Incompetent Freaks

Ok, so it has been a bit since I wrote. I have been busy,loads of things going on, company visiting, etc. I know, no excuse right, but that's the way it goes. In the past few weeks tho, I have encountered numerous brainless, rude, incompetent people in various circumstances....in shops, in restaurants, at doctor's offices.. is it just today's society where people just don't care or have I always just been nice and overlooked the flaws of the general public?

First let me explain, for those of you who do not know me personally, I see alot of specialists.I have had a bone marrow disease for most of my life, only in the past 10 years have the doctor's been actively searching for why,and to be honest this is annoying in itself. But to have to deal with doctors and their staff is one thing, to be treated rotten by them is another. I have a local doctor at the Colorado Springs Cancer Centre who is quite good, and he has referred me to some specialists at the "world famous" National Jewish Research Centre in Denver. OK fine, Great. Maybe they can figure out why my bone marrow is disappearing and why my immune system is completely upside down. I finally got to go in September. My mother even flew into town, and was able to stay home with our five year old to save her the boredom of hanging out with sick people. Anyhow, we drive up there, following the directions these fools sent me. It took us completely out of the way. And thru four needless tolls. Finally get there and we have to sign in. Wait. Then they tell me, go on to the asthma and allergy clinic. WHAT?? I am here for my bone marrow, my asthma is the smallest of my troubles. Too bad I am told, you will be seeing the associate doctors in there. (you could have some rare genetic default, but hey, if you even mention you COULD have asthma, that's the clinic you go to there)In the meantime I see the dr's name I am SUPPOSED to be seeing, on the board, on a completely different floor at the immunology/oncology clinic. Lovely. So I am shoved off for some incompetent nurse to gauge my asthma. I put up with it. I am told to go into a room and wait. Where in a little while later a girl comes in, younger than me, asking me questions about my allergies and asthma and playing with her pager. At this point I am thinking how I have wasted my morning and why are they concentrating on my asthma? Then they make the nurse come in and put in a video, how to use an asthma inhaler. Like I have not done this since age 8 or whatever. Then they tell me if I rinse my sinuses out with water, baking soda and salt every day I will have no troubles breathing. Yeah, well this was done until I had my 4th sinus surgery then I gave up cos obviously it was not helping. OH, mind you, I had to watch a video on how to spray this solution up my nose too. Then the nurse hands me an asthma inhaler, makes me use it, then shoves me off again for a different somebody to gauge my asthma. At which point I am told that I am only performing at an 8% increase and what is my problem? This person begins to belittle me to no end, while all I want to happen is to see the correct dr and go on my merry way.

I go back to the room where the main doctor comes in, interrogating me about my asthma and allergies, and giving knowing looks and smiles to the associate dr while acting like I am insane. I finally go off the edge an hour later, actually crying and asking why they are so worried about my bloody asthma and why am I not being seen for the intents and purposes my oncologist wants? The main dr says, "well here at National Jewish we are global leaders in asthma and respiratory problems." Well Mr Doctor man, that just makes things so much clearer and simpler, thank you.

They then want me to give heaps of blood, a chest xray and have a skin test. Then schedule the follow up. OH, and have a flu and pneumonia immunization as well. So I have the immunizations, also getting yelled at for "having someone else's records mixed with mine" (I thought they meant my old records with my maiden name...turns out they think I have stolen records cos I have a few of my grandmother's blood test records still in with mine as my other dr had requested.....excuse me for forgetting they were there...), then have to schedule the follow up for october. The lovely receptionist informs me it is her last day to work there, and proceeds to act like it as well. Also she says, "You will be returning the next 3 days for them to check the site of the skin test." WHAT?? "Ehm, no," I say, "unless you plan on paying for my petrol! I live over an hour away and the doctor's neglected to tell me I had to come back 3 days in a row for them to look at a patch of skin from a skin test." So forget that, I will not be subjecting any of my skin for that test. She says "Whatever" then argues about why would the dr want to see me back on the 15th of Oct at 10am when she is not there that day? HOW SHOULD I KNOW??? So she said, "Yeah we'll be in touch." Finally at 2pm I could leave, after not eating the whole day and being mentally as well as physically exhausted.

And now I am going back for more punishment on the 15th of this month. If they want to neglect the real problem at hand, fine, but at least I can get a letter out of them regarding my asthma and how bad it really is up here in the high altitude, that way we can apply for a humanitarian move with the air force. That should count for something anyhow.

This is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the frustration I have felt with people in the past month. I have come to the realisation people just are really out for themselves, could care less, and don't even do their jobs properly.

Next time I will have to tell you how I delt with the rude woman in WalMart who either, 1- could not read or 2- could not follow directions, or quite possibly both.I am convinced this world is full of freaks and I am a magnet to them all.