At the encouragement of another Hershey patient who frequents the local "bump" message board, I put a call in to Hershey's Patient Care line this morning to vent my frustrations from Friday. I was encouraged to follow up with the office and request to speak with the scheduling supervisor or office manager, and if after that call I still felt my concerns went unanswered, I was referred to the Patient Relations line, where they take complaints and look into matters further.
But the first call assuaged my dissatisfaction, so I never did make the second call.
Nyes Rd. scheduling manager Beth explained and apologized repeatedly for the cancellations and found me an appointment at 8 a.m. this Wednesday morning. The new appointment isn't with a doc as my April 21 and 27 appointments were, but I'm a big fan of OB-CRNP Amy, anyway.
As for my April 30 appointment with CRNP Pat, Beth encouraged me to talk about cancelling the appointment with Amy. Apparently the 28-week check-in is a new program the office is starting, but I probably won't miss much by cancelling, especially since we're participating in childbirth classes at the Med Center.
So I'll get my check-up and glucose screening this week, after all. And I'm looking forward to the opportunity to ask a few more questions: when/how to find a pediatrician, whether or not my belly is as big as it should be at this stage of the game and whether my schedule of upcoming appointments is OK or should be modified.
With regard to the schedule, I've had one appointment with a doc so far (at 21 weeks), and if things stay as they are, I won't have another doctor's consult until I'm 37 weeks pregnant. I'll meet with Amy a few times between now and then, but I just want to make sure it's OK to not see a doc until late in the third trimester. Granted, I have appointments scheduled with docs at 37, 38 and 40 weeks, but my four appointments in the interim are all with Amy.
Like I said, I'm a big fan of Amy, I'm thankful for an easy pregnancy and I don't mind forgoing appointments with the doctors so that other women who need them more urgently can have them. That is, so long as I'm assured that I don't need to see the docs sooner.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Saturday, April 18, 2009
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?
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?
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
The Cost
Thanks, Kristen, for forwarding this. YIKES!! I figure once you add the cost of college (let's say $100G), that's over a quarter million dollars per kid, or about $40 bucks a day per kid, every day from birth to 18th birthday! But the return on investment is pretty impressive...
The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140 for a middle-income family. Talk about price shock! That doesn't include the cost of post-secondary education.
But $160,140 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into:
* $8,896.66 a year,
* $741.38 a month,
* $171.08 a week.
* A mere $24.24 a day!
* Just over a dollar an hour.
Still, you might think the best financial advice is: don't have children if you want to be 'rich'.
Actually, it is just the opposite.
What do you get for your $160,140.00?
* Naming rights. First, middle, and last!
* Glimpses of God every day.
* Giggles under the covers every night.
* More love than your heart can hold.
* Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.
* Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies and FROGS...
* A hand to hold usually covered with jelly or chocolate, mac n cheese, or fishy crackers.
* A partner for blowing bubbles and flying kites.
* Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.
For $160,140.00, you never have to grow up.
You get to:
* finger-paint,
* carve pumpkins,
* play hide-and-seek,
* catch lightning bugs,
* never stop believing in Santa Claus.
You have an excuse to:
* keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh,
* watch Saturday morning cartoons,
* go to Disney movies, and
* wish on stars.
You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay for Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.
For a mere $24.24 a day, there is no greater bang for your buck. You get to be a hero just for:
* retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof,
* taking the training wheels off a bike,
* removing a splinter,
* filling a wading pool,
* coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and
* coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.
You get a front row seat in history to witness the:
* First step,
* First word,
* First bra,
* First date,
* First time behind the wheel.
You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren and great-grandchildren. You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match.
In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God. You have all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits, so one day they will, like you, love without counting the cost. That is quite a deal for the price!
Love & enjoy your children & grandchildren & great-grandchildren... It's the best investment you'll ever make!
The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140 for a middle-income family. Talk about price shock! That doesn't include the cost of post-secondary education.
But $160,140 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into:
* $8,896.66 a year,
* $741.38 a month,
* $171.08 a week.
* A mere $24.24 a day!
* Just over a dollar an hour.
Still, you might think the best financial advice is: don't have children if you want to be 'rich'.
Actually, it is just the opposite.
What do you get for your $160,140.00?
* Naming rights. First, middle, and last!
* Glimpses of God every day.
* Giggles under the covers every night.
* More love than your heart can hold.
* Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.
* Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies and FROGS...
* A hand to hold usually covered with jelly or chocolate, mac n cheese, or fishy crackers.
