Blunder Mad
Okay. I need to rant because it is been that kind of day. I am so fucking tired of having to do other people's jobs.
1) I have labs today. Luckily, Pam is my phlebotomist. She used to work in pediatric oncology, so she is used to trying to find tiny, darting veins. She finds mine. YEAH! This is my ONE bright spot.
2) I get to my appointment with my oncologist. Turns out that my appointment is with a new PA whom I have never met. Dr. P is off today. I mention that I had some tooth pain last week. She decides that she will not give me my Xgeva shot today since you cannot have dental work when you are on it. She tells me to check with my dentist and get an ex-ray on the tooth before my next month's appointment, but NOT to get any work done on my tooth. Just have the dentist call Dr. P if there is a problem and they'll figure out what to do. I am disappointed, but I get it. Caution is important. I do get my chemo shots. I tell her that my prescription for my other chemo, my oral chemo has no refills. Can someone call it in for me? She says that she will tell a nurse. My labs will be available for viewing on Friday.
3) I leave feeling mad. Without that Xgeva shot, my bones will ache even worse this month. Xgeva protects my bones. Oh, well. I make a dental appointment for the next day. I DETEST the dentist. Just going twice a year creeps me out. I have an excellent dentist but a very ridiculous fear of going to see the dentist.
4) I stop and pick up a coffee on the way home. As I am pulling into my driveway, a car pulls up behind me. I sigh. An older woman gets out and says in an annoyed voice, "Well, SO glad you could make it." I have no idea who she is. I tell her this. She snottily shows me her appointment book. There is our name to get free fire detectors from the Red Cross at 10:00. It is 10:45. I tell her that my wife told me that this would happen tomorrow. She points to the date and asks me if this is tomorrow. I vow to yell at T when she gets home. I apologize, explain that I've been to the doctor's office. She relents, says it was okay. Mixups happen. She and her helper come in and put up four free fire detectors. I have to sign a paper as they are leaving.
"Are you over 65 or a veteran?" she asks me. I tell her neither. She gives me the dirtiest look. Tells me that these detectors are ONLY for those over 65 or a veteran. Again, I apologize. Tell her that my WIFE signed us up for this and told me that they would be coming on THURSDAY and did not mention ANYTHING about being 65 or a veteran. She gives me a long look and shrugs.
"What's done is done. I'm not going to take them all down now," she says, clearly thinking that we are grifters. I am so embarrassed. First, we got the date wrong and then T lied.
T is going to have her head handed to her when she gets home from school today.
After they leave, I sit sipping my now cold coffee. I check online to see if my chemo has been called into my Specialty Pharmacy.
To those of you without cancer, a Specialty Pharmacy is a pharmacy that makes up your chemo and then mails it to you. My pharmacy is located in Memphis and does not really seem to care if I get my chemo or not. I have to remind them to send it each month and twice they have forgotten and I have called them and had to have it flown overnight because I take my chemo on a special schedule. They have a number you can call and their support staff is not supportive. They act as if they are doing you a favor by talking to you.
I check the online portal for my Specialty Pharmacy. My chemo has not been called in. I need to start taking it again on Tuesday. I call the Specialty Pharmacy. I talk to a woman with a Southern accent that is so strong that I feel as if I am speaking to someone who doesn't speak English. I explain my dilemma: My oncologist was supposed to call in my refill for chemo pills. On my computer, it says that I do not have any refills or new orders. She says that she will "chicken." I think she means that she will check it. I wait. And wait. I am really fucking sick of Muzak. She comes back.
"I fined chick." I think this means that she found it.
It will be sent to me on Monday. I will have to sign for it. She reads off my address. She has the numbers wrong. I correct her. She reads back the correct ones. We hang up.
Now, I have to call my regular pharmacy because I called in a refill for my Simvastatin on Monday. It had no refills, so the pharmacy said that they would call my GP. On Tuesday, when I went to pick it up, they said they hadn't heard back from him. I called his office and they promised to send it in. Today, when I called the pharmacy, they still hadn't heard back from the doctor. I called my doctor. Spoke to someone called Zoe in triage. I spoke to her yesterday. She said she had no recollection of the call. I patiently explained that YES, we had spoken and that she had promised to call the scrip in. She again said that NO we hadn't spoken but she would call the scrip in now.
Well. We shall see, Zoe.
T had the unfortunate luck to call me minutes after I hung up to ask how the doctor's visit went. I was not friendly.
"I'll tell you how it went. I don't get my fucking labs back 'til Friday. My chemo order was messed up. I didn't get my Xgeva shot because I admitted that I had some tooth pain last week. Now I have to go see Dr. Khan tomorrow and I probably have jaw cancer or something to add to the mix. You know how much I HATE going to the dentist. I always feel as if I'm going to shit my pants. Then, guess who yelled at me for not being home today? THE RED CROSS. You TOLD me that they were coming on THURSDAY. Also, apparently you told them that we were 65 and/or veterans to get free fire detectors, you liar pants on fire. So, we like STOLE fire detectors from needy elderly veterans. AND my Simvastatin order is all messed up. Let's see....what else can go wrong today?"
T was quiet for a second. Finally, she whispered, "In my defense, when I signed up for those detectors, they didn't say anything about being 65 or a veteran. Honestly, I didn't KNOW. I hope you just lied and said I was 65."
"I DID NOT LIE. I do not LIE. I was embarrassed!"
More silence.
"I'm sorry. I'll see you tonight. Okay?"
I just hung up because sometimes I am just a bitch.
So...who wants a piece of me? Step right up.
