Making a Switch

After much time and careful consideration, Sam and I have decided to switch OBGyn's. No, he's not taking over for me and now going to all my thrilling pregnancy appointments while go work behind his desk. No, that would be nice though! We have actually changed my doctor for me and the baby.

It is really hard when you like a doctor and one aspect of a practice, and have to be faced with many you do not. We have really appreciated all the countless things that our first OB did to help move this pregnancy along, and probably saved it. But as we near the final weeks, there have been more things we have found we do not like or are uncomfortable with.

The night before Halloween, I went to bed around 11:00 only to be awaken to what I thought was going to be a cramp in my foot. I stood up, having had many of these during ALL of my pregnancies, in an attempt to maneuver it out when out of no where comes this almost too hard to describe pain in the ankle of my other leg. It wasn't too bad at first, but then something changed and it felt as though it was moving from the back of my ankle to the front of my lower shin. It was excruciating! I was screaming in pain. Sam was panicked! He tried everything in his might to help relax me and figure out what was going on, but I could not even catch my breath through it to even tell him what it was. It literally felt like someone was slicing my leg in half, right up the middle of my shin, very slowly from my foot to my knee. After a while of intense pain, I finally told him to call the doctor. He did, and we waited for a call back from him. It was not long after our call was placed that he called back, but by that time, the pain in my leg was finally subsiding. My doctor told Sam I needed to go to the ER to be checked for a blood-clot. I was terrified. 1) With the given season of swine flu at hand, I did not want to throw myself into a pit to get deathly ill just from my visit to investigate my leg. 2) I did NOT want to move my leg again, for the fear that the pain might return. I told Sam that if I was able to lay completely still, and not have another issue through the night, that I wanted to wait until the morning, when we could call ahead, and also find someone to watch our other, at the time, sleeping babes. That is what we did. After a blessing, and much prayer, my pain did not return, and I was able to go into the ER, with NO WAIT AT ALL. They even put me in a private room to isolate me from others who were already there and obviously, by the sounds we were hearing, very sick. They could not find a blood clot or what was wrong or had caused the pain. So, we went on our way. My doctor's office called the following Monday to see how I was doing, but did not even know that I had gone to the ER. I was shocked! They told us to go!

There have been several times where I have been in to be seen and they have forgotten about my latex allergy. It is written on the front cover, tab, and also on the inside of my chart in big RED marker. The tech that performs my ultrasounds is now putting down the perinatologist and her findings on me while she does my scans. Sam and I depend on their accuracy and knowledge to properly diagnose my situation. The perinatologist is a specialist and I support her findings wholeheartedly! I do not like being told she is a flake by someone with a lesser degree. This tech misdiagnosed me in the first place and also missed my friend's baby's cord being wrapped around his throat, causing him to continue to be breech and not to descend into the birth canal. It just worries me a little too much. We have waited and hoped for this baby WAY TOO LONG! I want to feel comfortable with the findings and decisions made for our care. With my old OB, I sadly do not anymore. I also, have had the hang up about the hospital he delivers at from the start. My pediatrician does not have rights at that hospital, so she would not be able to see our baby. Also, they have stricter rules where rooming-in is concerned. I am sick of my baby being taken away from me for hours on end after delivery for "monitoring." I can monitor my own baby myself. In the hospital, if there is an issue, I know to let the nurses know.

I hope that as we begin with the new OB, that my fears will be eased and that we will have a good experience with her. I met with her this week for a "Meet & Greet" and was greatly impressed. She was very knowledgeable about my condition, and agreed with most of my previous OB's methods of care and continuation for me. We will see how things go at my first official appointment with her this next week.