Specialist

When I first called in March for an appointment with the recurrent pregnancy loss specialist in New York, I was told that he was booking in October. What could I do?  I didn't believe we'd have to wait that long but I took the appointment and prepared to wait until the first opening.

I call weekly to find out if there are any cancellations. I already know not to call first thing Monday morning. Not only because the morning shift receptionist is slightly more grumpy, but also because no one has had a chance to cancel yet. Tuesdays before noon are the sweet spot. At one point I was able to move up from Oct to Sept. Score. After that it kind of got stuck there for a few weeks. Now when I call I'm being told that he's booking in March 2019.

While my husband was in surgery on Tuesday I got a call from the girl I always speak to in their office. She didn't leave a voice message and by the time I returned the call an hour later the spot had already been given away for Wed morning. However, my girl told me that if the couple does end up showing then we can have their spot. Yes, I told her that would be fine and that I would definitely take it. She said she needs them to show up before she can shift things on the schedule but that I'll get a call again the next day. It worked out perfectly because, all things considered, as important as this appointment is, realistically there was no way we could make it to NY hours after surgery. We would have needed to get on the highway four hours after getting home from the hospital and spend the night driving. Not so great right after a procedure that makes it uncomfortable to sit.

The next day I got the call back. Good news and bad news. The good news is that the couple did show up so their appointment became available. The bad news is that the doctor had his own waitlist of people he's trying to get on the schedule. My girl said she advocated for me, saying we've been waiting a long time and that the appointment was all but promised to us. He apologized and asked her to apologize to us but apparently these other folks had priority. It wasn't all bad news: I got their spot which is in July. So it wasn't as soon as I wanted, but still sooner than September. Sweet! I also really appreciate that she advocated for us. She doesn't know us personally but still went to bat - I feel very grateful.

At this point I know that I need to get all the paperwork submitted right away so that if there is another last minute cancellation we don't have to scramble. I don't know what we expect him to tell us or what he can do, but I know that I don't want to keep trying the same thing and have the same results over and over. He may say there's nothing we can do but he may not; and for that it's worth the time and effort to go see him. Clearly he must have something to say if he's booking a year out. We'll see.

Shabbat shalom.