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Thinking about breaking up with my doc
Is it crazy to give up on a doctor you love because of how poorly the office is run?
I'll try to keep this short... If you call and leave a message (for scheduling or medical questions), no one calls you back. If you call until you get a person to pick up the phone, it will take you anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour to get through and they only pick up the phones between 9-11:30, 1-4:30 so it's very inconvenient for someone that works full time during the day. A doctor recently retired and all her patients are now redistributed to the other 4, which has made scheduling a nightmare. They reschedule more than half of your appointments (and reschedule some of the rescheduled ones). The medical assistant has called on multiple occasions to ask you to come in earlier (than your 4:15 time) so that they can leave early and get huffy when you say you can't make it any earlier because you work full time at a place 45 minutes away.
At this point, I missed the 30 week appointment with my OB completely. The 32 and 34 week appointments have to be with a different doc (although the 34 week appt just got canceled, so not even sure if/when that will happen...) It took nagging phone calls on Friday and again yesterday to get an answer about my blood pressure issues and what my doc wants from here on out. I feel like I have been lost in the masses and that it will require a true emergency to get anyone's attention.
FWIW, I love my OB. It was nothing like this during my first pregnancy. I will be sad if she's no longer my doctor. I'm scared to switch to a different OB because they are not all natural/med-free/low-intervention birth friendly and that is something that is very important to me. But, I feel like I'm doing myself and my baby a disservice if I stay because we're not getting the attention that we need.
If you made it this far, you deserve a prize. 
Re: Thinking about breaking up with my doc
"It's not a sprint, it's a marathon." - Alex & Ani bracelet
My blog: Dodging Acorns
I have never been pregnant. But I can imagine that it is difficult at this point to change a dr. and find someone you are comfortable with.
Does your Dr have a number that you can reach her at directly? An office extension or a cell phone, or an email. do you think that personally talking to your Dr about teh situation before making the move would make any difference?
Since you are into the end of your pregnancy perhaps she is willing to listen and then its worth finding someone knew after.
If not, I would immediately change and get a new place.
If you don't mind me askign (and you can pm me) what office do you go to? I have decided that I wanted to start seeing an OB (currently I just got to an internal medicine place to have "everything" done at once)... but I wanted to start seeing someone now, so that in 2 years or 5 years if we decide to have a baby, I will have been seeing someone regularly and know them.
I would leave. It's not worth the hassle of dealing with the office especially since you are not always seeing the Dr. that you love and you want to be sure you are receiving quality care and that doesn't sound like the case.
I loved my OB and luckily didn't have any problems while pregnant, but just decided to switch because the practice went downhill. It was such a hassle to get an appt and to get one with my OB. When I saw other Drs. I wasn't happy with them. I wonder if we go to the same place because it sounds like a lot of the same problems.
Thank you all for validating that I'm not just a crazy hormonal mess making an irrational decision. I never know what is logical and what is emotional these days
Unfortunately, I have no way of reaching my doc directly. They have never once given out an extension number to even a nurse's desk, never mind a doctor. And they don't do email at all. I'm really stuck at this point. I can wait and hope they keep an appointment during my 35th week after her vacation is over and talk to her then, but I feel like if I change, I need to do it sooner than later. And honestly, she knows how awful the office staff is as we've talked about it before. But that hasn't changed things in the past. I intend on sending her a long, apologatory letter and explaining that I really like her but just can't handle the office anymore. If things are uncomplicated, I'm still looking at appointments at 34 weeks and then weekly from 36 weeks to baby's arrival... if they can't fit me in for monthly and bi-weekly appointments, I don't see how I'm going to get all those in. Especially when you consider that my last week is also the week of Christmas. Being due 12/31 is really not good timing...
I will PM you the practice and doc's name (and a new doc/midwife if I do switch). I feel badly trashing them so much because she really was great the first time around, and if they just hired 1 or 2 more doctors and a whole new office staff, the practice could be great. But it totally sucks right now.
Hah. I wonder. Is your practice in Warwick? (I feel bad publically trashing them, so I don't want to put the practice name here, but I will PM you if you're curious
)
I just read your Pm and got back to you. I was glad that you told me who it was because my bff goes to this Dr. and she raves about her, but I think its because she goes for annuals and has a flex schedule at work that she has no issues with the office... and I was considering calling them for an appt, so that made me think twice!
PM back at you.
It's so sad because I have nothing bad to say about her as a doctor. She really is wonderful once you are in the room with her. She really knows her patients and cares on a personal level. I wish she'd leave the practice.
No it's not the same one, mine is in Providence
My mother frequents the same coffee shop as one of the other docs in the practice. I guess the other doc's wife let on that he's been trying to leave for a while and it's a matter of time until he finds a new place he likes better. Really solidifies that the practice is going to be in even more trouble soon enough.
I have an appointment with a midwife at another practice tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully we like each other and nothing about my medical history jumps out at her so I can make the formal switch. If she won't take me, I'll try again with an OB (who is also my mother's OB and a friend of the family). I can't wait for all of this to be sorted out.
I would look for a new doctor. The whole re-scheduling of appts and the amount of patients the doctors have would be of concern to me. I LOVE my OB and sometimes get frustrated when I call the office(they have a call center which is fine for scheduling an appt but not so good when trying to get test results). Recently though, I had a miscarriage and they were really good about getting me in right away with my doctor. It sounds like they are just getting too big and don't have time for all the appointments. It is important to have the necessary appointments during pregnancy.
My OB is in EG. PM me if you would like her name.
Good Luck!!!