Vehicles as waiting rooms needs to end

[athena1277]

I am beyond over using vehicles as waiting rooms.  Everywhere from hair salons to doctors’ and dentists’ offices, it needs to end.  

I have IBS and the thought of sitting in my van without easy access to a bathroom is sending my anxiety through the roof.  I had to wait over an hour with my 4yo today while oldest dd was at the orthodontist.  Thankfully they had no problem with us coming in to use the bathroom.  In 2 weeks I get to sit up there for even longer while dh has dental work under sedation (hopefully without the 4yo).  

Then there’s the fact that it’s summer in the south, so you have to leave your vehicle running.  It’s way too hot to just put the windows down.  I’m no mechanic, but I would think it’s not good to let vehicles run for so long. The only plus is at least gas is fairly cheap.

At what point can we do away with this?  It needs to be very, very soon.

[prairiewindmomma]

Can you just drop people off and come back for the longer trips? I think this is going to be the new normal for a while. 

[TheReader]

5 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Can you just drop people off and come back for the longer trips? I think this is going to be the new normal for a while. 

This. 

For the longer trip (like your DH's work under sedation), drop him off, go home (or to a nearby errand in a store, if need be), and return when he's done; he can call or they can call. Or if they give an idea on timeline, return at the approximate time. 

I agree it can't last long here in the south. Thankfully, our ortho let me come in the room with DS when they were doing his stuff (and I plan to next week as well when he goes to get the braces off). I stayed masked the whole time, and will again, but I definitely plan to be in there. 

[prairiewindmomma]

I don't understand this "won't last in the south" thing.  I used to live in the south, in a place where it was 100+F for months on end during the day, and traffic meant two hour long commutes in that kind of heat.  If there was an interstate wreck during rush hour, sometimes it would be four hours of sitting in the heat. Vehicles can handle it.  People, people aren't so patient (cue honking horns, bumper crowding, and raging speed as you reach an exit).

I sat through an orthodontist appointment this week. I agree, it's no fun.  It's survivable though. Figure out what you need to do to embrace the experience.  I found a good book.

[itsheresomewhere]

I was thrilled that DH’s specialist gave the option to wait in the waiting room or car. We chose the waiting room.  
 

What has to go is the rule that only the patient in the office for over 18.  Some places don’t get that there are exceptions to the rule. We had a major issue with an office not allowing an Alzheimer’s patient have another person in the office.  No matter what the office refused to allow husband who is the caregiver in. They would call him during when the doctor came to talk to her. Then they asked the patient if they wanted the caregiver/husband to be called during the visit with the doctor and she said no.  Really, you asked the patient who can’t remember more than ten minutes and has other issues.  The husband had to call the office later after they got home her settled to find out what the treatment plan is and why in the hell they did what they did.  

Edited June 5, 2020 by itsheresomewhere

[teachermom2834]

I don't think dropping off and going back will always be an option. I suspect they will want an adult on premises for most procedures on kids. Some procedures for adults make you bring someone with you. So sometimes dropping off might be an option and other times probably not. Also, with so many medical things you don't know how long you will wait or the procedure will take. It could be something that should be quick but gets dragged out.

[katilac]

My husband had an inpatient procedure done the other day, 2 1/2 hours, and I was delighted to wait in the car, lol. It was highly preferable to being in an uncomfortable waiting room filled with germs (not just covid). I was really tired, otherwise I probably would have gotten out of the car and taken a walk. 

Yes, I'm in the deep south. Yes, it's hot. It's always hot. 

I agree that you should simply drop them off and go back. When my dd had braces, it was completely routine for kids to go for appointments completely by themselves. A parent didn't even necessarily drop them off; they took the bus or walked from school if they weren't old enough to drive themselves. 

Ask them how long dh's procedure should take. If they say 2-3 hours, plan to be back in the vicinity when it's close to 2 hours. I don't see any reason to wait in the parking lot. Drive to a park, a store, home if it's close enough. Get your groceries done (bring a cooler for the cold stuff). Even if they officially request you to stay in the parking lot, they are hardly going to know if you do so - just be close by. 

 

[alisoncooks]

I sat through an orthodontist appt yesterday. Even with the air running, it was warm. I feel for those that don't have reliable ac (if DH had to take the kids to appointments, for example, his air doesn't work). 

Our ortho also had my 13 yr Old schedule the next appointment. Um...ok. Like that kid knows *anything* about what we've got going on. 🤔🙄

ETA: our ortho requires parents/etc to be in the parking lot or outside the office. No drop off/pick up. 

Edited June 5, 2020 by alisoncooks

[teachermom2834]

I did take my dd to the ortho the other morning in a state I normally wouldn't have if I actually had to get out of the car. Haha. That early morning I was happy to roll out of bed and not have to go into the waiting room. 

