psych intake appointment

[redbird]

I had an intake appointment with a new psychiatrist this afternoon, Dr. Awad. In person, because this doctor doesn't do intake by telemedicine, but our future appointments will be by video.

She had my chart in front of her, and, partly because of that, only needed 45 minutes of the scheduled 60.

My next appointment won't be until early May, because they're badly short-staffed right now: they've gone from four psychiatrists plus a nurse practitioner to three psychiatrists, one of whom is on maternity leave. She said that if I need to see her sooner I should send a message through MyChart, and describe why I want to see her sooner that scheduled.

When I got to the office (a little early), the receptionist handed me a medical mask, and told me that I'd have to take off the N95 mask I was wearing and put theirs on. I told her I would keep my own mask on as long as possible; when Dr. Awad saw it, she said keeping it on instead of switching was fine, it's a good mask.

She asked where I live, and with whom, and I told her, and after a couple of clarifying questions she asked "are you poly?" and I said yes.

I'd taken a Lyft to the appointment, because I wasn't sure I was up to walking even a few blocks, since a week ago I wouldn't have been, and the walk from our apartment to the trolley is longer than I'd tried in several days. After I was done at the doctor's, I walked as far as the bus stop and was still feeling fine, so came home via transit. The Lyft driver who took me to Cambridge didn't want to open his window, saying it was too cold, but agreed to open the left rear window a little bit. He also tried to drop me in the wrong place -- I had specifically entered the address as 330 Mt Auburn Street, but he ignored that and headed for the main hospital entrance, which is half a block away at 300 Mt. Auburn Street. I corrected him, and he turned around and took me to the correct address, but seemed unhappy about it.

Given all that, I'm glad I didn't need to take a Lyft in both directions.

Comments

[sabotabby]

It sounds at least promising that she knows what poly is.

I can't believe that they still try to get people to take off N95s and put floppy blues on. You'd think everyone would know better.

[redbird]

When I posted about this on a Discord server, someone said she'd had a similar interaction with someone who said that they wanted her to change her N95 mask for a fresh medical mask. That person told her it was because they didn't know how long she'd been wearing that mask. So she said she had a new N95 in her bag, and they agreed that it would be reasonable for her to put on the new/clean N95.

I carry N95 masks in my daypack, because sometimes I need to change my mask for other reasons, like I've been sneezing or I didn't bend the nose wire properly. The possibility that a health care facility will want me to put on a clean mask is another reason, which I hadn't thought of.

I'm also carrying around some medical masks and KN95s, in both cases mostly because I put them there ages ago and there's no obvious reason to take them out of my bag. Who knows, at some point I may be interacting with someone who needs/wants a mask, but doesn't like the duckbill masks, or wants ear loops instead of behind-the-head straps. Yes, an N95 is better than a medical mask, but a medical mask is better than no mask.

Also, I was pleased but not surprised that she knows what poly is, given that she's practicing in Cambridge.

[sabotabby]

I had them try that when I went to be vaccinated but they've mostly stopped now.

[otter]

Why is it I feel I know so much more about proper mask wearing than most of the medical staff I see on a regular basis? Because I see all kinds of ineffective mask wearing, that's why.

I messaged my dad before he stopped by and asked him to wear a mask. He didn't get my message. So, when he arrived, I handed him a new mask and he put it on before he came in. I explained that now that I realize he's changed (abandoned?) his safety protocol, he's not in our covid pod anymore. He didn't really say anything. And then we talked about the books he's reading lately (about the Civil War).

[redbird]

There was once that the hospital made me change masks and I understood why: I was getting a head MRI and they reasonably have to assume that any mask someone walks in wearing has metal in it somewhere.

Beyond that, I suspect some of the medical people who are masking badly if at all believed everyone saying "the pandemic is over" and "you can go back to normal if you're vaccinated and boosted." *sigh*

[minoanmiss]

That was really annoying of the Lyft driver. I'm glad you're doing better!

[rafiwinters]

I'm glad you were able to get to and from the appointment without too much trouble. Also glad, given the short-staffing issue, that you could get an intake appointment. Did you have to wait long to get it?

[redbird]

I didn't have a significant wait for this appointment -- I'd been seeing the previous psychiatrists every 4 to 8 weeks, which depended on how I was feeling. If things were going well at appointment n, we'd make n+1 for two months out; if I wasn't feeling quite as balanced, it might be 4 or 6 weeks. (When I started seeing Dr. Segal, it was monthly, while we figured out appropriate medication and dosages.)

It feels a little weird that they're calling it "intake" when the new doctor is sitting there with my chart, i.e., the records of my recent, ongoing treatment in that building by her colleagues before they stopped working at Mt. Auburn.

[ofearthandstars]

How absolutely weird on the masking. It's like yay, thanks for caring, but also, ehhh, what are you THINKING? Maybe it's to do with the cleanliness of the mask, as pointed out above.