The Dreaded Doctors Appointment

How can it come as a surprise that in general most people hate going to the doctor? I don't think I have ever gone to the doctor and left thinking about how enjoyable that was. It starts off with the "reminder" phone call. Usually this is just an automated call that takes forever, but for whatever reason I always feel like I need to listen to the whole thing. After all, what if they are telling me that my doctor moved offices, or the appointment time I have written down is wrong. So, that call takes up an important 2 minutes of my life. Then, that call also says to get to the appointment 10 minutes early to fill out any necessary paperwork. Why do they tell you to come early when they already know you're going to have to wait AT LEAST 10 minutes to see the doctor? Once you're there and checked in (also a fun opportunity to be asked whether any of your information has changed, my response is "no" and then they go over my address, phone number, and insurance information anyway) you go and sit in a chair that you know some one with a cold or flu sat in last. But there's NO way I'm going to stand there while I wait 20 minutes. That would be ridiculous. Finally, the nurse calls your name and you get weighed. Not always pleasant, but most of the time it promises to be surprising (good or bad surprise?). Then taken into the room where the nurse asks what the problem/issue is. And right when you think you've waited long enough to see the doctor, the second round of waiting happens. Usually, a shorter period of time, it feels longer because now you're by yourself in a small room that is always a couple degrees too hot. Once the doctor finally makes his/her appearance you need to explain everything over again, making you wonder why the hell the nurse asked in the first place.

To make the whole experience even more enjoyable, throw in a baby. Ahhhh, yes, it's wonderful when your baby falls asleep in the car and then stays asleep while waiting. However, once you see those blue eyes pop open and start looking around in panic, all you can do is pray that you'll be able to calm her down enough that everyone will stop staring at you. Throw in a few shots (and I'm not talking Jack Daniels) and you've got yourself a fantastic time. By the time that hour of your life is over and you're making your way back out to your car, the exhaustion that you feel wraps itself around you and all you want to do is take a nap. But, your baby is so wound up from her fun experience that there won't be a nap for a long time. I'm blessed to have a baby who is for the most part healthy enough to not go to the doctors office all that often, thankfully.