First, I was just poking at my stomach when it was barely even visible 🤷
Now, what’s really getting to me is that I can't even sneeze or cough normally if my bladder is full without having a little accident. It makes me feel pretty pathetic 🙈
And don't get me started on how everyone reacts when they hear it's a boy. They all go, "Oh, that's great!" or "Congratulations!" Like, if it were a girl, would they suddenly stop being happy? Whatever...
Yeah, I’m having some doubts about the care at my primary doctor's office. She didn't even really know which hormone levels to check, so she just re-ordered everything from my last hospital report. They checked my antibodies last time—it was only the second time since I got sick—and my endocrinologist wanted to track the trend because if they're high, there's a bigger risk of complications during pregnancy... and yeah, they were huge. So now I have to do them all over again. It feels pretty pointless; even I know you don't need to be checking antibodies every single time you go in.
True, I have heard stories about people with insurance coverage getting their follow-up appointments scheduled right then and there. I guess I'll see what they tell me in two days.
It feels a bit different for me, though. Usually, I've heard people get their blood work done first and then head to the endocrinologist. But at Vuk Vrhovac, it's all in one day—see the doctor first, then hit the lab. Then the results come by mail with whatever recommendations they have. I need to figure out how they're handling things now, whether I'll need separate appointments for blood work and actual consultations.
Honestly, I don't have much to complain about regarding my GP. It's just obvious she doesn't have a ton of experience dealing with thyroid issues. Being pregnant on top of everything else just makes me a little more anxious... (for context, it's just a small-town practice with only two doctors working alternating shifts.)
And yeah, she even questioned me about why my OBGYN isn't writing the referrals for my thyroid checkups (since I have to go more often now due to the pregnancy). In my mind, since I'm pregnant, the thyroid isn't the main issue, so the OB should handle it. This is something I've dealt with long before this, and I'll still be dealing with it after I give birth.
So, I tried checking with my primary care doctor. They told me they’d issue an A2 referral, and then my endocrinologist would let me know when to come back for the next one—which would trigger another A2 referral. But looking at the paperwork, it seems like they aren't even allowed to tell me when my follow-up is scheduled.
I honestly get the feeling they’re just playing games with people's health.
I have a question. I’m being treated for Hashimoto's by an endocrinologist at Mayo Clinic. Usually, the process was pretty straightforward: I'd book a specific day, show up, see the doctor, and she'd write down exactly which blood tests I needed. They'd draw the blood right there, the results would arrive at my house, and they'd include the date for my next follow-up on the report.
How is this going to work with these new models? My primary care physician gave me an A2 referral for an exam and an A3 for blood work. I see in the document it says When providing a consultative opinion based on a referral for a consultative exam (A1) or a follow-up consultative exam (A2), the hospital/outpatient specialist is NOT ALLOWED TO: issue internal referrals for further testing and follow-up exams order or issue recommendations for follow-up exams issue opinions regarding fitness for work
Does this mean my endocrinologist won't be able to schedule my next check-up anymore? Like, they won't be allowed to just write "next appointment on this date" on my lab results? And does it also mean the endocrinologist can't decide on the spot if I need any additional blood work beyond what my GP already prescribed?
It seems like my primary care doctor isn't exactly an expert when it comes to thyroid issues; she wasn't even sure which hormone levels I needed tested. I really hope this doesn't mess everything up at the clinic and make things less smooth than they used to be.
Also, if the endocrinologist recommends a follow-up in a month or two—which is highly likely since I'm pregnant and need more frequent monitoring—will I actually be able to get an appointment? Because it looks like people are already booking as far out as November. For centralized scheduling, you have to submit the referral, and from what I know, those are only valid for 30 days? But what if the appointment is scheduled for later? Now I'm seeing somewhere that a referral is valid for a year—is that actually true?