June 10, 2005 - When it rains it pours!

While I was waiting for the groomers to finish up with my dog, I called the elementary school to find out what supplies my daughter will need for when she starts school this fall. I thought school started after Labor Day. Boy was I wrong! I found out school starts on August 29th, the same day as one of my plastic surgeon appointments – the one who is supposedly booking surgeries a few weeks following his consultations. Well I can’t very well miss my baby’s first day of school. We’re talking about the one day she has talked about non-stop for the last year of her life, the one day that is going to break my heart. I still remember my first day of kindergarten, I was all dressed for school, with my backpack on and rearing to go and my mom stood me in front of the refrigerator and took a picture to commemorate the big day. She also did another outside the school. I want to be there to take pictures of my child’s first day too. So now I am second guessing myself. Should I even bother staying for the appointment I made with the plastic surgeon on August 5th? This guy isn’t even scheduling surgeries until next year! I can’t pull my child out of school for something like this. Can you see why this is so frustrating! And if this weren’t enough, I come home and find I have mail from my husband. He gets mail that he thinks I should have, so he sends it down to me, like all of my insurance explanation of benefits and stuff. Well, one of the items I got was a referral from my oncologist doctor’s office. After my last appointment, one of the ladies there had called me to say Dr. Jean wanted me to go ahead and have a Dexa Scan (bone density scan?) done now and she wanted to know if I wanted her to make an appointment and when would be a good time. I told her afternoons, and just to let me know, but never heard back on it, just that my medical records were ready to pick up. Well as I said, one of the items I received TODAY was a referral from his office to Steinberg Diagnostic Medical Imaging Centers stating that my appointment date was for 6/8 @ 2:24 pm – which was 2 days ago!!!!! The form listed my local phone number on it, yet no-one from either office called to tell me the appointment had been made (cause I already had a pre-existing appointment for that day scheduled to be fitted for my compression sleeve!), no-one called from either office to confirm my appointment and remind me that 24 hours prior to the test I cannot have calcium or multi-vitamins, and they sent the referral form to Elko knowing I am here in Las Vegas! When I called the doctor’s office to find out what the hell happened, no-one knew. I left a message, but no-one bothered to call back either, so I have to wait till Monday 6/13 to call back and find out what’s going on. Just when I think I am about to really crack and lose it, I get an instant message online from my friend Joanna. She hadn’t read my web pages yet, hadn’t had time with work and all, but she sincerely wanted to check up on me and see how I was doing, and about the stamps she ordered. I told her she didn’t want to know. I was in a foul mood, and if I could drink, I would get plastered. I’m at the point that I am pissed off at the world. For once (in a long time) an old friend offered an ear and a shoulder. We took our daughters to the park, we talked, she listened, and it wasn’t even at all necessarily about cancer, doctors, or insurance. I looked through scrapbooks of her daughter. Took pictures at the park of all of us, and we just had fun….and no, alcohol wasn’t even involved. Finally a friend reached out to me in my time of need, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. It was literally just what the doctor ordered! Am I still pissed off about everything else? Hell yes, but at least I had a good time tonight, and for a while, I didn’t have a care in the world. Thanks Joanna, you saved and made my day!