I don’t normally vent in a manner this uncensored but I’m fucking pissed. If I have any hope of sleeping tonight I need to purge just a little bit. 

We had an appointment with the boys psychiatrist tonight. Actually, we were supposed to have a appointment.  

For the most part, Elliott and Emmett were just med checks, so it’s not a huge deal for them.  In regards to Gavin though, it’s an entirely different situation.  

We needed this appointment for him because of everything he has going on right now.  Unfortunately, we ended up leaving without being seen.  

Our appointment was at 6pm and we were there by fifteen minutes till.  
Reception was already shutdown and there was no office staff present to sign us in or let us know what the wait was going to be.  

Shortly after we sat down in the lobby with our three kids, two of which were already wanting to go home, we were joined by another family. Turns out they were waiting for the same doctor and their appointment was at 5:30pm. 

Time went on and we learned that there was still someone with a 5:15pm appointment and they weren’t seen until between 6:15 and 6:30pm.

As more time went by, the boys were getting really upset because we had already been waiting for damn near an hour and a half and there was still a family in front of us that still hadn’t been seen yet.  No one had even come around to give us any information either. 

The boys couldn’t wait anymore and it’s was already close to bedtime. We left about 7:30pm and the family with the 5:30pm appointment still hadn’t been seen. 

This family’s son was older, maybe Gavin’s age and he was very patient. 

Unfortunately, our two youngest were far too anxious and upset to last any longer. We had to leave or the boys would never sleep tonight and frankly, the meltdowns had already started. 

This is really frustrating because the last time we were there, we got bumped for an emergency appointment for someone else.  

What really pisses me off is that it was already impossible to get seen to start with but now our insurance will only cover appointments on Mondays. That means everyone with a form of Medicaid, can only be seen on Mondays. This makes it even more impossible to be seen.  

We waited three months for this appointment and that’s after missing the last one cause we got bumped.  

We were one of his very first patients, when he moved to town about a decade ago. Now we can’t seem to connect anymore.  

When we left, there wasn’t even anyone to tell we were leaving.  

Yes, I know we made the choice to leave but we were looking at two kids who were well passed their limits and we had no idea when we would end up getting called back.  

The family in front of us had already been waiting about two hours and there was no sign of them being called back anytime soon. It really is ridiculous. 

There should be someone there to at least communicate with patients who are waiting. It would be nice to know that we would be waiting for two, maybe three hours before getting called back, prior to our arrival and having to find that out the hard way. 

I think we may have to begin looking for another doctor.  This is just too unreliable anymore. 

I’m not taking away from anyone who needs to see him but Gavin’s one of the only kids I’m even aware of period, with the mental health issues he has.  I haven’t even heard of another child taking a Clozapine either. 

This puts Gavin in a position where we truly need to be seen when it’s time for us to be seen. These meds are dangerous and he needs to be monitored.  

Everyone was aware of the situation with Gavin prior to this appointment and this still happened.  

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not so much upset by the wait but instead the total lack of communication. If the staff knows that he’s already two hours behind, it would be nice to get a call telling us not to arrive until closer to 8pm. 

We have other doctors that do that.  

I will be calling in the morning to get him in ASAP.  If we can’t within a reasonable amount of time, I’m going to call the Cleveland Clinic and explore our options there.  

Unfortunately, there aren’t but a few child psychiatrists in our area and Gavin can’t just see any shrink.  He needs someone with experience in these extremely rare conditions. To the best of my knowledge, our current psychiatrist is one of the few experts in childhood schizophrenia in the country.  

Frankly, I wouldn’t really be apposed to trying to find a qualified specialist at the Cleveland Clinic because that’s where all Gavin’s takes place anyway. It would be nice to have everyone in the same place. 

Please remember that I’m just venting right now.  I’m frustrated and perhaps after some rest, I’ll feel a little bit different.