Wednesday, December 28, 2005

Warning...'Nuther bitch session

Ya know, I had previously posted about how difficult "they" make things for people to get the elderly in and out of doctor/hospital visits. The one last Friday took the cake. When I made the appointment for my Mother to see the Dr. as a follow-up, I was told that I would have to bring her in 3 days before her actual appointment in order to have "blood work" done at the lab. That was fine although it would be an additional struggle to get her there. So I made the appointment for yesterday, Tuesday December 27th at 3:30. Now, to last Friday's "lab" appointment. I got her there, parked out front of Baylor Garland to go in and get the wheelchair - AND leave my driver's license because they have had most of the chairs stolen. I went to the Dr.'s office to get the form for the lab, as I was told to do. Their office was closed downstairs. The person at the lobby said to go upstairs to the 3rd floor office and see if they were there. I did so. Meanwhile, my Mother is waiting in my car..with the keys in it, out front of the hospital. I get upstairs and did the sign in - even though I told the bitch at the desk that ALL I needed was "the form" for the lab. She told me to have a seat while she filled out the paperwork. So I waited close to 10 minutes. I saw the nurse get the paperwork from the bitch and head for the Dr's. offices. I'm waiting...Momma's still out front with the keys in the ignition. Finally, the nurse opens the door and calls my Mother's name. I told her that she did NOT need to see the Dr...I only needed a form for the lab . She said "Oh no...she needs to give a urine specimen! YOU need to go get her and bring her up!" I told her, in NO uncertain terms, that SHE could go and get her if she wanted her up there! That I had already been through the rounds downstairs and still, my Mother was OUT FRONT! At that point, a woman appeared and told me that she would go downstairs with me and open the office downstairs and fix all this confusion. Hall-e-fucking-lu-yah! Off we went..SHE got the chair I had left downstairs and I got Momma into it. SHE took her inside and I went and parked my vehicle. We got into the office and deposited Momma in the bathroom to try and give a specimen. BTW, since I was told all she needed to have done was blood work, she had gone to the bathroom before leaving home. So, Teresa (she told me later that she was the office manager and would find out how ALL this mis-communication happened) handed me the sterile cup and said she would wait out at the desk for as long as it took. Finally, someone who worked WITH us! I turned on the faucet to a dribble in hopes of coaxing enough for a specimen and squatted down in front of the toilet - cup in hand under Momma. That didn't work. She simply had nothing to give! I went out to talk with Teresa. She suggested that they *could* catherize her, so I went to ask Momma. She said fine with her. So Teresa paiged upstairs for someone to come down and do it. She got a call back from the Dr. that was on-call that day saying that it wasn't necessary as she could do the specimen when she came in this week. And, that they would "put a rush" on the lab results (right). At that point, I mentioned that she wasn't supposed to be coming in on Tuesday (yesterday) because the at-home person said that she would have a Dr. to come to the house on January 4th (another whole fiasco I don't care to type about). Teresa checked Momma's chart and said there was nothing in there about it, but she would check with the Dr. Finally, after 1-1/2 hours, I left with Momma after getting zero accomplished! My point with all of this is there are supposedly professional people out there, scheduling our lives, who have no clue as to what really needs to be done and when. How can this be happening? I'm sure there are competent people looking for jobs...why not hire them?!?! BTW, there is NO Dr. coming to the house on the 4th...I cancelled yesterday's appointment at Momma's request because of what she had been told...the at-home person apologized for giving Momma the wrong information yesterday and said she would straighten it out with the real Dr. Peachy, huh???

Thursday, December 08, 2005

Snow? My Ass!

I was SO looking forward to our first snow! Dammit! I see our weather men - and women - got their normal 50% wrong again. Can't wait to get out on the roads this morning!The only GOOD thing to come out of all the ice accumulation is the fact that Arapaho Road, aka "The Race Track", was quiet ALL night last night...I could sleep!

Dido