Is There A Doctor In The House?

So this morning I woke up with two facts on my brain:
1) We are theoretically going to get snow today and tonight (possibly big snow - they scare mongers are all in a tizzy, at least)
2) My ear hurt. Badly.

Given that the doodle has been really into licking and/or kissing me lately (the kisses are sweet, the licking I could really do without) coupled with his ear infection diagnosis yesterday, my own ear pain wasn't hugely surprising. But with the possibility of snow, I figured maybe I should take it seriously and get it looked at rather than waiting and then feeling horrid and having to brave the elements to get it looked at.

So we bundled ourselves up and made our way out into the semi-freezing rain and toodled down the urgent care that I've used before and been relatively pleased with. (Which, after the initial urgent care fiasco, I was pleased to just know where to go right off.) We went in and I was working on my paperwork when the receptionist added, "Oh, but the doctor's not in. He probably won't be in for an hour."

Um. Ok. That would've been what I led with as the patient walked in the door, myself. But fine. So I asked for my insurance card back and the kiddo and I went back to the car where I proceeded to call my regular doctor on the off chance she could squeeze me in. (I thought maybe, just maybe, she could since with the rain/ice/snow threatening maybe people would cancel.) The receptionist said yes, absolutely, they could see me at 11. It was 10:30. And even though it's probably 20 miles from where I was to the doctor, I figured I could make it.

So we drive across town and then some and arrive at 10:55ish and go in.
"Hi, I'm the 11:00 appointment."
"Ok, have a seat. Though she's not in yet."

Insert stunned silence here. I mean really...would you tell a patient that they can be seen at 11 if the doctor was not, in fact, in the office yet? Apparently the inside voices slipped out during that little mental conversation, because the next thing I know the receptionist is rather huffily informing me that they only found out that she was on her way ten minutes ago. Now, I feel my question is still valid...why not just say (when I call at 10:30) that she's not in yet but that they expect her by 11? Regardless. So, thinking she's just a few minutes out based on that reaction, I ask if they have an ETA. At which point I get "Well, we know it'll be at least an hour."

So I pack my sick toddler back in the car (through the slush now falling from the sky) and put my sick self in the front seat and call Tim. When he answers the phone I proceed to have a meltdown of the tear-filled sort because I am sick. I am hauling a sick child around. It's cold. It's wet. I hurt. And I don't know what else to do.

Being the problem solver that he is, he looks up the CVS minute clinics and directs me to one not too far from where I am (not close, mind you, but not too far) and he calls them and their recording says they're open so...I say why not and we drive half way across town (at least it's back towards home) and go there. Where we are told that it'll probably be about an hour. And I just give up and sit in a chair and wait, because the way things are going, I probably would've been seen and treated more quickly if I'd just stayed at the first place.

Then things take a minor uptick for the better as the person two people ahead of me has to be referred out and the person directly ahead of me has been lured into the aisles of the CVS and does not respond to her page in a timely manner and so I get seen in maybe 20 minutes. Then, joy of all joys, the CNP on duty for the day says she doesn't do z-packs as she feels they're worthless (my sentiment exactly) and so I leave with ear drops and antibiotics that should kill anything that has the temerity to try and be in my body when it's not supposed to.

Even with that positive experience? I can't help but consider today a gentle reminder why I, in general, avoid going to the doctor like a plague.