* A partner for blowing bubbles and flying kites.
* Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.
For $160,140.00, you never have to grow up.
You get to:
* finger-paint,
* carve pumpkins,
* play hide-and-seek,
* catch lightning bugs,
* never stop believing in Santa Claus.
You have an excuse to:
* keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh,
* watch Saturday morning cartoons,
* go to Disney movies, and
* wish on stars.
You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay for Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.
For a mere $24.24 a day, there is no greater bang for your buck. You get to be a hero just for:
* retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof,
* taking the training wheels off a bike,
* removing a splinter,
* filling a wading pool,
* coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and
* coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.
You get a front row seat in history to witness the:
* First step,
* First word,
* First bra,
* First date,
* First time behind the wheel.
You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren and great-grandchildren. You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match.
In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God. You have all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits, so one day they will, like you, love without counting the cost. That is quite a deal for the price!
Love & enjoy your children & grandchildren & great-grandchildren... It's the best investment you'll ever make!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
26 Weeks
Only news is an annoying pain that has developed over the past week above my right butt cheek. It feels kind of like a pinched nerve (or a stabbing pain at the bottom of my spine, around the back of my hip), and I imagine it has something to do with sleeping on my side. Jess recommended sleeping with a pillow between my legs to improve alignment, so I've been trying that for the past couple of nights. I'll ask the doc about it next Tuesday, if the pain hasn't gone away by then.
Monday, April 13, 2009
The Final Three (for now, at least)
Despite Brian's sneaky attempts to get the name "Austin" on the list of finalists (he scribbled OUT one of my favorite names on the fridge and replaced it with the name of the down-south city), I think we've arrived at a final roster of names for baby boy:
Caelan/Calen
Braydon/Brayden
Nickolas/Nicholas
And the best part is that both families are OK with all three! That is, at least no one voiced any strong opposition over our 8-hour Easter extravaganza, yesterday.
Yes, the multiple spellings mean there is a new wrinkle in this compromise: how to spell the name upon which we agree.
Unless we change our minds (which is completely possible, as we reserve the right to do so!), these will probably be the names we take into the delivery room with us in July.
And since we've kind of decided that naming will happen after baby boy is born, that means Brian crossed off the last pre-birth nursery to-do when he hung the peg shelf on Saturday. After we come home from the hospital with our newly named little guy, we'll add his name above the crib. Until then, we'll just continue to put newly acquired baby things away in their new rightful places in the nursery.
(Note the teddy bear on top of the armoire: it's my dad's teddy bear, dressed in the outfit Brian wore home from the hospital when he was born)
One other note from the Easter dinner: multiple requests to stand up, pull up my shirt and make room for hands on my belly confirm for the families that I've definitely started to "pop." Stay tuned for a photo tomorrow (26 weeks), to judge for yourself.
Caelan/Calen
Braydon/Brayden
Nickolas/Nicholas
And the best part is that both families are OK with all three! That is, at least no one voiced any strong opposition over our 8-hour Easter extravaganza, yesterday.
Yes, the multiple spellings mean there is a new wrinkle in this compromise: how to spell the name upon which we agree.
Unless we change our minds (which is completely possible, as we reserve the right to do so!), these will probably be the names we take into the delivery room with us in July.
And since we've kind of decided that naming will happen after baby boy is born, that means Brian crossed off the last pre-birth nursery to-do when he hung the peg shelf on Saturday. After we come home from the hospital with our newly named little guy, we'll add his name above the crib. Until then, we'll just continue to put newly acquired baby things away in their new rightful places in the nursery. (Note the teddy bear on top of the armoire: it's my dad's teddy bear, dressed in the outfit Brian wore home from the hospital when he was born)
One other note from the Easter dinner: multiple requests to stand up, pull up my shirt and make room for hands on my belly confirm for the families that I've definitely started to "pop." Stay tuned for a photo tomorrow (26 weeks), to judge for yourself.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
25 weeks
It's been a while since I posted one of these. Apparently this is what the little guy looks like at this stage in the game.
Monday, April 6, 2009
A weekend full of good news!
First, Saturday morning Brian got a call from his accountant, who informed him that he owes about HALF of what they originally estimated he'd have to pay in federal taxes!! Yay for write-offs and deductions! What does this good news have to do with the developing baby or the pregnant mom-to-be? Well, because I will be huge and uncomfortable during one of the hottest months of the year, I anticipate running the AC a lot more this summer than we normally would. So paying less to the tax man means we can go ahead with having our heating/AC system inspected and likely completely replaced this spring. I'll be glad to not have to worry about our inefficient system wasting money or leaking gallons of water into our family room when the AC is cranked on a humid day.
