Thursday, April 12, 2007

Patients and Patience

About three weeks ago, I went to a walk-in clinic to get a check-up. I got really sick a few times in a span of three months, but they all occurred with inconsistent symptoms and at inconsistent times that I didn't think much of them. At first, I thought maybe it was food poisoning, but then I got sick when I didn't eat anything. Then I thought maybe it was a fluke virus that I caught, but again, that didn't really seem very consistent with the environment and circumstances I was in. So, when I got sick again about four weeks ago with no warning and then felt completely fine very soon after, I decided to go in for a check-up. I hate going to the doctor's because I always think of the worst-case scenario and then I don't want to hear the bad news (that doesn't even exist).

The doctor at the clinic told me to take blood tests and get an x-ray.

My blood testing went well. The nurse gave me a sticker on my Band-Aid because I didn't cry. :)

I've taken an x-ray exam only once before in my life. The receptionist at the X-ray office I went to on Tuesday told me that I would have to wait for over an hour to be seen, so I could leave and then come back later. I came back almost exactly one hour later and expected to wait a little bit longer in the waiting room. I finally clued in that people who came in after me were seen before I was when I recognized one person who registered after me and went in before I did. When I asked the receptionist when I could be seen by somebody, she told me that she had called my name before, but I wasn't there, so she just left my paper there until I showed up. Maybe it was common sense, but I wasn't told before that I had to let them know I came back. Thinking back I felt they should've at least called my name again after the next person. I waited probably over two hours just to be X-rayed for five minutes.

Of course, after not being able to eat for over thirteen hours, I was famished and ducked into the closest lunch place after my exam. At Quiznos, I ordered a Classic Italian sub. When I got a Chicken Carbonara instead, I got really peeved. I must've used up my patience at the X-ray office because I marched back to the counter and told the sandwich lady that I had ordered a different sub than the one she made me. The response? She blamed me for her hearing me wrong. That's right! I was at fault because she heard Chicken Carbonara instead of Classic Italian. Maybe English is my second language, but I don't think any of those words rhyme. She can't even pronounce Carbonara. As you can probably tell, I'm still peeved about it. The manager who heard everything that had happened gave me a dollar back because the Classic Italian was a buck cheaper. Still no apology, though.

Dorks.

Anyway, I went back to my doctor's today because he called me in. My blood tests showed that I'm fairly normal except my amylase levels are slightly high. Supposedly, 100 points is considered normal; I tested at 103. The really bad news? I can't drink alcohol until I get tested again a month later. Argh! I was lenting beverages (except water and milk) and now I have to wait another month before I can taste wine, margueritas, beer, and martinis again. Ha ha. I sound like an alkie. Maybe I am. :)

Still waiting for X-ray results to be back. The doctor won't call if there's nothing to report, but I hope I don't get that phone call. The doctor's final diagnosis: stress. He asked me, "Are you stressed?" Ha ha again. Does stress from wedding, unions, moving, job changes, and everyday stuff count?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

You're not an alkie...I'm the alkie in the family. ;) I'm boozing it up good after my exams! :D shhh...don't tell Ma and Baba. :# haha.

And yes, those people are dorks. Which Quiznos was this?? >:( They should know never to blame the customer. SUPER DORKS!