OK, Women's Health, now I'm getting a little pissed.

Hershey's Nyes Rd. office called me yesterday to cancel/reschedule ANOTHER appointment. So I won't be getting my glucose screening done this Tuesday, nor will I have my next check up anywhere near the five-to-six weeks they recommended between appointments.

Rather, at eight weeks from my last appointment (that's TWO MONTHS, folks) I'll go in, on Monday the 27th.

This is the second or third time the office has cancelled appointments on me at the last minute, and I'm getting pissed. I scheduled all my appointments in advance for a reason: so I can get the earliest ones in the day, and therefore NOT have to use any or much leave from work. Beyond that, what with a new employee reporting to me and my boss in Jamaica all next week, I HAVE A LOT OF SHIT ON MY PLATE THAT CAN'T BE MOVED AROUND OR ABANDONED AT THE LAST MINUTE SO I CAN GO TO THE DOCTOR. The office doesn't seem to understand or hear that, as they keep asking me to reschedule for mid-morning and mid-afternoon appointments.

But here's the best part: as I was on the phone with scheduler Rachel, who called to cancel my April 21 appointment and reschedule, scheduler Elizabeth was calling my cell phone from another room of the doctor's office to REMIND me of my April 21 appointment. What a clusterfark. Three calls later, we got things as sorted out as they can be for now, but I'm still frustrated.

First of all, because I was looking forward to my appointment next week, considering I haven't had a check-in since early March. Feels like everything is going as it should, but I'd like that reassurance. And secondly, because the schedulers are so indifferent and uninformed about when and why I need appointments.

Due to all the rescheduling, I now have appointments on April 27, April 30 and May 7. And they won't cancel any of them until the doctor tells them to. OK, so let me get this straight: it's OK that no one will have seen me for two months because of the office's appointment cancellations and lack of immediate openings, but it's really, really important for the doctor and nurses to see me THREE TIMES in TWO WEEKS? I don't think so.

I asked the scheduler to leave a message for a doctor to call me to discuss my schedule concerns, but Rachel assured me that wasn't necessary and that she'd leave Dr. D'Agata a "note" so she'd be prepared to talk about this stuff at my April 27 appointment.

Another kicker? My appointment on April 30 is with a nurse, and no one could tell me why I need this "standard 28 week appointment with Pat" other than to tell me they know I get a "kit" that includes a handout with a map of the hospital on it.

Yeah, but see I'll be TOURING the ACTUAL hospital as part of our childbirth series nex month, so WHY do I need to come in again? The scheduler's response? "Well, I don't really know, because I haven't been pregnant yet." My reaction? What the hell does that have to do with anything, since, as the medical scheduler, I'd think you would have some idea about the "standard" and apparently "mandatory" appointments for which you're signing me up. Can't Pat the CRNP get whatever info she needs during my 28th week from the DOCTOR, who I will be seeing THREE DAYS EARLIER??

I know I'm just one little patient out of hundreds this office sees and that my appointment rescheduling isn't a concern of Hershey Med, but it is a big deal to me. See folks, this is the FIRST TIME I'VE DONE THIS, and call me crazy, I thought there would be a little more interest in walking me through this and addressing my concerns.

Uggh. So I guess I have no recourse at this point. What can I do but throw my hands up in the air and wait for April 27, considering the schedulers won't listen to me and don't think my concerns are worth passing along to the doctors?