Recap: The New Gyno

This morning, I decided to do something a little bit outside my comfort zone. Not sure of the motivation, but it was something I've been reluctant to do on my many trips to NYC, especially the trips into the city which are way uptown: Rather than go the "safe route" or the expected route, or the route I ALWAYS take (i.e. get off at GCT, then take the subway, either the 1 or the 6 depending), I decided to get off at the (East) 125th Street station and then take the subway nearby. The alternative would be for me to get off at GCT, then take the subway back up town about 50 blocks; getting off at 125th meant I had to take roughly 30 blocks downtown.

I know, such a trivial difference, amounting to all of about 20 blocks I saved. It just seemed the most direct route.

The issue, the "outside my comfort zone," regarding 125th is, to me, until today, it's been a great unknown. Plus it's Harlem, which despite the best intentions gentrification has to offer, still hasn't made me feel all that much more safe or confident about getting off at 125th as an option.

But like anything else, hopefully, this will become part of my routine. And silly as it might seem, I did manage to have some sense of accomplishment, that I was able to negotiate which direction to walk/take upon exiting the train station to get to the subway platform. I was thinking surely the subway platform was reachable at the 125th station, but glad I did my homework via Google Maps and realize that wasn't the case. Google maps' street view is an awesome feature, and I was able to landmark two businesses, so I could get my bearings.

Such a nervous nellie, but safety is always on my mind, and I tend not to leave too many things to chance.

So, today's appointment was with my new gynecologist. This is the gynecologist with whom I will be doing my follow up re: the fibroid (tho we're not even sure if it even IS a fibroid).

As I suspected, the ultrasound and pap and other records from the gyno I saw in September never were forwarded to the new doctor, despite me jumping thru their little hoops and filling out the release paperwork in November. This is reason #2 I won't be doing follow up at that office: slip shod admin staff.

So we were "shooting blind" as it were during the consultation. The doctor arranged to have the ultrasound paperwork faxed, so I sat and crocheted while we waited for the paperwork to come in.

This proved to be a colossal waste of time, as the ultrasound report was so SHITTY, so poorly worded and lacking in crucial information (i.e. location of the fibroid), and also made some indication about a growth, but nothing conclusive which we could actually formulate a plan of action around. This is reason #3 why I will not be doing follow up with the previous doctor.

So the recap of reasons why I won't go back to her:

1. Shitty "stirrup side demeanor" coupled up with the callousness of scaring me re: handing me a Novasure pamphlet without even: 1. Knowing with certainty I even have a fibroid etc; and 2. Not even asking me if I want to have kids or not, as the Novasure would take that option away from me, irrevocably;

2. Shitty admin follow up for a simple records release request;

3. Shitty, vague and inconclusive report writing, which a direct result is me having to waste a perfectly good lunch hour at an imaging center to get yet another ultrasound done.

So rather than today being merely a step in the process by which to get this taken care of, we ended up back tracking, and today ended up being the first step of a NEW process.

An Rx was written for a pelvic ultrasound, and while I was in the city I texted my husband, who kindly set up an appt for me for Tuesday during my lunch, otherwise, I'd have to wait until Tuesday itself to call and arrange an appointment, and I didn't want to lose precious time to make the appointment, especially given this is going to be a long holiday weekend.

The doctor seemed affable enough and receptive to what is going on with my life and health, and actually reassured me that whatever this is, if it is a fibroid or a polyp, it will be treatable and most likely benign.

So, hurry up and wait until Tuesday. Hopefully I'll know something conclusive by the end of next week or the following Monday.

Sad thing is, the first gyno in question, the shitty gyno, was recommended to me by a good friend. I feel I cannot even tell my friend about what's-what from today's appointment. I don't want her to feel as if whatever dissatisfaction I feel towards the gyno is in any way reflected on her, as she's the one who recommended the gyno to me in the first place. But I really feel like she should explore her options and find a new gyno, because this one so very obviously has her own ideas and agenda as it pertains to the health of her patients, and I dare say it's to their detriment. Color me, unimpressed (with her).

However disappointed I was with today's outcome, as I was hoping to get a plan of action started today, I feel my gut instinct really was validated today, and I did the right thing for me and my health, to seek out another doctor.