I had this appoinment with this new RA doc and it was only for a consult. It turned out to be a long day.
I had to leave my house at 7AM in order to get to his office for my 9AM appointment. The freeway traffic was horrible! Stop and go most of the way for 26 miles. Another freeway was closed because of an accident and everything else backed up. I finally got off and took surface streets. The doc's office was located in a area that I'm not familar with so I had to circle the block a couple of times before I found the parking enterance.
I then had to find the office and once I found it, there was a note on the door stating that his office had relocated up one floor and over to the north wing. By this time, I just wanted to sit down as my feet and knees were hurting. I get to the correct office and it's 8:40AM., they're not open. Had to find a place to sit and wait for them to open. Now I was getting sleepy as my day had started at 5AM. 9:05AM, finally they open up. The staff was very nice and the doc was a sweetheart. Before I could leave, I had to have blood work done and that meant going down one floor and over to the south wing.
I got my workout with all of this walking. They took 10 tubes of blood and finally I could head back to my car. I was there for 3 hrs. and the parking was charge by 15 mins. periods. I had to give them . There was no parking on the street unless you had a permit and the police like to give out tickets. Parking in Beverly Hills is such a joy!
MarisaOuch! I HATE when that happens. What an experience! Getting to and
from the doctor is always so hard. I had to have a TB test in order to get
on Humira, and they said could I come back on Friday to have it read? It's
half a day to do that. That's nothing compared with what you've been
through. And to park?!?!
I hope this doctor ends up being something really special to make up for
it.Marisa, What a pain. Do you have handicapped parking? If not, could you get it? It's saved my life numerous times . Your story reminds me of an experience I had when I was a little girl and had appointments with an ear, nose and throat docter who was treating me for allergies. His office was in the middle of a huge complex of wildflowers. By the time I made it through the front door, I was in dire need of help. Your rheumatologist needs to be informed about the difficulty getting to her office and the parking situation. Doesn't she have any reserved parking?I am exhausted just reading this. What a day you had!!! Lots of the doctors offices here will validate your parking ticket so you don't have to pay and they don't offer up this info you have to ask - for .00 I'd be asking next time. Hope you are resting and relaxing now. Hugs and good vibes. It's almost 10PM and I'm getting ready to go to bed but wanted to check the board first.
To answer a few questions. Most of the Docs that I see don't validate the parking ticket so you have to pay. One of my doc has valet parking and there's a maxium fee for parking which is nice when I have to be there for a long time.
I don't have handicapped parking as you have to have a special sticker from the DMV and that can take some time to get.
All I can say is that I don't have to go back to that RA Doc as the visit was a one time only thing.
My hand specialist is located in Beverly Hills and I have to park on another street and walk over to the office. He's located on Rodeo Drive and no I haven't seen any famous people when I'm walking to the doc's office. At least I get one hour of free parking there. When I go to that office, I make the appointment for later in the day as I don't have to fight the traffic. Driving in LA is not fun to begin with but when you're still recovering from hand and shoulder surgery it's a challenge to drive.
MarisaHey girl, just wanted to let you know I totally know how you feel. My first visit to my RD was in downtown Houston in the medical center. That meant parking in the garage, going down to the first floor and across the breezway into the medical building, then up to his office. After I saw him, I went down 2 floors to the lab. There were 6 people waiting and no one at the desk. After 10 min. of waiting I decided to get my x-rays and then come back. I went down to the first floor and registered in for the x-rays, I had to wait for several minutes to do so and then go the other end of the building to actually have the films done. While I waited for the RT to check the films, he discovered he forgot one, so back in and up on the table I went and then back to the waiting room again while he developed that one. Then it was back to the elevator and up to the lab where there was no longer a line, but still no one at the desk. 15 min later I was finally getting my blood drawn. She left a huge bruise, I dont know why, I have great veins. When I finally got in my car it was 5:30pm, my appt was at 11am. I paid my for parking and headed out onto the freeway in rush hour traffic. I was beat! Like you, my only comfort was the fact that I was really pleased with the doctor. I have seen enough jerks and morons to know that it is worth the trouble when you find a doctor you like!
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