Tuesday, December 04, 2007

Give me a break, please?

So I'm going to whine just a bit. Here's a list of things that have gone wrong today.

1. I called my pulmonologist yesterday at 1:00 and asked a nurse to call me about my continued wheezing. The receptionist called me back today at 7:30 pm to tell me that she had no record of my being one of their patients. Nevermind that I've been going to this doctor for 8 years. Turns out they had my name spelled wrong in their system. The receptionist then offered me an appointment with the doctor on December 26. When I said that I was having trouble breathing NOW, she offered to have the nurse call me in the morning, almost 48 hours after my first phone call. Then to add insult to injury, when I gave her my home number for the nurse to call, she said, "Oh, you're one of the lucky ones who doesn't have to rush out to go to work every morning." I was so stunned that someone would actually say that that I could only splutter, "I have three kids. My work is here in the house." If I had been feeling better, I would have given her an ear full.

2. I had several hours of dental work yesterday to fix my decalcifying teeth. My dentist warned me that I'd feel like I'd been beaten up, and boy she wasn't joking. My jaw is still swollen in three places, and I still feel like I was punched repeatedly. It hurts to open my mouth very far, so I haven't eaten much in the past 36 hours.

3. The pain from the dental appointment caused a pretty major migraine yesterday afternoon, and the after-effects are still lingering. I have that bad tingling feeling behind my right eye warning me to be careful lest the migraine explode again.

4. I have pink eye. I woke up this morning to goop in one eye, but I figure it was just a strange consequence of my head's being stuffed up or the dental appointment. But the goop, itchyness and redness have gotten worse over the course of the day. I'm going to have to ask the nurse at the pulmonologist's office, if she ever calls, to phone in a prescription for me. The kicker - not one of the kids has it, which leaves me to wonder where I got it. And how long it's going to take for one of them to get it.

5. Campbell has such a bad diaper rash that he doesn't want me to even touch his bottom, which makes diaper changing painful all the way around. I gave him part of a clementine orange the other day, which he gobbled down, and I have a feeling that's what caused his current problems. I let him run around without a diaper for about an hour this afternoon, but after he came close to peeing on his friend's foot during playtime, I decided to clothe him. I'm alternating between Burt's Bees, California Baby, and Aquafor, hoping that one will clear up his poor heiny.

6. The next three weeks are going to be crazy, crazy work-wise. We have five levels of presentations due between now and December 20. I don't have to create the presentations, but I do have to review them as they come through and get them cleaned up for final pass. I wouldn't mind all the work, but it's taking away from my knitting!

There, I think that's it.

4 comments:

Suburban Correspondent said...

Wow, doesn't sound as though customer service is job one at your doctor's office.

I do hate when all those things pile on at once, don't you? And poor Campbell!

I need to go to bed, even though I am one of the - ahem - lucky ones, also. Can't lie abed until 10 AM every morning, you know!

ckh said...

Wow, you've had a heck of a time! I am especially sympathetic about the dental work. I had a temp crown put on yesterday and I'm still sore today.

Is a long relaxing bath within reach (for you, not the kids)?

Family Adventure said...

I'm still fuming at what the receptionist said, and kinda missed the rest of the post. Why are women so disrespectul to each other sometimes ?

I hope today is a better day!

Heidi

Anonymous said...

Try Dr. Smith's Diaper Creme or Triple Paste (not sure who makes it) for the diaper rash, if it's still there. They are both ridiculously expensive, but I've never found anything that worked better for clearing up an intractible case.

Doctor's offices make me so mad sometimes - I have a cardiologist who is absolutely wonderful, but his office staff could win awards for being awful. Hope you are cleared up by now.