[katilac]

1 minute ago, teachermom2834 said:

I don't think dropping off and going back will always be an option. I suspect they will want an adult on premises for most procedures on kids. Some procedures for adults make you bring someone with you. So sometimes dropping off might be an option and other times probably not. Also, with so many medical things you don't know how long you will wait or the procedure will take. It could be something that should be quick but gets dragged out.

Sure, I wouldn't go far if the 4-yr-old was having something done, but I wouldn't blink at someone old enough to be at the orthodontist. Some procedures do 'require' someone on the premises, but if you can't go inside, it hardly matters if you're in their parking lot or the Walgreens parking lot down the street. 

1 minute ago, alisoncooks said:

  Our ortho also had my 13 yr Old schedule the next appointment. Um...ok. Like that kid knows *anything* about what we've got going on. 🤔🙄

Just get into the habit of looking at the calendar with him before he goes in. That's very routine around here, for kids to go to the ortho alone and make their next appointments. And 13 is a good age to start practicing stuff like checking the family schedule and making your own appointments. The worst that happens is someone has to call and change the appointment. 

OP, if you are not sure if a certain place will let you in to use the bathroom, see what's nearby and scope out the bathroom situation ahead of time. I have found grocery stores and drug stores to be a good bet. Any type of food place, even if you can walk in, has had their bathrooms shut down. So, definitely worth some recon. 

[LucyStoner]

Can you let the staff know that you need access to the bathroom due to a medical condition?  I don’t think they want anyone to suffer.  

[mathnerd]

Can you drop off and ask your DH to text you when he is done with his procedure so that you could pick him up? As you say, gas is cheap now and instead of running your car in the parking lot, you could go home (or pick up groceries) or do something else instead of waiting in the parking lot. I don't have IBS anymore, but, when I had it in my 30's, I always went home if I had to wait anywhere for long periods of time because the anxiety of not knowing when I would need a bathroom was too much to handle for me.

[ScoutTN]

24 minutes ago, LucyStoner said:

Can you let the staff know that you need access to the bathroom due to a medical condition?  I don’t think they want anyone to suffer.  

This. I know our orthodontist has allowed parents or siblings who are in the vehicle waiting room to use the restroom. 

[rebcoola]

I love waiting in the car it's so much more comfortable than a waiting room.  My 13 yr old has a tooth pulled.  I sat in my car, reading my book, listening to my music, and drinking coffee. All while the toddler slept happily in back seat.

[Carol in Cal.]

My myofacial release therapist has no access to the waiting room or bathrooms at her office right now.

My home is 45 minutes away from her office, and there is no way I can go there right now, knowing that she is going to manipulate my body for a good solid hour, and that afterwards I won't be able to go to the bathroom unless I head straight home.  It's unreasonable.

[gardenmom5]

1 hour ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Can you just drop people off and come back for the longer trips? I think this is going to be the new normal for a while. 

yeah - my son had to have a procedure, so dd took him (he lives with her.).  She mentioned sitting in the car for 40 minutes and I wondered why didn't she go somewhere else?  (though many stores are closed, and it wasn't anywhere near her house.)

2dd had her US - and her dh couldn't even come in with her.

[Garga]

Two Wednesdays ago, I took my friend to get a shot in her back (some sort of shot for her back pain.)  It took about an hour and a half.

The weather was lovely. I rolled down the windows and it was great. I had a good book and had downloaded an episode of a good tv show and it was relaxing and nice.

I also got sunburn on my nose and my left arm.  😞

This past Wednesday, I took my friend back to the pain clinic for her second shot on the other side of her back.  The weather was still nice, and I made sure to move to the side of the car without the sun.  

But it was windy and even though I tried to keep my hair up, the wind kept blowing wisps in my eyes. For a solid two hours.  It’s not the worst thing in the world, but it was annoying. Also, a mosquito made its way in the car and I could hear its high-pitched buzzing around my ears. That was very annoying.

And the sweet looking little old lady sitting in in the car next to me proceeded to have a LOUD conversation using a ton of cussing and mean gossip to whomever she was calling.  And another guy standing outside the building was smoking and his smoke got in the car.  

After two hours of wind, smoke, loud conversations, and mosquitoes, a nurse came out and said that they hadn’t even seen my friend yet.  But they said that no one was in the waiting room and I could sit in there if I wanted.  YES.  I had to use the bathroom by then and was looking at another 1.5 hours of waiting.  If I’d have known it was going to be a 3.5 hour thing, I would have gone home and come back.

