Doctors appointment from hell

First, as an agreement to my release I can not drive, so I am relying on my step dad to take me to and from appointments. I know it is a small thing but I hate relying on other people. I am 37 (38 in two weeks) and I have been reverted into the freshman in high school waiting for a ride. But I digress.

So we head to the appointment, 1/2 hour early as suggest by Dr. K so my b/p can settle down once there. We sit across from two 13 year olds, acting 13 - loud, obnoxious, the whole bit. I think to myself "Please God tell me she is not pregnant"...

I am then called in for my non stress test. Dillon is in a funky spot, lower right corner and the straps keep rising and flopping around not keeping the heart monitor thing in place. So she asks me to flip to my side. I do and it is a tad uncomfortable with the straps on my pants half down and my shirt half up. She covers me in a sheet, which just makes me hot and we listen to his heartbeat for about 5 minutes. He was sleeping, so she came with this buzzer thing and woke him up. He was jumping all around after that. I stay there for 1/2 hour and then she turns off the machine but tells me not to take off the monitor until she can show the results to the doctor. Okay.

About 5 minutes pass, I am really hot and uncomfortable at this point and can not wait for her to release me. She comes back, "the doctor wants a few more minutes" Great! So about 15 more minutes pass. She leaves with the results and then comes back and tells me to wait outside to see my doctor.

I go back out and the annoying teenagers are still there and still annoying. A few minutes later and older visibly pregnant woman (sad when I call someone about the same age as me older) come out of the office area and collects what I assume are her kids. Thank God! Not just for her getting them out of there, but that they were there with their parent and not for themselves!

Twenty minutes click by, still waiting. Still crowded. I am then called in. Weight check, take off my Uggs. 152 - yikes! Up 20 pounds so far. B/p check... 165/70. I freak a little, explain how this is my first time up since being on bed rest and how I have been there for two hours already... The nurse looks at me like I have 3 heads and doesn't seem to care. "The doctor will be in in a minute - here is your cup"

She leaves, I go pee in a cup and prepare my speech for when the doctor comes in. Another 15 minutes pass. It is now 4:15 for a 3pm appointment (they are never this bad)! Tick - tock.

Dr J comes in and says "let me retake your pressure, it was a little high when you came in" She takes it and it has fallen to 142/60, still in the high range and not where I know they want it. So I start my speech "I have been here now for 3 hours, it is my first day out since bed rest, I take my b/p at home and get 110/50 - 120/60 pretty consistently. BLAH BLAH BLAH" What I am really saying is please do not send me back please!

And the tears start flowing. I swear I am not a crier, at least I wasn't until the past few weeks.

Dr J looks at me sympathetically, she tells me she knows I want what is best for my little one after going through so much to get him. She then says "I want you to go next door and be monitored for two hours" She swears up and down she will not keep me but can't send me home with a high b/p... I look at the clock and it is now 4:30, so I will not be home until 7 and I was hungry then.

I go out to the waiting room and tell my step father to go home, I would call Scott to get me after he is out of work. Of course, tears are flowing. I reassure him all was fine and they just want more monitoring then I walk to the hospital. Mind you the whole way I am muttering "why is it okay for a person on bed rest to walk a block to a hospital and then a mile once in there (if you have never been to MGH it is like it's own city), but I can't go get a pedicure"

I go to L&D they hook me up again to the NST type machine, and to a b/p cuff that goes off every 10 minutes. The midwife on duty there comes in and asks why Dr. J sent me there and I explain I have doctor anxiety and my b/p is only high when I am in her office... She leaves as I sit and wait for the first b/p... 128/60 - already down. Next one, 120/60 and a third 120/60 again.

Okay can I go now?

A nurse comes in and does a blood draw for kidney function. She tells me that I will have to wait for the results. Ridiculous. This will be my 5th blood draw in about a weeks time and it has yet to come back with anything concerning.
I hear the midwife talking to the resident "she has doctor anxiety, let her leave and we will call with the results" ... he agrees!

I call Scott and he is there within 10 minutes and I am home for supper. No calls with bad results. Not surprisingly.

Next up is my appointment Thursday. I hope things go smoother.