I am 30 weeks pregnant today. I was on my way to the dr appt this morning, and I had a soft tire on the way there, so I pulled into the gas station 2 blocks away from the clinic. 2 jackasses were parked in front of the air pump and i was stuck waiting for several minutes, and i knew i was going to be late to the appointment.
I am normally 10 min early to the appointment and most of the staff know who i am, first name basis and all that. I dont make their jobs harder than they have to be, i just get seen for my baby stuff and i go home.
But today, holy shit. Their policy that they just enacted today, states that if youre 15 min late to the appt then you are a no show.
1st time offense: warning
2nd time offense: you pay for the appointment
3rd time: you are banned from getting medical services there
I was 14 min late, from the tire fiasco, and they had already no-showed me in the system before i ever had a chance to go. I pulled a Karen and demanded to be seen because I am an OB patient and have had this appointment booked for a month. The doc had no idea this was happening and was willing to see me anyway today. But they would have canceled me if i was not an OB patient. I was 2 blocks away and didnt feel the need to call because i wasnt super late anyway, and the phone call would have made me past 15 min late. Then they ask me if my phone number is up to date. Yes. Why didnt y'all call me? I have never been to a clinic that didnt call to make sure a patient was ok or needing help, if they were running late. They make it your problem for them making money. Fuck you clinic! If i wasnt almost done cooking the bun in the oven, I would have sought medical help elsewhere. Sorry, long winded, and needed to get this off my chest. Where is the humanity for patient care? Why do receptionists at a medical clinic get to determine whether you get the help you need? Tyranny at its finest.
Edit to add, I felt like i was being treated as if it was a tanning salon, because that's how our local tanning salons operate too 😆
EDIT ALSO TO ADD: I DID NOT RAIL ON PEOPLE LIKE A KAREN, IT WAS A FIGURE OF SPEECH. I was assertive and respectful, people keep blowing up my comments and that was my bad for saying that in the first place. Calm down lol.
Congratulations on having a healthy 30-week-old in your world!
Pregnant women get away with all sorts of crazy, so an honest vent is nothing to be ashamed of. Still, take the opportunity to re-assess the care you're getting. This might be the wakeup call to go with a midwife instead of a hospital, and go with healthy care from people instead of from the system. You have 10 weeks, more or less, to think about it.
The other advantage to staying away from the hospital is to prevent the staff from doing unwanted vaccinations, not to mention stealing some of the most precious and irreplaceable moments of intimacy directly following birth. (Because they take the baby away for blood tests and footprint samples etc, when they could easily wait weeks. A midwife can tell you more.)
Many on the board, including myself, have expressed regret for having allowed our children to be vaccinated because we did not know then what we know today. Make sure you are comfortable with your choice, but here is a well-reasoned argument against it by a doctor, Dr Lee Merritt. https://drleemerritt.com/docs/Vaccine-Totalitarianism.pdf. Others here can give a lot more info if you ask.
Again, blessings for you and your baby!
In my state, (NE), the closest place is 2 hours away, and that's not feasible for my situation. I have to do a hospital midwife and the costs are more than I can afford right now. I have looked into alternatives and I am not able to do much alternative at all :(. But I am stubborn and I refuse to allow anybody to ruin the purity of my child's mind, body or soul from day one. This is mine and my husband's chance to give our kid the most natural childhood we can provide. I already love my little girl and she isn't out yet. It's not loving to knowingly allow essentially Satan to taint that more than it needs to. Edit to add. Thank you!!!
Well, being in Nebraska has a level of protection all of its own compared to Seattle or Los Angeles. With love and God's help, everything important is taken care of.
find another doctors office. Last time I went they also tried to TELL me whhen my next appointment would be. Out of control. They seem to forget (like our representatives) they work for us
💯. They are paid to do their jobs and I had worked 6 years in the field, so I know when they're bullshitting me
I have friends and relatives in the medical fields, fewer now as they're waking up, but I've realized that none of them have worked for us, the patients, for an uncomfortably long time. They work for insurance companies, because that's who pay them. And those guys work for pharma.