 

And just today, I took 3 kitties to the vet for rabies shots. And today is HOT.  I had the air on for the kitties (they were in fur coats!) but I don’t like doing that most of the time. It gobbles up the gas.  I tried having the windows down while they were inside with the vet, but it was muggy and hot, and I couldn’t hold out, so the a/c was back on.  Plus the vet is on a 50 mph road and it was pretty loud with the windows down.

 

I don’t want to sit in a waiting room with a bunch of other people, but it’s also not a good thing to be stuck in the car either.  I guess I’m just a wuss or something. Actually, I know I am.  I mean, none of those things are really all that bad at all. My tone in writing this is that I know I’m being a little silly about everything.

Like the OP, my real concern each time is “what if I have to use the bathroom?”  It’s not the sunburn or smoke or heat.  Those things aren’t that big of a deal.  But...what if I need to use the bathroom, NOW?  I make a point of not drinking for at least 2 hours before I have to go to these appointments and I use the bathroom at home immediately before I leave.  But sometimes you just gotta go.  

Edited June 6, 2020 by Garga

[Jean in Newcastle]

21 minutes ago, Carol in Cal. said:

My myofacial release therapist has no access to the waiting room or bathrooms at her office right now.

My home is 45 minutes away from her office, and there is no way I can go there right now, knowing that she is going to manipulate my body for a good solid hour, and that afterwards I won't be able to go to the bathroom unless I head straight home.  It's unreasonable.

Is there a grocery store nearby?  I can use the restrooms at the grocery store.

I have IBS and an irritable bladder to boot so I get the dilemma but I am 100% behind the rationale on why it's better to have people wait in the car. 

Edited June 5, 2020 by Jean in Newcastle

[TCB]

21 minutes ago, Carol in Cal. said:

My myofacial release therapist has no access to the waiting room or bathrooms at her office right now.

My home is 45 minutes away from her office, and there is no way I can go there right now, knowing that she is going to manipulate my body for a good solid hour, and that afterwards I won't be able to go to the bathroom unless I head straight home.  It's unreasonable.

Is there somewhere nearby that you could go to use the bathroom? Gas station or supermarket?

[katilac]

1 hour ago, alisoncooks said:

 ETA: our ortho requires parents/etc to be in the parking lot or outside the office. No drop off/pick up. 

I guess the rebel in me is wondering how on earth they would know, lol. I was supposed to stay on site for dh's procedure, and I did because I was really tired and napped in the car, but I would not have hesitated to go somewhere nearby. 

35 minutes ago, Carol in Cal. said:

My myofacial release therapist has no access to the waiting room or bathrooms at her office right now.

My home is 45 minutes away from her office, and there is no way I can go there right now, knowing that she is going to manipulate my body for a good solid hour, and that afterwards I won't be able to go to the bathroom unless I head straight home.  It's unreasonable.

Have you asked her for an exception? Not her staff, her specifically. Leave a message for her to call you about a question regarding your treatment.

[Guest]

Interesting...what I observed today was people sitting outside hair salons (two different ones) not necessarily SD’d. Some people were sitting on benches that are always there, so they were near to others, though I don’t know if those others were strangers. When I noticed this, what went through my mind was, “I would just stay in my car rather than have that awkward thing of another customer plopping down on the bench next to me.” 

I have IBS, too, but I don’t understand declaring that waiting in cars has to end. This is just one of the many inconveniences we have to put up with in the time of COVID. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Frankly, I have not been gone from my house long enough to need a bathroom or food because I would absolutely, full stop, not use a public bathroom at this time. I haven’t been in any public bathroom since Feb 29th and I plan to keep it that way. 

[Carol in Cal.]

24 minutes ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

Is there a grocery store nearby?  I can use the restrooms at the grocery store.

I have IBS and an irritable bladder to boot so I get the dilemma but I am 100% behind the rationale on why it's better to have people wait in the car. 

That's not the issue.  I'm not in the car.  I'm the patient.  I should be able to use their bathrooms.  That's a lot safer for everyone than going to the grocery store.  

[Jean in Newcastle]

58 minutes ago, Carol in Cal. said:

That's not the issue.  I'm not in the car.  I'm the patient.  I should be able to use their bathrooms.  That's a lot safer for everyone than going to the grocery store.  

Ah. I misunderstood. 

[Shoeless]

Yeah, I'm not feeling the sweeping generalizations of "ABC needs to end, full stop!" 

That's one of the problems with a pandemic.  It's heckin' inconvenient. 

