Thursday, November 5th, 2009

After having this appointment rescheduled on us twice and waiting 6+ months to get in, Mommy should have expected some drama from my orthopedic appointment at UC Davis. The doctor came highly recommended and we prepared for the appointment by having my medical records from Shriner's faxed over weeks ahead so the doctor would have some idea of what my other ortho docs were doing for me. This appointment was initially scheduled to check out my feet based on my PT's recommendation. When my OT found out about it, she also wanted the doctor to check out my arms and shoulders as well to give her an idea of what bony limitations I might have.

When we checked in the receptionist let us know the doctor was "running a little behind, maybe about 1/2 hour". Mommy is never surprised by this - she was actually more surprised that they admitted it! After 45 minutes we were all getting a little antsy because the waiting room wasn't that interesting. Now my appointment time was at 2:15 so Mommy figured we would have plenty of time to be seen and then drive back to Elk Grove by 4 pm when Lucille's shift was over and her ride would pick her up. As we headed towards 3 pm, Mommy started getting a little nervous. About that time we got called back so Mommy figured it would all be okay. But it was a false alarm - we just got moved to an "internal" waiting area since there wasn't a room available. A few minutes later the resident stopped by the receptionist's desk and got a talking to about how far behind the appointments were. He didn't seem to believe her so she turned to Mommy and asked, "What time was your appointment for?" When Mommy told her and he realized we weren't even in a room yet he looked a little nervous. By 3:15, Mommy had Lucille call her son to have him pick her up from UC Davis since there was no way we would be home by 4 pm. By the time Lucille left a little before 4 to meet him, we were still not in a room. We didn't get in a room and seen by the doctor until 4:30 - that's right 2 hours and 15 minutes after the original appointment time!!! So much for running 30 minutes behind!

After all the waiting, Mommy was a little surprised by the doctor's response after he watched me walk and move around. He doesn't think orthotics for my feet will do much for me so any type of shoes that are comfortable are fine as far as he is concerned. When it comes to my upper body he basically said that I might as well quit doing any type of therapy because it doesn't help all that much and I am going to use my body to the best of my ability without anyone teaching me how - kids just adapt that way. Mommy was left virtually speechless (which if you know Mommy that's nearly impossible). She wasn't quite sure what to say to that so she didn't say much of anything. The doctor would like to follow my lower body issues (hips, feet and ankles) by seeing me once a year for a follow up. There is a way to surgically make my overlapping toes a little more cosmetically appealing but it would need to happen when I am in my early teen years. Since most kids with overlapping toes don't complain of any pain or other problems with walking my parents don't think they will pursue it unless I choose to when I am older. So after months of waiting for an appointment and hours of waiting in the office the appointment was over. What a long day!

Peyton Nicole Smith