It's a shame in a way that such little things can be so influential.

By now you've read about my struggle to find an endocrinologist since moving to Phoenix. The first doctor I saw? What a joke. And then to Mayo where I loved the staff, but couldn't afford the out of network bills. While I've been mostly satisfied with Dr. R's office I have felt for a while that I settled on this office. And I don't really want the bad karma, but I seriously think I did settle.

And I think that point was driven home last week when a friend of mine saw a different doctor at Dr. R's practice. Her first experience there was much like my first endo experience here. She was completely unsatisfied and has vowed to never go back.

She consulted a friend of hers whose father is an endo in this area. Who confirmed many of my suspicions: multiple appointments needed to cover overhead (have the ultrasound this week, but come back next week to discuss the results although the ultrasound tech has the results right there before you leave!), supplements and medi-spa services sold to cover overhead, etc. (seriously, Botox in an endocrinology office?).

So as I sat in the patient room this morning waiting for Dr. R to come in, I wondered how the appointment would go. I was getting anxious because I anticipated being told I needed more appointments or being peddled supplements or Botox. I let someone else's bad experience invade what had previously been a pretty good experience for me.

Fortunately, my fears were mostly unfounded. Although after discussing that my thyroid nodule hadn't changed but because it's so big and the last biopsy was "non-diagnostic" that I really should have a repeat biopsy I wondered if this was serious or if I was helping her cover her overhead.

I'm glad I know what I know about Dr. R's practice. I'm not glad that it has pushed me over the edge and I'm considering searching again for another doctor. Or at the very least doing a quick search of endos in the area to remind myself why I chose to stay with Dr. R. And while she's well known and one of few American-trained endos in this area I still desperately miss Dr. C's practice in Missouri.