One thing about fertility clinics is that they are not like going to a doctor's office. A receptionist, one or two doctors on staff. A cozy little exaam room and usually some comforting bedside manner. If you don't like your doctore you can find a better one out there for the same price and experience. Fertility clinics are better compared to a factory of some sort. A sperm factory? A baby factory? It is it's own entity. There are about ten "patient advocates" on staff who take your blood. Some suck at it. They may call you by the wrong name (again..they have so many patients they can't keep the names straight). Some try to make rediculus conversation about things you don't want to talk about at 7 am when you've been up since 5 and running just to sit in the office and wait for an hour. Then get called, examined, and medicated just to run to work for 8 hours. Other "patient advocates" are great. There are also 1-2 nurses and 1-5 doctors on staff at any given time.
At 7 am the first 6 patients are called since there are 6 examination rooms. The doctors bounce from patient to patient, giving an internal sonogram, clicking the buttons and running out like the wind. One doctor who is not rude but sterile insisted on introducing herself every single time she came into the room. Each time I went I may have the same doctor or maybe not. But this particular week, I had this woman 4 times. So I'm the type of person that feels like this..."You have been inside my vagina with a probe at least four times this week alone and you'll probably be in there a few more times before the month is over. Anyone that goes near that area...I know your name. It's actually a prerequisite for me to know your name if you go near there." It would be one thing if she introduced herself and continued small talk or actually asked how I was feeling...something that gave me an indication that she was human. But no..."I'm Dr. so and so."; gloves on, condom on the probe, "cold gel", "pressure in the vagina" c-c-click, click..."pressure left" click...click..."pressure right" click...click, "aaand done." "See you outside for instructions." Then she left. Like I said the exact same thing happened 4 times that week. So one day when she came in and introduced herself, I innocently stated, in order to lighten the mood a bit, "I know your name, we've met." SILENCE. Her smile faded..."Well I just like to introduce myself before giving a vaginal exam." That was 4 months ago and she has never introduced herself to me again. As I said...sterile.
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