Frustration.

I've been thinking about my blog lately. Every time I sit down to write a post about something interesting that I saw or a frustrating case that I have, I realize that I can't give details that would even make the story interesting. As much as I have kept this blog under wraps, I would be deeply saddened if a client came across something negative that I had written. That would reflect poorly on me, my staff, and my clinic that my husband's family has worked for nearly 30 years to build. We have a stellar reputation, and I would hate to be the one to tarnish it. Do other clinics see at least 8+ new patients a day? I find that crazy. We have seen 6100+ clients in just under the 3 years that the computer system has been in place. That equates to at least 10,000+ patients. I find that crazy! That all being said... I'm becoming frustrated with the public. It makes me very sad to see puppies dying of parvo that could have been prevented. Heartworm disease that would have been prevented if we had seen the animal routinely. The mass that could have been removed months ago, but is now the size of a grapefruit. I understand money is tight in our area - we sometimes get complaints over pennies. And that saddens me to no end, to think that people literally have to count pennies, and are still trying to do right by their pet. I found myself getting almost snippy last night over the frustration and burnout that is slowly seeping in. I can't care about a pet more than the owner. That isn't fair to the animal and it isn't fair to me. On the other hand, there are owners that are trying all that they feasibly can to help their pet, but are restricted by finances. I found myself close to tears last night pleading with an animal that isn't doing well and refuses to eat. And yes, I actually spoke directly to the cat. In front of the owner. Given that it was late at night and I'd had a rough week, possibly I was starting to lose it. But today is my day off. And I know that I will be stopping into work this morning to call in a prescription for that animal. It's what we do. There are weeks that I have calculated out that I make far less than $10/hr. And I'm a doctor. And between KJ and I, we are sitting on $350,000 of student loans. So when people get upset when we can't do things for free or when there are complaints about the $27 exam fee and the $7 rabies vaccine... I literally want to cry. Like I said, I can't care about pets more than the owners or compassion burn out will be lurking close by. We as doctors still need to provide for our families. We went to an excessive amount of school and racked up an astronomical amount of loans (in relation to how much we make) in order to share our knowledge and help animals. Like I said, I'm glad it is my day off today. That eternally positive, happy person is still here. But sometimes you just have to vent :) Also, I miss blogland. I hope this is the start to my comeback tour.