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Stefani's most-fantastical-reads book montage

Crooked Kingdom
Six of Crows
Yellow Brick War
The Wicked Will Rise
Charm & Strange
Their Fractured Light
These Broken Stars
NOS4A2
NOS4A2
Big Little Lies
I'll Be There
Red Queen


Stefani's favorite books »

Monday, July 13, 2009

Dear Support Staff at Dr. H's Office,

I feel like I have stewed for the appropriate amount of time and I am still peeved at my experience in your office, not only today but at every one of my visits.

My first job was in customer service. From the age of 15 until I was 23 it was my job to make customers happy. I have accomplished this feat in a variety of settings - retail sales, medical services, etc. I learned from the beginning that it was my job to make sure that customers were satisfied with their experience so that they would come back to the business again. It only took a few "bad days" on my part to learn that I had to put the crap that I was dealing with in my personal life on the back burner when I was behind that desk or on that phone. My customers didn't care that my horse was lame or that my dumb-ass boyfriend had gotten arrested. Those were MY problems, to be dealt with later. So, I plastered a smile on my face and did my job like it was the best thing ever. Even when it wasn't. That is how I expect customer service to be. I should like coming to your office, I should even feel welcome and appreciated (and maybe even remembered) when I walk in the door. I don't believe that I should feel like checking in for my appointment (which your sign instructs me to do) is inconveniencing you. I don't believe that it's too much to ask for a smile and pleasant comment. I think it's downright rude to be scowling EVERY time someone walks in the door. When I come up after my appointment to schedule for the next month/week whatever, it would be great if you could look me in the eyes instead of just at your computer screen. Maybe even smile and say something like, "See you in a month." or whatever pleasantry you can manage.

Once I survive the hostile atmosphere in the waiting room I am then subjected to "the nurse". I don't know if she has a name, she certainly has never introduced herself to me. She is notoriously known by Dr. H's patients as "the mean, brown haired one". That's saying something. I'm sure that it's not very exciting to call my name, send me into the bathroom, and analyze my pee - but guess what - it's your job. So pretend you like it. I don't love teaching every day, but I do my best to make sure my students don't know that. Same goes for you. Then we get to the room and my least favorite part of the entire visit ensues - the scale. Now, I realize there are guidelines for gaining weight during pregnancy and you must be frustrated by all the women who go over that magic 35lb. mark along the way. But stop for a moment and ask yourself - did she gain all this weight for the SOLE purpose of pissing me off or is she doing what she can to manage it. And if that is too much to ask, then just remind yourself that some of us have struggled TREMENDOUSLY with eating disorders and listening to someone who obviously doesn't care about you make snide comments about your weight isn't at all productive. Yes, I realize that I gained 8 pounds this month. In fact, every time I look at the scale (or carbs for that matter) I hear your voice in the back of my head - belittling me and making me feel like a fat cow. I am struggling with this weight gain - not only because I've gained more than I wanted to and I worry about being healthy getting it off the "right way" but also because now I wait too long to eat and I don't eat enough and then I lay awake and worry that Addison isn't getting the proper nutrition because I'm not eating right. So thank you, but no thank you. I selected Dr. H to be my doctor and he maintains that my weight is fine and I have nothing to worry about. Please let him be the one to tell me if there are issues with how my pregnancy is progressing.

Once I survive all of this, I get to spend my 15 minutes with Dr. H - the reason I chose this practice in the first place. He is kind, understanding, supportive, and through - everything the support staff has proved NOT to be. So because I trust him and want him to deliver this baby, I will continue to suffer through the rest. In case you think I'm being irrational (or hormonal) please understand that I have spoken to countless women who share my opinion on these matters. In fact, there is a whole group in my swim class who believes that "the mean, brown haired one" is out to get us all.

I am pregnant. This is a happy time for me and for my family - it disappoints me when that happiness is ruined by my office visits. Please consider what I have said and try to understand how big of an impact a kind gesture or word can have on someones day. Also, consider what a snide glance or cruel comment can do to someones week.

Thank You.

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