Secondly, I found maternity clothes I love on Saturday, and they were WAY, WAY CHEAP! Stopped in at Ross to look for discounted bras (Janelle -- no luck there or at Marshalls :( ), and decided to explore a little for maternity clothes. They only had one rack, but on that one rack I found four pairs of pants -- three for work, one casual -- and four basic tops that can be dressed up or down for work or play. Throw in four pairs of undies and I walked out with a stash of clothes for $75!
Also at Ross they have baby clothes for ridiculously cheap. Everyone keeps telling me not to buy baby clothes because I'll end up with a ton anyway, so I stuck to basics. I got five onesies for each stage through nine months old and three Carters sleeplikely gowns. The onesies came out to $1 to $2 each, even though MSRP was about $6 each for the unbelievably cute Calvin Klein Baby onesies. Brian loves the designer frocks for his little guy. And I got the discounted sleep gowns at Jess's recommendation. The are open at the bottom for better ventilation for sleeping babies in the summer. I also splurged on a pair of cargo shorts for baby. They were $4.99, but I couldn't resist.
FYI for anyone else in the market for cheap baby clothes, Marshalls also carries them, but the discounts at Ross seemed to be a dollar or two cheaper per item. However, Marshalls has something Ross did not: Polo Ralph Lauren onesies that look like striped golf shirts and button-down dress shirts for infants. I resisted the urge to splurge for now (they're about $12 each), but I may return to find a classic dress shirt for a baptism outfit. If Brian had seen these shirts, his label-loving self couldn't have walked away.
And finally, Sunday night we got a call from our mortgage broker, letting us know the pieces are falling into place for our mortgage refinance. This good news means we'll be more comfortable searching for a new car in the next couple of months, since money that had been going toward the mortgage each month can be shifted to a car payment. I love my little Saturn coupe (Brian hates it), but it's not a practical car for a baby: the "wing" (third door) just won't cut maneuvering baby in and out, and I can't fit a standard-sized cooler in the trunk, let alone boatloads of baby crap. Here's what I'm trying to convince Brian would be a safe and responsible investment for a family car. He's not yet sold. Why? Primarily because he thinks it looks stupid with "HYBRID" across side.
Secondly, I found maternity clothes I love on Saturday, and they were WAY, WAY CHEAP! Stopped in at Ross to look for discounted bras (Janelle -- no luck there or at Marshalls :( ), and decided to explore a little for maternity clothes. They only had one rack, but on that one rack I found four pairs of pants -- three for work, one casual -- and four basic tops that can be dressed up or down for work or play. Throw in four pairs of undies and I walked out with a stash of clothes for $75!
Also at Ross they have baby clothes for ridiculously cheap. Everyone keeps telling me not to buy baby clothes because I'll end up with a ton anyway, so I stuck to basics. I got five onesies for each stage through nine months old and three Carters sleeplikely gowns. The onesies came out to $1 to $2 each, even though MSRP was about $6 each for the unbelievably cute Calvin Klein Baby onesies. Brian loves the designer frocks for his little guy. And I got the discounted sleep gowns at Jess's recommendation. The are open at the bottom for better ventilation for sleeping babies in the summer. I also splurged on a pair of cargo shorts for baby. They were $4.99, but I couldn't resist.
FYI for anyone else in the market for cheap baby clothes, Marshalls also carries them, but the discounts at Ross seemed to be a dollar or two cheaper per item. However, Marshalls has something Ross did not: Polo Ralph Lauren onesies that look like striped golf shirts and button-down dress shirts for infants. I resisted the urge to splurge for now (they're about $12 each), but I may return to find a classic dress shirt for a baptism outfit. If Brian had seen these shirts, his label-loving self couldn't have walked away.
And finally, Sunday night we got a call from our mortgage broker, letting us know the pieces are falling into place for our mortgage refinance. This good news means we'll be more comfortable searching for a new car in the next couple of months, since money that had been going toward the mortgage each month can be shifted to a car payment. I love my little Saturn coupe (Brian hates it), but it's not a practical car for a baby: the "wing" (third door) just won't cut maneuvering baby in and out, and I can't fit a standard-sized cooler in the trunk, let alone boatloads of baby crap. Here's what I'm trying to convince Brian would be a safe and responsible investment for a family car. He's not yet sold. Why? Primarily because he thinks it looks stupid with "HYBRID" across side.
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