than the 18-20 weeks I had heard previously. So I let it go. A few days later the referral shows up in the mail. Instead of “first trimester ultrasound,” like he had told me, the referral said “genetic testing.” I was furious. I had discussed genetic testing with my regular doctor and the nurses, and they knew I didn’t want genetic testing. But guy doctor didn’t ask me about genetic testing and didn’t bother to tell me that the ultrasound would involve genetic testing. So I fell into my usual pattern of behavior with doctors… I didn’t bother to make the appointment.

I really should have contacted my regular female doctor when I received the referral. Because if the referral including anything other than the optional testing, I would have been in trouble. At my next appointment, my regular doctor saw the referral and asked if I had made an appointment.  She pointed out that it was now too late, because I had started my second trimester. Luckily I had been correct, the ultrasound was just the genetic testing that had I decided against. I also explained the miscommunication about the 20 week ultrasound. She understood and would have made the appointment for me then, if the computer system would have let her. But she assured me that at my next appointment I’d be able to make the appointment, and it wouldn’t be a problem to get the day I wanted.  

She also tried to use the Doppler to hear the baby’s heartbeat. But this time, I didn’t hear anything either.  Being more thorough, she used the belly ultrasound. I was amazed to be able to make out two distinct spots - a head area and a body area. We could just make out the heartbeat as a little flash in the body. But when doctor tried to have the machine record it, Baby moved so that it was hidden! Baby did this a few times before doctor was able to get a fix on it.

That brings me to today. Normally I’d have my appointment on my day off of work which is on Friday this week. But my regular doctor wasn’t available, and I refuse to go back to the guy doctor. So I made my appointment for this morning (Wednesday), and I had to go to work an hour late after the appointment.  

I accidently arrived too early. The front desk guy was there, and he sent me to the bathroom, as usual. When I was finished, I came out just in time to see the regular nurse just walking in to the office with her coat on. Another nurse offered to take my weight and blood pressure, and get me settled in an exam room.

Up until my previous appointment, I was averaging about 1 pound lost a week. Today I’m the same weight as two and a half weeks ago. This is actually good, in my opinion. I’m not supposed to gain too much weight during pregnancy, because I’m already overweight.  My blood pressure is also holding steady, so that’s good too.

Today I had a longer wait for the doctor, just because I arrived so early. Of course, I forgot my book. I started thinking of all the medical stuff I needed to get done. I’m supposed to get a flu shot, take a glucose test, and get a PPD test. The flu shot I’m on the fence about and if I get it, I want to pick a week that I don’t have big plans, just in case I get sick. For the glucose test, I have to drink a sweet drink at the lab, and then wait an hour before they draw my blood. I was supposed to do that by now, but I caught a cold last week and honesty, I forgot about it. I’ll do it next weekend.  The PPD test is done in the doctor’s office, and I have to come back between 48-72 hours to have it read. That’s been a problem because I don’t want to take time off from work just for the test. However, I’m already taking time off of work this morning, and I have a day off on Friday. So I asked my doctor if I could come in on Friday to have the test read. Luckily I only need to see a nurse, so I said I’d get the PPD today. Doctor also asked me about the flu shot. I told her honestly that I wasn’t sure if I wanted to get it. Although she highly recommended getting it, she also said that it was my choice. I was happy to hear that.

Doctor was also right about my 20 week ultrasound. The computer system let her make the appointment this time, and it was no problem getting it scheduled for the morning I wanted. Also, I’m not waiting until 20-24 weeks like the guy doctor said. My doctor said it wasn’t a problem to schedule it for 19 weeks, 6 days.  I can’t wait. I’m taking Aaron and my mom!   

After the administrative stuff, Doctor pulled out the Doppler, but we heard nothing. Then she got out the belly ultrasound machine.  I could see the head and body again, but the heartbeat was not showing up. The doctor started to get agitated with the machine, and she kept pushing harder into my belly. The nurse came in with the PPD test, so doctor showed the nurse the screen and discussed how the quality of the picture had gone down recently, and some other problems she had had with the machine recently. So the nurse left to let someone know that the machine needed to be fixed. Doctor turned to me and told me that we should use the wand.  I didn’t really care at that point, since I’ve had the wand on my first two visits, and it wasn’t that bad. Doctor apologized several times. She said that this far in the pregnancy, we shouldn’t need to use the wand, but the machine wasn’t working right.

The first image that popped up on the screen was the top of Baby’s head. I could see my baby’s brain! It was so cool! Doctor said it was a good looking brain. But that’s not what we were looking for. Doctor moved the wand around until we got a side view. It was at this point that I realized why doctor was apologizing so much. The wand had plenty of room the first two visits. This time, not so much. It was very uncomfortable, and I also felt like I had to pee. Every movement with the wand hurt. To me, it seemed like she was poking around for a long time before finding the heartbeat. I actually said “Yay!” when she found it. “Nice and fast,” the doctor said of the heartbeat, and she printed out a picture for my troubles. She pointed out the head and spine in the picture. I think I can also see an arm, but doctor didn’t point that out, so I’m not sure.

After getting dressed, the nurse came back in to give me the PPD. I didn’t watch, but when she was done it looked like a mosquito bite on my arm. It didn’t hurt too much at the time. But I’ve been paying for it all day. Again, it is probably all in my head. I’m achy all over and the inside of my arm itches. It also doesn’t help that my belly feels like it was used for a punching bag.

I think seeing Baby’s brain made the whole experience worth it. But today sure has been a roller coaster before even getting to work!

The second photo is a copy of the first, with Baby's head circled in red and spine boxed in orange.