Possumblog

THURSDAY MAILOUT MADNESS!!

Yes, I'm here earlier than normal today--it's time to mail out the minutes and agenda for the next meeting, which I usually have all neatly prepared by Wednesday afternoon. With all of my galavanting around and sloughing off and meeting attending, however, I still had several more entries to make by quitting time yesterday. Which meant that after getting home, going back to Bible study, going back home, getting the kids bathed and bedded, and listening to Reba's exciting news--I had to finish typing my notes on the computer at home, then rush in here this morning to get them printed and copied and stapled and stuffed into envelopes.

Right now, we're in the copying/stapling mode, which allows me a few minutes to rush in here and tell you about what I have just got through doing. EXCITEMENT!? YOU BETCHA!

Other excitement? Well, Reba and several of her cohorts went down to the corporate office yesterday for some sort of training something-or-other, and it looks like after she finishes up her degree in October, the company wants her to enroll in their administrator training program. Don't know much about it at the moment, but basically it's an in-house OJT deal where you learn the nursing home biz and at the end you get a position as a head administrator of an entire facility. Sorta like The Apprentice, except real, and without the giant, orangutan-colored combover. So that's pretty cool, I say. And it's paid training, which is nice. I hope she'll make a lot of money and I can become a kept man.

AND? Well, finally got myself a new doctor. Three months after I was supposed to go back for a checkup. Oops. Sorta let that sneak up on me. I'VE BEEN BUSY, OKAY!? Anyway, last week I noticed I was starting to run low on all my many pretty pills, and had no refills left, meaning I needed to find someone to be able to renew the prescriptions pretty quickly or I'd be in trouble. Decided to go to a clinic out near home for convenience's sake, so I got a form from them (which they sent and it arrived the next day) to transfer my records from my old office. Mailed it to the old office, and as of yesterday still had not heard anything. Yesterday being the penultimate day before my medicine ran out.

Called my old office, asked about the record transfer. "That should be done in two to three weeks, sir."

WHA!? They'd had the request for over a week! "Well, here's my problem, Amy..." and I explained that I was out of medicine, and they were either going to have to call in a refill, or they were going to have to get me another someone who could. I kinda figured they didn't want to do anything since my doctor has left the practice, so she said she'd call the other place and see if they would possibly accept just my medication form and be able to renew the prescriptions.

"And if that doesn't work?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it--let's see what happens with this other first."

Wow--really confidence inspiring, eh? That was always the biggest drawback to my former doctor's office--the office staff seemed incapable of providing the same level of concern about such things that the doctors provided in caring for the patients. I loved the old curmudgeon guy I started with, and his nurse, and then I loved the girl doc who replaced him (although not so much her nurses) but in both cases, I felt like I was really getting good care. Until I went to check out, or needed some information that was in my record. The office staff always seemed harried and misinformed and bumfuzzled by everything.

ANYway, Amy called back to let me know they'd sent the records already. "They have them now?"

"Yes, they've all been sent to them and they should have them."

Hmm. Wonder what happened to that two or three week thing?

Called the new office and they said the old place had faxed the records over earlier in the day. Why they thought it would take so long is beyond me. SO, time to set up an appointment with one of their guys. "Who did you want to see?"

I had no idea--I was going for convenience, so it was hard to say what sort of person I wanted--"Uh, I don't--well, I guess whoever is taking patients and can see me immediately."

Again, quite confidence inspiring. She fixed me up with some guy whose name made me think of the old movie title Prisoner of Zenda, and told me to be there today at 2:00. Should be very interesting. I told Reba I had a new doc, and how I had been flummoxed by not knowing who I wanted.

She said I should have asked who had the skinniest fingers.

I sure wish I'd thought of that.

OKAY--the copier's finished, so it's time for some HOT ENVELOPE STUFFING ACTION!

Be back in a bit.

Posted by Terry Oglesby at July 21, 2005 07:49 AM