Jennys Medical Adventure Ch 02

Jenny's husband had called her from work later that day, and gave her the name and phone number of a Dr. Stevens. "Several of the office girls have been treated by him, and they all said he was great. This is his office number. They should still be open if you want to make an appointment."

When Jenny called, the nurse was very nice. She even mentioned that they were expecting her call, and had cleared a spot just for her on the schedule. Whoever had provided the referral must have let them know she would be calling. She received a letter a few days after the call with a confirmation of the appointment, and a questionnaire and release form for her to complete and mail back in an envelope they had provided.

The questionnaire took her close to an hour to finish. She had to provide her complete medical history, medications she was taking, and multiple pages of general questions to answer. She was surprised by how personal some of them were. She signed the release, which basically authorized any services and procedures they determined were medically necessary. She mailed everything back the next day.

A week later Jenny received a call from the same nurse. "Dr. Stevens gave me a note that according to your papers, It's been two years since your last physical. He wanted me to confirm this." "Yes, I guess so. I didn't realize it had been that long either" she answered. "The Doctor will want to see you at the hospital then, and not at our office. He will want to do a full work-up." "But I just wanted him to look at my face! Why does he need to do all this? She asked. "The Doctor will need to know if there are any underlying medical conditions which could be causing your problem. It's very important to get regular check-ups, so small problems can be caught before they develop into more serious conditions. Dr. Stevens is very thorough."

A few days later, she received another appointment confirmation. This one was at the University hospital, where Dr. Stevens was on staff. It was a teaching hospital, on the campus of the State College, which offered a Medical school program. It mentioned that she should plan on spending the full day for her examination, and that she was not to eat any solid food for 24 hours prior to the appointment.

Jenny started to regret ever having mentioned anything to her husband in the first place!

It took her about ten minutes to find her way to the right office on the morning of her appointment. She had never visited this hospital before, and was a bit intimidated by the size of it. Everyone who helped her with directions seemed very nice, though. When she opened Dr. Steven's door, she entered a small foyer. There was a ledge against one wall with a glass sliding panel. Jenny peeked in, and a young girl approached the desk on the other side of the window. "Can I help you?" she asked, as she slid the panel open. "I had an eight a.m. appointment with Dr. Stevens" Jenny answered. "Oh, you must be Jenny" she said with a coy smile. You can go through that door, and have a seat in the waiting room. Someone will call your name when they are ready."

She entered a narrow waiting room, with chairs and tables along either wall leading back to a hallway at the far end. She could see one door in the hallway, which faced the waiting room, and an old fashioned step-on scale was standing next to the door. It was a busy office, there were people walking by in the hallway at the far end of the room, and most of the chairs were taken with people waiting. The usual waiting room artwork was on the walls, and magazines were scattered on the tables.

Jenny took a vacant seat. There were two middle-aged guys sitting across from her, laughing and talking about some sporting event. There was one lady seated next to her, with two young boys who were giggling amongst themselves. The Mother was absorbed in a magazine, not paying any attention to the boys. Jenny had dressed casually, wearing baggy jeans and a sweater. Nobody paid her any attention, which is exactly what she wanted.

A few minutes later, a nurse stood at the hallway entrance, and called out her name. Jenny got up and walked toward her, and the nurse smiled warmly. "We are starting out today right here, in examination room one." There was a small sign that said room one on the door, along with a Plexiglas holder, which was probably for the clipboard.

The room itself was good sized. A black examination table faced the door in the center, complete with stirrups. There was a stainless steel vanity with cupboards and a sink adjacent to the table, and some electronic equipment on the back wall with lots of screens and dials. A large examination light on a swiveling stand was over the table, and there was a padded stool to the side. It was very bright and "clinical" looking.

To Be Continued...