EEEK, EEK and EEK again

Sometimes there are things in my life other than eBay. Is that possible?

About six months ago while I was in NYC with my boss buying for the next season, hubby got a phone call from my primary doctor reporting that some blood work showed an infection. Hubby calls to tell me that I had an infection! How crazy! I was fine.

What went on from there was a visit to a new doctor for follow up. I won't go into all of that, but I was not that concerned.

Finally a couple of weeks ago my primary doctor, whom I love, sits me down and explains that I need to have this unpleasant test. NOT that he is concerned about results, but that I must follow through. Of course, being the adult that I am, I agreed that he was correct.

I called the other doctor to see if I could move up my appointment and to be sure that the test was scheduled.

The test was NOT scheduled.

Two weeks later I had to go back to another doctor for a re-test (not giving you the intimate details :) but again, just a regular test and no reason for concern. Asked him to do that other test again, just as an aside and discovered that the minor concern has changed to minor concern with a little extra.

On my way to Sally's Pizza in New Haven (yum yum and yum) I called my primary doctor's assistant to request that she ask my doctor to get in touch with the other doctor (is this confusing yet?) to try to move up the appointment and to be sure that the "test" is scheduled.

Yes, she said, she will get back to me as soon as she speaks with the doctor.

Next day comes and I do not hear back from her - I'm not happy and at the end of the day I called her again. She didn't want to get on the telephone with me but finally did. She told me that my primary has not gotten back to her yet.

Next day is Friday - I give her until the end of the day to get back to me. NO CALL. I call the office and she would not get on the telephone with me - I was STEAMING! Left my cell number and explained that I would be in NYC on Monday and expected to hear from her.

NO CALL. Monday morning I called and asked that my primary call me leaving my cell number. I discover that he is OUT on Monday but usually calls in and gets his messages.

By 3:00 no call. By this time I am FUMING!

But more than that - feeling very concerned that perhaps I am not well and that my doctor and his office has done nothing for me - what does one do? I guess I was brought up that doctors were G-ds and we mustn't step on their toes at all.

I called the doctor's office and must admit that I became totally UNHINGED - and when I was finished with my tirade the gal who answered the phone said "and what is your message?" Perhaps you can imagine how I responded to that one!

Within the next 15 minutes I received a telephone call from my doctor - apologizing profusely and very upset that this whole "misunderstanding" has taken place.

He said that he actually walked over to the other doctor's office LAST WEEK to ask them to move up my appointment and to be sure that the "test" was scheduled.

That leaves 3 people who could have called me on Thursday, the day after my initial call, to let me know this.

I heard from no one.

Finally I called my oncologist's office and explained the entire situation. Within an hour I had a call back saying that there are two tests that I should have and that they will immediately take care of making the arrangements.

This morning I called the doctor's office where I had an appointment for a month from now - the appointment that my doctor tried to move up.

They had NO RECORD of any appointment on their books!

Tell me, please - what is wrong with this picture?

I love my primary - but this seems too crazy. I would guess this is how people wind up dying! Supposedly they will call me back to let me know why - they do not show my appointment on their books and why, if my doctor walked over there personally, no one did ANYTHING.

I would like to mention that the first time I went to the other doctor he told me that he wanted to do this "test". When he described it to me I wasn't thrilled but worked up all of my "bravery" and agreed. Then the doctor came back in - I was totally braced for this discomfort and he told me that he didn't have the equipment to do it.

I think that should have been my first clue that I was in precarious hands! The next time I went, again prepared with Xanex, he told me he wasn't doing the "test". I guess I was so happy that I didn't ask why and happily ran out of there.

That's where I fell short - 

The moral of this story, for me, is that we must take care of ourselves and not allow these G-ds run our lives in any way. They are NOT G-ds and if we think so, we are in big trouble.

Both my primary doctor and my oncologist are really fabulous and I am happy to be in their hands - but what happened here is very bad. The oncologist's office picked up the pieces and got the puzzle together. I am grateful to them for that.