it was a very long day yesterday. we left here at around 10 a.m. so i could stop by the bank, and actually arrived at the doctor's office with 15 minutes or so to spare. then we waited. and waited. and waited some more. i was called in 30 minutes late, only to have my vitals taken and be told to wait some more. they were, apparently quite backed up. the one good thing that it did for me was allow me to do more revision notes on my novel.

i really do like my doctor and medical group though. they were the first place ever to talk to me about my medical care. my first visit was right after we discovered i had adult onset asthma, which was discovered only after i nearly lost my youngest in a miscarriage. i was coughing a lot from it and the doctor i was seeing before kept giving me cough medicine, thinking i had a viral infection. when i started spotting and went to the e.r., a new doctor realized what was going on. that doctor saved froggy's life. (who, btw, used to shebop in this journal, but has changed her nick to froggy because, and i quote, "i like green and jump a lot.")

after the e.r. visit i had my first kaiser visit. and for the first time ever the doctor didn't talk to my nurse ex-husband, or just hand me a prescription and tell me what to do. he checked everything and said, "well, we have a few options. this is what they are, let's talk about them and help you choose what works for you." i don't think i could have been any more astonished. i've never had a doctor do that before. since then i've only had one doctor there i've really disliked and i was able to ask for a different doctor in the same department.

my current family practice doctor is a nice "young" older gentleman. he always asks how things are going, wants to know what's going in my life, listens to what i have to say, and discusses things with me. i get the feeling he's supposed to be in and out in 15 minutes, but he never makes me feels rushed. and he doesn't push. he's mentioned my weight once or twice, but never tried to harass me into a weight loss program the way a few doctors in the past have.

my appointment yesterday was really no different. we talked about the changes in my life (he's pleased about the tai chi) and even told me that my storm headaches are a common reaction for a lot of people. if the advil migraine works, then that's what i should keep using. as for my meds, he only changed one pill, the one for my ulcer. and he's order a bunch of tests, including the one to see if the ulcer is being caused by that ulcer bug and another to check my iron levels. then, after spending over an hour waiting to be seen by my doctor, we took my prescriptions to the pharmacy only to be told it would take 45 minutes to get them filled.

we went to lunch.

after picking those up (and spending far more than i expected for the drugs themselves), we went to look for my iron supplement. which is nowhere to be found. i finally had to call the company that makes them and they directed me to a place that takes phone orders. i should get them next week. so, after much delay all around, i should finally be up to par on everything except the adhd meds sometime towards the end of next week.

the adhd meds have to wait until the end of the month.