Sunday, November 27, 2005

A tale of two clinics, finally

I think I may give up on ever finding the perfect nickname for my RE. The closest I’ve come is Dr. Piles of Files, so named because when we had our first meeting with him (while we were in the process of choosing a clinic) I noticed that his desk was piled with files, and articles, and journals. It looked a lot like my office looks - cluttered with projects and ideas and research. And then we met with the second clinic and the RE’s office looked like it was straight out of a designer magazine - spotless, and beautiful, but with the air of being a showplace rather than a functional office. It was a lot like some other features of the Clinic That Wasn’t - Dr. FancyPants and the whole Fancy clinic were shiny, and pretty to look at, but it wasn’t clear how that would translate to my experience as a patient there. (The final straw, though, was a perky but completely clueless medical assistant/nurse who I learned would be our primary contact. Um, no thank you.) So back we went to the Clinic That Is - which is much more humble. No fancy pants decor, no shiny surgical suite with separate entrance, no staff of millions. But it means that I know all of the nurses, that my RE did all of my wandings (except once when the other RE did a baseline - but I haven’t seen him since), that I chat with the receptionist, that I don’t get lost in a maze of hallways or staffing issues, and that he actually reads articles, and journals, and patient files. In my current state of optimism, I’m pretty sure I made the right decision. I didn’t have a cookie cutter protocol. I had close monitoring. I saw my actual RE regularly. He waved at me on days when I was just there for bloodwork. The other clinic is very highly regarded, and proposed a totally different protocol that might also have worked well. Who knows? But I know for sure that I’d have had less direct contact with Dr. FancyPants than I have with Dr. Piles.

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On a totally unrelated note: I’m getting sick of G.atorade. I stocked up on what used to be my favorite flavor of G.atorade, and I’ve been faithfully staying hydrated. But it’s pretty much the only flavor I know, and I’m getting sick of it, and I have no idea what to get instead. The G.atorade labels can be so daunting - “Frost” and “Fierce” and “Xtreme” (oh my!). So, anyone have a favorite G.atorade flavor I should try? I’ll do a taste test and report on my findings, if you’d like.

11 comments:

  1. Give me an RE who is up on the latest research over an RE with a squeaky clean office any day. Congrats on the kick ass retrieval.

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  2. I like the lemonaide!

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  3. I bought some Gatorade this weekend in an attempt to keep hydrated while puking my guts up. I think my favorite is the X-factor flavor that's a mix of orange and tropical fruit. I also got the raspberry lemonade flavor but haven't tried it yet. Might I also suggest Propel. I like it better than Gatorade, and it doesn't have all that sugar. I like almost all of the Propel flavors that I've tried: Grape, Melon, Berry, Kiwi-Strawberry. They're all pretty yummy. Good luck with your beverage selections.

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  4. I sort of like the red Gatorade. I'm sure that's very helpful since technically red is a color and not a flavor, but I have no clue what the actual flavor is.

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  5. Good luck with the transfer! Hope it all goes swimmingly.

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  6. I think your clinic sounds wonderful. Having a doctor that is available is very valuable.

    Can't help you on the Gator.ade. I've never tried it.

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  7. LOL I have no idea what the flavors are... but I love the red and the blue ones best!

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  8. Excellent clinic choice, in my opinion--I would have made the same one.
    As for gatorade--I like powerade "Artic Shatter" (I know, so hardcore!) because I can drink it at work without it turning my mouth a unique color. Also, it's tasty.

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  9. I second the lemonade and Cecily (former OHSS'er) had previously recommended to me both the mango and the raspberry lemonade.

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  10. I second the Propel recommendation. It's got less calories than Gatorade but still has a lot of the vitamins & good stuff. The flavor is much less intense, so to me, it's easier to chug it in quantity.

    I'm with you on the clinic choice - give me hands on & less fancy any day.

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  11. I like the sound of your doctor.

    How did transfer go? Waiting with baited breath here!

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