met my new GP today (family practice doctor for the U.S. residents)

I had to have more blood drawn today and decided it was time to meet our new GP. The walk to his office was nice, cloudy, but a pleasant walk, and only 25 minutes from the house. His office manager is great and showed me to the waiting room. All was well until a little boy (approximately two), his mother, and tiny baby sister came into the room. There I sat with my fertility clinic paperwork on my lap. As my lip started to quiver, I heard the doctor call my name. I liked this guy immediately; he has great timing :)

We discussed what blood work I needed, he looked over the paper work, and we had a pleasant chat. While looking for a vein to use, he joked that by the time I have my blood test next week, I’ll be out of blood. Yes, it does seem that way sometimes. While he took the eight or so vials of blood, we discussed the health care situation around the world; always interesting to hear different perspectives. Of course we talked about the U.S. and Ireland, the Netherlands, Canada, and a few other countries came up. There just are no easy answers. EVERY system is flawed in one way or another. It might not seem that way to some people, but to those working on the front lines of health care, there really are pros and cons to every system. Anyway, it’s always fascinating to know how other people view the U.S. health care system and other systems, or lack of, around the world.

Unfortunately my doctor is going on vacation for the month of August, so for next week’s blood draw I’ll have to go the hospital, but he wrote me a referral so all is well. He wished me luck, I paid, and walked out to find rain, a lot of rain. Oh well, I still managed to enjoy the walk home and I’m so thankful for the wonderful healthcare providers I’ve dealt with here. Hopefully next week’s trip to the hospital will also be a positive experience.

::fingers crossed::