Follow up from yesterday
It was less than ideal yesterday. I obsessed over the issue all day, drowning my panic in apple juice and Skyrim. I felt terribly guilty about being such a lazy bum, though, I did do a little bit of laundry. I am deeply conflicted inside, over just how much activity is 'enough.' Last week, my body seemed bent on getting by with as little sleep as possible, and I slept only in 3-5 hours blocks, twice a day. Now it's bent on sleeping all the time. Been going to bed around 7 or 8, and then sleeping until around 5 or 6. So tired! And my backs hurts much of the time. And I get terrible stomach pain from acid. Part of me feels more than justified taking it easy, and the other part observes Tobias' dedication. He goes to work, works hard there, and then he comes home and works on Clarinets and takes very little time for himself. Then I feel guilty that I don't be more like him, that I leave so much work to him to do alone.
The landlord came over yesterday to check out the mouse problem. She used a kind of steel wool material to stuff the holes they might be coming in from, and we had a good chat about things.
Then we had an appointment with the OB who works with my midwives. It's required to meet her once and give her a retainer fee of $150. Tobias and I didn't really want to go, as the only reason I will see this woman again is if I get a c-section or have horrible delivery complications. After arriving in the office I was increasingly bothered. They had a children's corner with toys, which I generally approve of, except it was well stocked with noisy noisy electronic toys. Four children, all with a different toy, pressing the same buttons over and over and over...
The children had also left their coats and things on the chairs, of which there were few of. Tobias and I had to sit on opposite sides of the office because we felt awkward about moving other people's things. Finally asked to the back, the doctor and a trainee came in. I've noticed two or three different kinds of doctors; my favorite being the ones who treat you like a good friend they haven't seen in awhile, even if this is your first meeting. They make even quick visits not feel rushed and go out of their way to make you feel cared for. This was not this doctor. She wasn't the worst kind, who treats you more like a kind of human cattle to be inspected, diagnosed and shuttled out as quickly as possible, but I was not entirely happy with the visit. She walked in and just kinda went to work without telling me what was going to happen this visit or what they were going to check. I got a one-minute sonogram to check his lungs and some other things. But she didn't tell us what they were looking for, just murmured back and forth with the trainee about how to check for things. ("Find his ribs, move down..") She complimented his breathing and guessed he's about 8 pounds right now. She noticed how we said "He" and asked cheerfully if she'd be circumcising him. "No." I said simply, and she didn't seem to like this, and didn't say much else before leaving.
The last, and really BIG issue was just before leaving. They gave us a 'receipt' for the $150 to submit for our insurance. Except it had already been filled out. With someone else's information. Her name, her address, her SSN, her DOB, her phone numbers, the date and time of her appointment. It had been marked out sloppily with a blue marker and they'd written in some of my info with a pen next to the marked out place. I was aghast. I could still easily read her information! Would my insurance accept such a paper? As politely as I could, I handed it back and told them I couldn't ethically accept such a paper with someone else's information still so visible!
...So they brought it back, this time it was marked out with black marker. And still perfectly readable. I was still not happy with this. Was it too much to ask them? Just PRINT on a new sheet of paper! It's a doctor's office, and I just paid $150 for 5 minutes of the doctor's time, could I please get 2 cents worth of ink and paper that wasn't previously used?
The trainee said to ask the receptionist to take care of it. The receptionist told me some flimsy excuse about how they were switching methods and these last few forms were all they had as far as receipts and how the doctor told them to recycle them. She them demonstrated her inability to make the computer print out the 'outdated' form and then got sidetracked seeing all the other things she couldn't make it do. Seeing there was no way around this, I said I could take the marked-up receipt. She ignored me, still fiddling with the computer and remarking about how different the new system was.
Meanwhile, our meter is running out and we NEED TO GO and so I say louder, it's okay, I'll take the receipt. Could we get a couple business card as well?
"What for?" She asked.
OMFG...! "For the doctor's information..." I say. Why else would one want a business card?
"You have the number, you can always call for information." She said.
"I need to submit the card with my insurance claim." I say.
"I'll give you ONE." She says, reluctantly sliding one to me.
In the car, I'm ranting about their disregard for their client's private information and ghetto practices. Tobias is very cranky by then and snaps at me to just drop it. So I fall silent and then can't stop the tears from coming. Talks with my mom had gone horribly wrong and now she wasn't talking to me, we'd had to waste $150 on this BS appointment and now I was annoying Tobias. He looked guilty and swung around to Wendy's and bought me a frosty.
