ION: Workflow diagrams, motherfucker! Have you heard of them?! G-D I miss waterfall software development. This agile nonsense doesn't work for anyone but developers, and even then it's hit or miss.

I feel you on Kaiser docs, juliana. I feel like their whole system limits dr-patient interaction to my detriment. But they have all my records, when I had different insurance and a different doctor my PCP had trouble finding out what happened at my ER visits, so that wasn't good either.

Yeah, I'm going to miss the all-in-one aspect of the Kaiser clinics, but maybe I'll get a doctor who, when I tell her that I have a paradoxical reaction to most medications, won't say, "That's really rare. So, we're going to start you on [medication that I just said I have a paradoxical reaction to], and we'll adjust if needed." Or, my favorite, "I know you said you think you need to see a podiatrist, but I need to see you first." And then promptly send me to the podiatrist after a 5-minute exam. Or! My favorite! After I tell her that both of my parents have/had thyroid issues, and that it took my mom TEN YEARS to be diagnosed with hypothyroidism (since she has a weird form), only order the basic thyroid test and say, "Well, your numbers are fine, if low, so I don't need to see the other test (that is the one that finally allowed my mother to get diagnosed)."

Okay, perhaps I'm angrier about this than I thought. But no wonder I don't want to deal with finding a new doctor - I'm too afraid I'm going to relive all of that.

books for a soon-to-be 2 year old, please?

Sandra Boynton anything, really. But especially Perfect Piggies.

Sheryl, I'm sorry about Mr. S's no good very bad day.

Strops, ltc loves The Gashlycrumb Tinies. The one time she asked my mother to read it to her, mom was so horrified.

ltc loves The Gashlycrumb Tinies.

That's my girl.

Ugh, juliana, that is an accumulation of awful, for sure. Finding a new doctor is hard and stressful, I hope a good one falls into your lap, somehow.

Ooh, Stella Luna! There’s a 25th anniversary edition.

I was going to ruminate about what comfort food I could make myself for Christmas, but I got a notice on my door that they're going to do apartment inspections, possibly as soon as Friday. So I need to call and ask when my building actually is going to be inspected (dude, giving me a building letter code that doesn't correspond to the actual building number is not helpful) and what the COVID-19 protocols are. Because the letter DID NOT SAY. ANYTHING. ABOUT COVID. Like, I assume that they will be masked and expect me to be masked, but some actual guidelines would be nice.

I recognize that they'll probably be in my apartment for 5-10 minutes, but I work from home and I am On-Call this week, I can't work from anywhere else what with the pandemic, I have no control over when I will be expected to respond urgently to an issue, and I can't allow a random maintenance person to see or hear anything confidential WHILE they are in my apartment. Also now I fucking have to clean, not that my apartment's a huge mess or anything, but I am Midwestern and this is What We Do.

Our PCP is semi-retiring to work with women's sex-related and trans-related physical issues, and also memory issues with the aging. All things she's vitally interested in, NSM general practice. While I am amazed and proud at her decision, it makes it necessary for H and I to find another PCP.

Which gives me the opportunity, after a five minute introduction to suss the direction of my initial visit, to fix the doctor with a pleasant but firm and direct gaze, and intone, "Let's pretend for the moment that I am a woman of this specific age, with these accrued conditions, and that I AM NOT FAT. Now, how would you advise me?" Hopefully if they are impelled by patient minute limits to adhere to 'arm fell off because FAT' diagnoses, a frank moment of arrest might buy me more realistic assessment.

They are inspecting my apartment on Friday. So I'll get a little extra stress this week, as a treat.

Edit: In an attempt to put a positive spin on this, at least they won't be coming on Monday, which I'm taking as a vacation day, so I won't have to set an alarm or, like, get dressed.

it took my mom TEN YEARS to be diagnosed with hypothyroidism (since she has a weird form)

Juliana, would you mind telling me what weird form of hypothyroidism your mom has? I've been fighting multiple doctors about this for 20 years. I have all the symptoms of hypothyroidism, but my numbers always come back "low but normal" and no one wants to pursue it further. It sucks that you have to play the doctor roulette game again. Totally understand why you're angry about it. May you quickly find a doctor who suits you!

Not wanting to spin the doctor roulette wheel again is why I haven't tried to find another therapist. Well, that and also I'm sick of telling the story of my life. I want to make a chart with bullet points I can just hand to the next one.

shrift, that's one of the worst aspects of living in an apartment, the darn inspections and maintenance visits. Hate having strangers coming into my place.

I found my current PCP by telling a nurse at my then-PCP's practice that I was not happy with the care I was getting from him. She told me I should be seeing Dr. A, in the same practice. I did, and the nurse was right, she's awesome.