Im 30 weeks today too! Christmas baby!! Im sorry you had to deal with that. The medical establishment is a bust. Im doing midwife care to avoid their bs highly recommend
I wish I could do the midwife thing but the cost is too much for me to afford ATM. My state doesn't allow home birth. :(
Congrats girl! Mine is due Xmas Eve.
Thats crazy they dont allow it, over stepping as usual! Wish you all the blessings during your last 10 weeks
You too lady, thank you! I am looking into starting a petition for more family centered care for pregnant women who don't want Big Pharma in their lives. The State does not own our kid, WE DO!
Amen!
I have never been to a doctor or clinic that calls the patient to check up on them if they are late... I have observed more of them have the 'late rules' so maybe you are used to being catered to or at least treated better but why bite that hand... imo a phone call would have been appropriate especially since you were just sitting there waiting killing time.
So if you are going to medical facilities you must still trust these poison-pushers and are okay with them taking your baby to another room and doing whatever they want to your child, including unnecessary? poisons in the eyes and the baby vax schedule???
pulling a Karen ... makes you...a KAREN and is a bad example for others.
My daughter-in-law is an OBGYN and I've heard her say they always check on a patient that is late or a no show if the patient is past 25 weeks. I've also had dentists and MDs call me if I was running late for an appt. Maybe you need to find a good doctor.
Sorry, medical malpractice and errors are the third leading cause of death.. They push pharmaceuticals and vaccines that are damaging for profit so the impact is likely much higher.. Maybe you should be going to your DIL and you won't have to go Karen on anyone.
I have experienced a long list of injuries and trespasses from dentists and doctors ...poisonous metal fillings, a big piece of gums 'accidently' cut that never grew back, a clinic doctor that was supposed to be giving an exam for fibroids even injected me with something that I believe was sterilization [she was a doctor from India and my theory was that it was unauthorized research-- much like the horrible lab-rat/vax damage covid event.] The last time I went to the ER they were very creepy and insisting on taking my blood and checking out my ovaries which were not related at all to my reason for going. When I questioned it they said it was standard practice for every patient to take their blood. I since have removed my 'organ donor' status. In the past I struggled with hypothyroid and many issues, and reversed them myself with changes in diet and research. My thyroid doctors were aghast because iodine was one of the things I used to improve my thyroid function and get well. Despite being amazed, they both tried to keep me taking pharmaceuticals that caused constipation and headaches.
If you still are starry-eyed and believe in doctors even after a majority of them participated in the covid fun-jab vax farce and insisted on jabbing pregnant mothers and babies-- I highly recommend you research.
You'd be surprised at what I think. When the vax came out my d-i-l told her pregnant patients that it was up to them if they wanted to take the vax but if they did she could no longer be their doctor. As for me, I never took the vax or never donned a mask. I visited a relative in the hospital twice during the height of the pandemic and never wore a mask. One masked doctor even nodded his approval and gave me a thumbs up. I haven't taken any medication since I got out of the military in 1975. I stayed summers on the rez with my NDN grandfather growing up. All of my "treatments" are either my body doing what it was designed to do or I collect the ingredients and make myself, mostly on my own land. I keep willow bark tea for any fevers and minor pain. I could go on and on but I won't waste your time or mine.
Not a waste of my time Dogsoldier - I grew up in the country [ really miss it] and love to hear people are aware their body can heal itself with rest, sun, clean air and water, healthy foods and herbal teas etc. May many blessings be yours, and a long happy and healthy life.
To clarify a couple things, I didn't bide my time, I was actively working on the tire and trying to make it to the clinic. I didn't waste any time. This clinic used to call patients and the standard used to be a lot better than it is now. I was only there to check baby heartbeat and do lab work so nothing invasive. I do trust my OB, bc he is the only one that respects my anti vax stance. I was respectful when pulling the Karen, I guess my terminology was more dramatic than how I meant. But I was angry because I had been waiting to be seen for a month now and I was already paying them to check on my kiddo. I already have a plan so that they can't vaccinate my kid behind my back, I have family that will make sure of that when I am sleeping or whatever. My husband and I have the authority to call the shots in this case, so I'm not allowing people to deviate from our established care plan.