So, with mom, the final decision is to allow her to come but with some rules. We're just not going to have as much fun as planned and it's going to be tricky housing three guests when two is already a stretch. And heaven help us if she picks a fight with me, because I will crush her and it will be bad.
The landlord came over yesterday to check out the mouse problem. She used a kind of steel wool material to stuff the holes they might be coming in from, and we had a good chat about things.
Then we had an appointment with the OB who works with my midwives. It's required to meet her once and give her a retainer fee of $150. Tobias and I didn't really want to go, as the only reason I will see this woman again is if I get a c-section or have horrible delivery complications. After arriving in the office I was increasingly bothered. They had a children's corner with toys, which I generally approve of, except it was well stocked with noisy noisy electronic toys. Four children, all with a different toy, pressing the same buttons over and over and over...
The children had also left their coats and things on the chairs, of which there were few of. Tobias and I had to sit on opposite sides of the office because we felt awkward about moving other people's things. Finally asked to the back, the doctor and a trainee came in. I've noticed two or three different kinds of doctors; my favorite being the ones who treat you like a good friend they haven't seen in awhile, even if this is your first meeting. They make even quick visits not feel rushed and go out of their way to make you feel cared for. This was not this doctor. She wasn't the worst kind, who treats you more like a kind of human cattle to be inspected, diagnosed and shuttled out as quickly as possible, but I was not entirely happy with the visit. She walked in and just kinda went to work without telling me what was going to happen this visit or what they were going to check. I got a one-minute sonogram to check his lungs and some other things. But she didn't tell us what they were looking for, just murmured back and forth with the trainee about how to check for things. ("Find his ribs, move down..") She complimented his breathing and guessed he's about 8 pounds right now. She noticed how we said "He" and asked cheerfully if she'd be circumcising him. "No." I said simply, and she didn't seem to like this, and didn't say much else before leaving.
The last, and really BIG issue was just before leaving. They gave us a 'receipt' for the $150 to submit for our insurance. Except it had already been filled out. With someone else's information. Her name, her address, her SSN, her DOB, her phone numbers, the date and time of her appointment. It had been marked out sloppily with a blue marker and they'd written in some of my info with a pen next to the marked out place. I was aghast. I could still easily read her information! Would my insurance accept such a paper? As politely as I could, I handed it back and told them I couldn't ethically accept such a paper with someone else's information still so visible!
...So they brought it back, this time it was marked out with black marker. And still perfectly readable. I was still not happy with this. Was it too much to ask them? Just PRINT on a new sheet of paper! It's a doctor's office, and I just paid $150 for 5 minutes of the doctor's time, could I please get 2 cents worth of ink and paper that wasn't previously used?
The trainee said to ask the receptionist to take care of it. The receptionist told me some flimsy excuse about how they were switching methods and these last few forms were all they had as far as receipts and how the doctor told them to recycle them. She them demonstrated her inability to make the computer print out the 'outdated' form and then got sidetracked seeing all the other things she couldn't make it do. Seeing there was no way around this, I said I could take the marked-up receipt. She ignored me, still fiddling with the computer and remarking about how different the new system was.
Meanwhile, our meter is running out and we NEED TO GO and so I say louder, it's okay, I'll take the receipt. Could we get a couple business card as well?
"What for?" She asked.
OMFG...! "For the doctor's information..." I say. Why else would one want a business card?
"You have the number, you can always call for information." She said.
"I need to submit the card with my insurance claim." I say.
"I'll give you ONE." She says, reluctantly sliding one to me.
In the car, I'm ranting about their disregard for their client's private information and ghetto practices. Tobias is very cranky by then and snaps at me to just drop it. So I fall silent and then can't stop the tears from coming. Talks with my mom had gone horribly wrong and now she wasn't talking to me, we'd had to waste $150 on this BS appointment and now I was annoying Tobias. He looked guilty and swung around to Wendy's and bought me a frosty.
So, with mom, the final decision is to allow her to come but with some rules. We're just not going to have as much fun as planned and it's going to be tricky housing three guests when two is already a stretch. And heaven help us if she picks a fight with me, because I will crush her and it will be bad.