The first time I met my doctor, we had a long talk about technology gone awry. I’d been in the midst of troubleshooting a buggy homemade program that you had to beg, borrow, cheat and steal its away into working, and apparently, so had Dr. D. Their entire network, three years ago, had started using a system that essentially removed paperwork from files - every waiting room has a computer, every doctor we’ve met (M’s pediatrician is in that office too) and the hospital where M was born - same system. She hated it - there were a bunch of clicks to order tests that before she just had to check tick boxes off on a carbon copy form.

Not too long after Matthew was born, I got electronic-by-proxy access to Matthew’s account, and I’ve emailed and consulted M’s pediatrician via that system quite a bit - which is nice. A few times here and there I’ve also emailed Dr. D for myself - the most recent example being yesterday. For over two months, the muscles underneath my right ribcage have been aching and sore and hurty hurty hurty. I went in twice to get it checked out, and Dr. D referred me to get an ultrasound and xrays of the area just to rule out anything else internal that might be causing the pain, but that she (and I too) thought it was a muscle thing.

“Yeah, you’re going to have to stop lifting heavy things to let your side heal.” Pause.

“My son weighs over 27 pounds. I can’t not lift him.”

So I got the results back yesterday afternoon, after an infuriating morning in the hospital getting the tests done, and everything is normal. I emailed the doctor telling her that I was moving out of the area and can she refer anyone in the Bay Area to me?

I reaaly don’t know anyone in that area. I can’ write a referral for an out of network therapy. It alos won’t be accepted ina different insurance system

She still hates the system - can you tell?