Good... hope all is well and goes well, with blessings and a perfect little one.
Thanks fren!
The irony of it all...if the Dr is running behind, you will get no apology, nor can you charge or penalize them. I've had to wait 3 hours past appt time to get my son's cast off, and was treated like: sit down, shut up, the Dr will get to you when he gets to you. I've been told by secretaries that they purposely book 2 or 3 patients per time slot expecting no-shows, and then the Dr's schedule still stays full. Sucks when everyone shows up that day.
💯. I made a mistake this morning and it was an insult on top of injury. I know I'm not entitled to people catering to me, but I didn't deserve to be treated like a sub human being either.
Your doctor is only as good as the front desk help. You should have told your OB exactly how you felt, that you have NEVER been late or a no show and you did not appreciate being treated as a lump of coal and zero compassion. Having worked in an out-patient Lactation Clinic, we have a fair number of no call/no shows. We usually give them 15-20 minutes and then call them. There is such a thing as “placenta brain”. Mothers-to-be walk into doors, drawers, closets forgetting they are there, they put the wrong time down on the wrong day. We never charged for a mistake, but just asked if they would like to re-schedule, have questions/concerns to just call us.
That's exactly how It used to go when I worked at the hospital, and it was simple and mutually beneficial. But when they bully people around like that, that doesn't fly with me. And I am one of the more healthy patients. Imagine Great Grandma being late to that appointment.
Go to GAZA and ask a 30 week pregnant woman how she's dealing with the crap around her. Might be an awakening experience. I see you are venting, so I'll give you a little bit of leeway. Just remember, the medical profession has changed from 30 years ago. Don't expect the warm, comfy doctors office to give a crap about you, they only care about the $$$. The medical is not there to heal the patient, they are there to take as much money from you and keep you poor and unhealthy so they can see you again. Hope your kid comes into a new world full of love and freedom. God bless.
Cool down, fren, she said she's venting and preggers. You did not have to throw that on her, you could have easily moved on.
Thanks, I was borderline crying when typing the post because I'm stressed out and that was the last thing I needed on top of all that I have going on. Just because I'm not in Gaza, doesn't invalidate my own struggle in life. Everybody deals with life and stress and I happen to have this struggle today. I feel validated with what you just told him, thanks fren.
We got you, chica. <Platonic comfort hug.> I prescribe dark chocolate and a creamy rich coffee with whatever lo-fi music works to de-stress. =)
Preach. Sounds awesome! Thanks Doc.
Thanks....maybe I'm coming across as irrational somewhat. I appreciate it
"I was 2 blocks away and didnt feel the need to call because i wasnt super late anyway, and the phone call would have made me past 15 min late."
That was entirely your fault and your mistake. You mean you couldn't drive 2 blocks on a semi-flat tire, where you would have still arrived on time? It appears you might have actually been 6 minutes early and been true to youir claimed "early" form.
You took a liberty that was not yours to take. Never heard you say any where that you apologized to anyone for your tardiness, or for incoveniencing anyone else with your lateness.
" I have never been to a clinic that didnt call to make sure a patient was ok or needing help, if they were running late. "
You are not their only patient.
It is your responsibility alone to arrive on time, not theirs to chase down patients that do not repect everyone else's schedules, simply because you failed to arrive on time. It wasn't your OB's responsibility to see to it that you drove a car with adequately inflated tires.
My wife and I had 4 children. We arrived on time to our OB appointments.
A "Karen" you certainly were.
I did apologize for being late.
I was working on the tire so didn't call because I was busy trying to patch my tire. I wasn't that late and didn't think it was a big deal before I walked in. When I walked in, I didn't know that they had the policy.
