Friday, September 27, 2013

Our Trip to the Pediatrician's Office

Hey boo,

How's it going?  I'm just meh...

So, you know how I said I was sick?  I thought maybe I got it from the kids, so I made appointments for all 3 of them to see their doctor.

I called on Wednesday just after lunch time.  The conversation with the receptionist went a little like this:

Me:  I'd like make appointments for my 3 kids to see if they have strep throat and get their ears checked for tomorrow morning. (then I give her their names)
Receptionist:  At the Grandville office, correct?
Me: Yes please.
Receptionist:  Ok, we have an 8:45 tomorrow morning in Grandville.
Me:  Great, that's perfect!
Receptionist:  Ok, I've got them all down for 8:45 with Dr. H in Grandville.
Me:  Ok, thanks, see you tomorrow.

So, then it's "tomorrow", aka Thursday.

I had to set my alarm to make sure I was up early enough to get me and the kids ready so that we would be in the car ready to go by 8:25.

But Will decided to wake up at 5am... Well, I finally get him back to sleep, and I lay down and fall asleep... so then the alarm goes off and I'm exhausted, and I probably pressed snooze one too many times...

So then it's rush rush RUSH.

The girls are being slow eaters as always, throwing their cheerios everywhere.  While they are eating, I have Will in the rock-n-play to feed him his bottle.  He was being unusual and not eating his bottle very well (one of his symptoms of being sick), and finally I just gave up and he didn't even finish.

I am about to put him in his car seat, and of course, he's had a poo-splosion during his bottle!  Ugh... so now I have to get him cleaned up and changed.  Making us even more behind...

After more rushing to get everyone loaded into the car, and a few trips back and forth into the house to make sure we have taggies and a diaper bag and my purse, we are finally on the road.

We end up making it to the office less than 5 minutes late.

But then I have to get everyone out of the car and into our stroller-bus.

I push the stroller-bus into the building, and turn the corner to the doctors office, and all the lights are off.

WTF?!?!

There is a sign on the door that says the Grandville office is closed on Thursday, 9/26, and that everyone needs to go to the 3-mile location.

WTF?!??!

So a very annoyed me digs my cell phone out and calls the office.  The same receptionist answers.  Attempting to be calm, I explain that I had an appointment at the Grandville office that I had just made the day before, but apparently it's closed...  She's like, "Oh no... I messed up, I had you down for Monday..."

Are you kidding me?!?!  You know I can't stand that receptionist... She's screwed up our appointments more than once before, and she "insulted" Will's name (or the fact that he goes by Will which is in no way related to his actual first name...)

So I ask if I can just go out to the 3-mile location without an appointment.  She says "yes, they will try to fit us in."  The word "try" really pisses me off.  You WILL fit us in!

Well, I haul everyone back out into the parking lot, and load them all back into the car.  And drive to the 3-mile location.  (Which just happens to be where I will have to be that afternoon for my therapy appointment... ugh, wasting gas making 2 trips to the same area...)

We get there, and again, I unload everyone and get them into the stroller-bus.  I maneuver our way through the doors, get us checked in, and we wait.  The girls do OK, there were books for them to look at.  They were all excited to go to the "Dock-tuuurrr"...

The nurse comes and brings us into the smallest exam room ever... Seriously, I push in our gigantic stroller and it fills the entire room.  As soon as the girls see the exam table, they realize where we are and start freaking.  Charlotte is glued to me and Violet is wanting "uppie."

I tell the nurse everyone's symptoms, and then we have to wait for the doctor.  There are no books in the exam room, and I forgot to bring any toys, so I entertain the girls by letting them play with diapers from the diaper bag, and brother's bottle and ice pack...  It is hard to move around in the room with everything in there, but every 3 seconds it's "Elp, elp" from Charlotte to sit in the chair that is a little too tall for her to get in with her hands full of diapers. So, my back is killing from squeezing into small spaces to pick her up, just for her to get back down and then ask for "elp" again.

Finally, the doctor comes in.  He does pretty well with the girls actually.  I hold each one while he is looking them over.  He lets them play with the stethoscope, and the thingy that booms your knee to check reflexes.  He is able to check over Will on the exam table while I attend to the girls.

Will and Charlotte have ear infections, and they check Violet for strep (fortunately she didn't throw up during the swab).  We have to wait for the results... Oh the waiting... The girls are getting bored with the diapers and Will doesn't want to be put down... I'm sweating my butt off...

Finally, they come back and Violet is all clear, no strep.  So, I ask if it is OK for them to get their flu shots, since we are out there anyways...

What was I thinking?!?!

Will is still too young to get his flu shot, but the girls are lucky enough to get it... I have Violet go first, of course, because she's our tough one.  I only have to hold her for a few seconds and give her Taggie and she is fine.  I put her down and we get Charlotte up on the table...  Yeah, I'm sure you can guess how that went... cry cry CRY... And Will is crying because I had to put him in his car seat... And Violet is crying because everyone else is crying...

I try to snuggle them all for a minute to get them to calm down.  Maybe I should have waited longer, but I figured we needed to get going... So, I buckle Will in and try to get the girls into the stroller.  Charlotte of course will NOT get on the stroller and only wants "uppie."  So, I carry her, and push/pull the stroller out of the room and over to the check out desk.

I go to pay the co-pay, but realize I have a new insurance card now that it is under me.  So I need to give them that and they have to make copies and get it in the system... That equals more waiting... I set Charlotte down and let Violet off the stroller and try to entertain them with some random flyers that were at the check-out desk.  But Will is screaming his head off.  I'm sure it was only 2-3 minutes of standing there, but it felt like FOREVER.

I finally am able to maneuver our way out of the waiting room and out to the parking lot (fortunately all kids were somewhat willing to be in the stroller, so I didn't have to carry anyone while doing this...)

I load everyone back in to the van, get the stroller in, get the bags in, and take off my sweatshirt because I'm sweating buckets.  Charlotte is screaming because I didn't let her do the buckles (but really I did let her, but she was too busy screaming about something else to do them, and when I told her that she could do them, she pushed the buckles away... ugh...)  Will is still screaming for a reason that I don't know.  Violet is just doing Taggie.

Well, after a minute on the road, everyone is finally quiet.

When I get off the highway, it is too quiet... crap, did the girls fall asleep?!?!  I start talking to them, and Violet talks to me, but not Charlotte... and you know she is the worst one if she falls asleep and I have to wake her up when we get home...

So, I'm wondering if I should risk dropping off their prescriptions and having them fall asleep, or if I should just try to get home as soon as possible.  I risk the drop-off.  I am so THANKFUL for drive-thru pharmacies.  Before, I thought they were silly, but now I realize they were specifically made for parents.

Once we get home, I get out of the car and peek in the back.  Charlotte is sleeping... crap... But she wakes up as the door opens, which makes me think she must have just fallen asleep, which isn't so bad...

We are behind schedule, so they get a late lunch, and then it takes them forever to go to nap.

But finally they are asleep.

And then I'm back out and off to therapy.

I told the therapist about our morning, and she says that I should celebrate that I did that.  Despite the chaos, I did it.  We made it through.  I should get a gold star sticker.

Yay, a gold star sticker... I'd rather have my husband, thanks.





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