 

[BookwormTo2]

I agree with you, @athena1277! Considering COVID-19 can be contracted in a doctor’s office of any kind (ortho, dentist, eye doctor, family dr.), and the fact that many people are in big box stores shopping regularly, which likely are cleaned less well than the ortho’s office, I think the guardian/parent of a kid (or adult needing a helper) having to go to a doctor’s visit should be able to wait in the waiting room. Someone we know went to an eye doctor’s annual checkup (mom and kid both masked) and despite all in the office being masked, the kid got COVID-19 — 3 days later. Kid hadn’t been anywhere since the shutdown and went to this eye checkup and got COVID-19. Even if the mom hadn’t been in there the kid still would have gotten it. From what I’ve read, only the N-95 masks really protect from COVID-19 and even then, if you aren’t wearing goggles, it can get in through your eyes. As far as the bathroom situation, yes it’s ridiculous. Some medical offices have closed their bathrooms!

Perhaps if there are no new COVID-19 big increases in hospitalizations from the protests and riots and businesses opening back up, we can finally get back to normal and end waiting in the vehicle this hot summer for an appointment. A girl can hope!

[catz]

I have IBS too.  

There have been times I've kept a bucket or a potty in the back of my minivan for emergencies.  I do think most businesses would allow bathroom use if you called and asked.  Our ortho will allow parents in with younger or anxious kids.  

I personally also don't want to be sitting in waiting rooms right now either.  Our ortho is doing a great job with getting people in and out.  My daughter's last appointment was 10 minutes in and out.  They also put in a new air filtration system, etc.

[Guest]

One reason I'm staying online for now is because right now, only people taking classes are allowed in the center building, and I can't see asking parents and siblings to wait in the car in summer vs staying home. By fall, if we still aren't allowed to have extra people in the building, at least it will be cooler, and I fully expect some of my larger families, especially, to stay online, or to set their kids schedule where the child goes to piano, and then I walk them to the dance studio, and the dance teacher takes them out to Mom's car after the class, so mom can reasonably go home in between. 

[katilac]

1 hour ago, BookwormTo2 said:

 Even if the mom hadn’t been in there the kid still would have gotten it.  

Right, but keeping the mom out isn't meant to protect her kid. It is meant to protect other patients. 

Edited June 6, 2020 by katilac

[City Mouse]

I went to the orthodontist yesterday. The appoint was rescheduled from March.They make you call upon arrival. Someone comes outside to do the screening and have the waiver signed before the patient is allowed to enter the building. There were only three chair left in the waiting area. The only other patient I saw was a child with a parent. The parent had been in the treatment cubical with the patient not waiting in the waiting room. Were I live, it is not unusual (pre-Covid) to have mom, grandma, and several kids waiting for one person’s appointment which makes for a very crowded waiting area, so I am really glad that has been stopped. When my DS has an appointment  I frequently  waited outside Just to avoid the uncomfortable crowded waiting room.

as soon as he could drive himself, he started going to dental and ortho appoints on his own. I did check with each office in advance to sign any needed waivers.

[BookwormTo2]

21 hours ago, katilac said:

Right, but keeping the mom out isn't meant to protect her kid. It is meant to protect other patients. 

In this case, the mom and kid went to the eye doctor together because the kid is a minor and the eye doctor requires 1 parent with a minor patient, especially one not old enough to drive. The mom did not come down with COVID-19 symptoms but the kid did, probably from more exposure to various machines to check eyes. I do think eye exams are more risky right now than some other doctor's visits. Interestingly,  this family had been staying in since the shutdown, using delivery or trunk orders for food and such until this eye exam, and didn't venture anywhere else. So, it seems to point to there being COVID-19 in the eye doctor's office (surface or masked employee) or some other masked patient there that morning was a carrier. Also of note, according to the mom, the eye doctor had the bathrooms closed. So I guess if you had to go to the bathroom there you'd have to go across the street to the grocery store. There is only so much cleaning that doctor's offices can do; I doubt they can clean it to the level the hospital hopefully does. And even (non N-95) masked people can transmit the COVID-19 virus in various places. But yes, I'm staying away from the eye doctor unless it's an emergency for the near future.

[Beth S]

We have porta-potties in the car for everyone now, for urine.

(You can DIY a jiffy toilet with a 5 gallon bucket & a pool noodle.  For Emergencies.)
I'll spare you the photo, but you can google 5 gallon bucket toilet with pool noodle.

[Ottakee]

The older I get the more important this becomes.    I can hike and pee in the woods but that doesn't work in much more public locations.   Availability of restrooms or even porta potties or pit toilets really does affect when and where I go.

[J-rap]

I agree that the bathroom issue can be a real problem!  I wonder if you could call the clinic ahead of time and ask them if you could come in to use their bathroom if necessary, or perhaps they can recommend a public one somewhere in the area.  

[G5052]

I hear you. I do it weekly for my allergy shot. I actually restrict water just before so there isn't an issue.

I think that's going to be the norm though. Just how it is.