I left from several miles away and discovered the flat en route. I understand I am not their only patient.
They used to call people that were late, and I am not a normally late person. The tire was going down fast and I didn't know if I was going to make it home. I was venting because I was having a bad morning and got treated poorly the ONE TIME I was late. The doctor had NO problem seeing me at all. You are assuming a lot right now.
Our town has a lot of elderly folks that have early onset dementia and that's why they used to call. And OB patients, that's standard procedure to call patients. Or at least they used to.
They had the staff. Just not used effectively.
I don't even know why I have to detail every play by play to you. If you aren't going to get the big picture message I was sending out, then go find another comment to read or you know ASK QUESTIONS. Be more respectful
"Be more respectful"
Had you been more respectful of others to begin with, this whole situation would not have occurred.
"I did apologize for being late."
That's hard to believe at this point. It wasn't important enough for you to mention in your original screed. Apologizing to anyone was not at the forefront of your mind when you originally posted, and I suspect apologizing for your lateness wasn't at the forefront of your mind as you railed like a Karen to the receptionist.
Your doctor extended you an extraordinary courtesy by accommodating you in spite of your lateness. Did you even thank him? No where do you say you expressed any amount of appreciation to him for bending over backwards for you in this way.
It was and is your obligation to inform anyone who you have planned to meet at a certain time if you expect to be late. It is just common courtesy. It is not up to others to chase you down, when you know you are the one who is exepcted to be late.
But still you continue to make excuses and blame others.
"I don't even know why I have to detail every play by play to you."
You originated a post which detailed everything about that unfortunate situation for which you are solely responsible. You took advantage of the doctor's office and then blamed the office for not being inclined to letting you disrespect them like that.
You are the epitome of selfishness and ingratitude.
It is never wise to post anything when you are personnally out of control.
You are completely off the mark. It's no use arguing with someone with an agenda. You seem rather close minded for somebody with 4 children. You don't have to believe what I say, but I took the time to explain more details to help you understand more what happened. I'm not out of control. I was justifiably pissed off because I had always been accommodating for other patients who made my doctor see me late. I worked in the medical field for 6 years, in the support staff, so I know some of the workings of the behind the scenes. I said in other comments more about it. I said I made a mistake. But they treated me bad for being late for 14 minutes. One time. The punishment really didn't fit the crime. Shit happens in life sometimes, and it was bullshit that they were going to turn me away entirely when there was no posted sign about appointment time policies. I had every right to be pissed off. And you just call me selfish. Whatever, doesn't offend me. Is it selfish to vent about something that happened to you this morning? Is it selfish to expect better service than I got? Is it selfish that I explained to my doctor and nurse what happened because I felt bad for inconveniencing them today? Sorry I didn't say that I apologized, but that was 1000% NOT THE POINT of the story. You just want to name call and breeze right past the medical setting's treatment of people when shit happens. Normally I would call. But when i was fixing my tire, i was two blocks away, and thought i'd be close to time. Sorry Im human and make mistakes, and sorry that you're unwilling to be understanding.
Seriously? I have health problems! I am absolutely not leaving my vehicle at the gas station for that. I am not hoofing it to the doctor's office being 30 weeks pregnant with bad joints. Ialready explained that I was appreciative and apologetic. It is customary at the gas station to park on the side of the air pump and use the air gauge I already had and air my tire and get going. I do not trust the people around me to watch my vehicle when my town is known for crime. Hell no, that is the epitome of no self preservation. You don't know me, you don't know the context of it all, you have an agenda to shame me and not focus on the picture I was presenting. Why do I waste my time and keyboard typing on a close minded individual who is looking for every reason to badger me? GAW is not about that. It's OK to discern and look at details, but it is not ok to fight a useless battle like this. Just stop. You will never be in my position, or live where I live, with different cultural concepts. I will never be in your position either. I did the best thing for my situation, and your refusal to understand that appalls me. Move on.