Can I make an appointment to make an appointment?

It's been a few months I know, but I'm back at work and it's all been a bit special. Helped by the following turn of events....

I receive an appointment for my specialist on 19th October, bang in the middle of the day, so I duly book the day off work.

I then receive another letter saying that due to unforseen circumstances, the appointment is changed to 25th October. I suck my teeth a bit, but shove the letter on the pin board with the rest of the stuff I can't find a home for.

I get a third letter advising me that the appointment has been changed to December. This is meant to be a six monthly check, and December stretches it to nine months. I do not suck my teeth this time, this time I say a bad word quite loudly. And ring the hospital.

Kelly seems like a nice girl, but over the phone, I can her her tongue curling over the corner of her mouth as she attempts to enter my details into the computer with evenly spaced clunks. I am kind and patient, and explain that changing an appointment three times really isn't acceptable to me, and that my nice employers are struggling to keep up with the holiday chart.

She is polite, and explains there isn't anything she can do. I ask to speak to her supervisor, she says she will put me through. And the phone rings and rings......

I call back and ask for the supervisors' direct dial number, which I get, because I am kind and patient. I ring the supervisor. Natalie the supervisor is not kind or patient, and I begin to feel sorry for Kelly. Natalie says that appointments are cancelled because consultants 'just go off on holiday whenever they feel like it'. Although she doesn't say it, I think the next part of the sentence was probably 'and leave me to clear up the mess'. I explain that I must have an appointment in October. There is some thudding of keys and she says all clinics are cancelled at that time. I offer to call the Patient Liaison (wonderful people who get things done, and report to the Board). There is a pause, and then suddenly an appointment pops up on screen.

It is my original appointment on 19th October.

So why was it cancelled in the first place? The clinic is running, the consultant is not on holiday, and the NHS have wasted quite some money writing to me three times.

The procedures went well, nothing unexpected turned up, and I go back to the specialist in two weeks for biopsy results. The sedation was unparralled. I will blog more about this another time. In the meantime "Keep on taking the tablets".

I'm entering the state of suspended animation that comes with a long term absence from work and social life. I've been here before, and I'm doing my best, but I'm having extreme mood swings, sometimes affected by outside influences. The swings vary from happiness to utter despair.

The despair end of the spectrum is facilitated by the utter selfishness of two of my 'friends'.

One, we'll call her Kate, has always been fairly useless at being proactive in friendship. You know, the sort of person you speak to regularly as long as you ring them. She married one of my friends, moving from a different area, so we became friends by default I guess, but over the years, I thought we'd become quite close. In the last six months, I have become increasingly resentful of making all the running and have significantly cut down on the amount of times I call her. Result? I've heard nothing from her for weeks, since I last called. I know, with friends like this.....but I also know that when a crisis hits her, my phone will start ringing.

So how do I deal with this? In one respect, I'd like to let her know how much her disregard of me hurts, and say that this is why she has lost touch with friends from university (they got fed up of always being the ones to contact/make arrangements) and that this is why she has no other friends (she's been introduced to lots of people, who later on, have said to me in passing 'Kate never rings me/rings me back. Can't be bothered with that. Shame really, I quite liked her'). In another, I know I should just leave it and be unavailable when the inevitable occurs.
Which will be hard, as I've know her husband for 15 years, and If I ditch her, I ditch him.

The second is more hurtful, because the behaviour is out of character. I can only assume I have done something to offend (brain racked, nothing found) or that he just can't be bothered.

I know all the above will be magnified by the fact that I'm a bit ill at the moment and that I'm stuck at home a lot. I'm trying hard not to sink into a depression, but some days it's just really difficult. But I have other excellent friends who are good at giving me a swift kick in the pants when required. I think it's time to book a foot/butt contact and get myself together.

I had a doctors appointment on Wednesday. The usual receptionist was back in place.

Me: Hi, I have an appointment with Dr Raj at 4.10?
Her:(smiles)Hello, is it name?
Me: It is.
Her: Would you like to go straight in?
Me: Thank you.

And it's that easy.

Also on the postitive side, the conversion of the derelict building next door is going well, judging by the amount of noise created. I'd especially like to commend the chap who was cutting new stone with an angle grinder/stillsaw at 5.30am yesterday morining.

A Polite Conversation

I arrive at the GP's surgery. It is quiet. And I mean quiet - there are two other people there. The receptionist is new. She isn't chewing gum in a slack jawed manner and wearing a tabard, but you get my point.

Me: Hello, I've come to pick up a repeat prescription and a sick note
Her: .................................
I notice her jaw slacken sightly. Does this mean she has heard me? As her eyes don't focus, I have another go.
Me: I've come to collect a repeat prescription and a sign off?
Her: Oh.
Very Long Pause
Her: So have you got one then? They take 48 hours you know.You can't just have one you know.
Me: Yes, I know. I rang up and ordered both on Tuesday. Today is Thursday.
The expression on her face leads me to suspect that the fact that today is Thursday is news to her.
Another V.L.P
Me: Would you like my name then?
Her:Er...............yeah
I give my name.A third V.L.P. She doesn't move. I can see the box with my repeat prescription and sign off. It is, at best guess, 12 cms from her left hand.She won't even need to stand up. I smile and nod encouragingly. Perhaps she thinks I am 'a wierdo'.After all, I am not wearing any gold, I am over thirty and do not have any children with me. I have all my teeth and no tattoos. I haven't sworn at her. I am not grey and shaking and demanding my 'script'.
A further V.L.P. She turns her back on me.
Her: Well, I'll have to look for it. Sighs. You'll have to wait.Sighs.Would you like to take a seat (this was not a request).
Now, this could have gone a number of ways, save for the floor to ceiling bulletproof screen and the fact I'm in quite a good mood.
Me: No, thank you. I would like you to look for my repeat prescription and my sick note and give it to me, now, please.
Her:.....................
The jaw slackens yet further in what I can best decribe as shock. Some doctors' receptionists' think they are on a par to God. I, however,think not.
After further heavy sighing, she drags herself along on her wheeled chair.And gets the repeat prescription and sick note. And hands them to me. Very slowly. The last person I saw moving that slowly was an in-paient on a zimmer frame.
Me. Thank you.
Her ...............sigh.

Some years ago, I had cause to go through a formal complaints procedure with my surgery. The were several problems, but the B12 was the last straw. I need weekly shot of B12. The surgery don't keep it.Methadone yes, vitamins....no.
I was told I'd need to make an appointment to be prescribed it. I would then need to collect the prescription, store it at home and make a second appointment to have it administered. Two appointments that would a) not be available to people who needed them and b) because of the distance I live from work, mean 6 hours off a week.
I was not a happy kipper.Things were eventually resolved, and I'd noticed a massive improvement in the surgery in the last 18 months. They've employed some additional GP's, who are excellent, and the appointments system has been over hauled.The phone lines open earlier, and there are a lot more clinics and longer opening hours. Trying to be fair and even handed, I was going to write to them. After all, I'd complained, so shouldn't I also give credit?

Then it took me 10 minutes to get a piece of paper to travel less than a foot.