1) I have labs today. Luckily, Pam is my phlebotomist. She used to work in pediatric oncology, so she is used to trying to find tiny, darting veins. She finds mine. YEAH! This is my ONE bright spot.
2) I get to my appointment with my oncologist. Turns out that my appointment is with a new PA whom I have never met. Dr. P is off today. I mention that I had some tooth pain last week. She decides that she will not give me my Xgeva shot today since you cannot have dental work when you are on it. She tells me to check with my dentist and get an ex-ray on the tooth before my next month's appointment, but NOT to get any work done on my tooth. Just have the dentist call Dr. P if there is a problem and they'll figure out what to do. I am disappointed, but I get it. Caution is important. I do get my chemo shots. I tell her that my prescription for my other chemo, my oral chemo has no refills. Can someone call it in for me? She says that she will tell a nurse. My labs will be available for viewing on Friday.
3) I leave feeling mad. Without that Xgeva shot, my bones will ache even worse this month. Xgeva protects my bones. Oh, well. I make a dental appointment for the next day. I DETEST the dentist. Just going twice a year creeps me out. I have an excellent dentist but a very ridiculous fear of going to see the dentist.
4) I stop and pick up a coffee on the way home. As I am pulling into my driveway, a car pulls up behind me. I sigh. An older woman gets out and says in an annoyed voice, "Well, SO glad you could make it." I have no idea who she is. I tell her this. She snottily shows me her appointment book. There is our name to get free fire detectors from the Red Cross at 10:00. It is 10:45. I tell her that my wife told me that this would happen tomorrow. She points to the date and asks me if this is tomorrow. I vow to yell at T when she gets home. I apologize, explain that I've been to the doctor's office. She relents, says it was okay. Mixups happen. She and her helper come in and put up four free fire detectors. I have to sign a paper as they are leaving.
"Are you over 65 or a veteran?" she asks me. I tell her neither. She gives me the dirtiest look. Tells me that these detectors are ONLY for those over 65 or a veteran. Again, I apologize. Tell her that my WIFE signed us up for this and told me that they would be coming on THURSDAY and did not mention ANYTHING about being 65 or a veteran. She gives me a long look and shrugs.
"What's done is done. I'm not going to take them all down now," she says, clearly thinking that we are grifters. I am so embarrassed. First, we got the date wrong and then T lied.
T is going to have her head handed to her when she gets home from school today.
After they leave, I sit sipping my now cold coffee. I check online to see if my chemo has been called into my Specialty Pharmacy.
To those of you without cancer, a Specialty Pharmacy is a pharmacy that makes up your chemo and then mails it to you. My pharmacy is located in Memphis and does not really seem to care if I get my chemo or not. I have to remind them to send it each month and twice they have forgotten and I have called them and had to have it flown overnight because I take my chemo on a special schedule. They have a number you can call and their support staff is not supportive. They act as if they are doing you a favor by talking to you.
I check the online portal for my Specialty Pharmacy. My chemo has not been called in. I need to start taking it again on Tuesday. I call the Specialty Pharmacy. I talk to a woman with a Southern accent that is so strong that I feel as if I am speaking to someone who doesn't speak English. I explain my dilemma: My oncologist was supposed to call in my refill for chemo pills. On my computer, it says that I do not have any refills or new orders. She says that she will "chicken." I think she means that she will check it. I wait. And wait. I am really fucking sick of Muzak. She comes back.
"I fined chick." I think this means that she found it.
It will be sent to me on Monday. I will have to sign for it. She reads off my address. She has the numbers wrong. I correct her. She reads back the correct ones. We hang up.
Now, I have to call my regular pharmacy because I called in a refill for my Simvastatin on Monday. It had no refills, so the pharmacy said that they would call my GP. On Tuesday, when I went to pick it up, they said they hadn't heard back from him. I called his office and they promised to send it in. Today, when I called the pharmacy, they still hadn't heard back from the doctor. I called my doctor. Spoke to someone called Zoe in triage. I spoke to her yesterday. She said she had no recollection of the call. I patiently explained that YES, we had spoken and that she had promised to call the scrip in. She again said that NO we hadn't spoken but she would call the scrip in now.
Well. We shall see, Zoe.
T had the unfortunate luck to call me minutes after I hung up to ask how the doctor's visit went. I was not friendly.
"I'll tell you how it went. I don't get my fucking labs back 'til Friday. My chemo order was messed up. I didn't get my Xgeva shot because I admitted that I had some tooth pain last week. Now I have to go see Dr. Khan tomorrow and I probably have jaw cancer or something to add to the mix. You know how much I HATE going to the dentist. I always feel as if I'm going to shit my pants. Then, guess who yelled at me for not being home today? THE RED CROSS. You TOLD me that they were coming on THURSDAY. Also, apparently you told them that we were 65 and/or veterans to get free fire detectors, you liar pants on fire. So, we like STOLE fire detectors from needy elderly veterans. AND my Simvastatin order is all messed up. Let's see....what else can go wrong today?"
T was quiet for a second. Finally, she whispered, "In my defense, when I signed up for those detectors, they didn't say anything about being 65 or a veteran. Honestly, I didn't KNOW. I hope you just lied and said I was 65."
"I DID NOT LIE. I do not LIE. I was embarrassed!"
More silence.
"I'm sorry. I'll see you tonight. Okay?"
I just hung up because sometimes I am just a bitch.
So...who wants a piece of me? Step right up.
I hear you on specialty pharmacies.
ReplyDeleteI use Alliance.
They need to get their act together.