Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Mistakes, mistakes, and more mistakes

I can really understand that people are bound to make mistakes. I totally dig that.
What I cannot understand is when mistakes happen to you in a short span of time by different entities. Is there something in the water???
First off, last week I discover just Sunday, that my homeowners policy got cancelled. No letter in the mail ,just a refund. Of course Sunday is closed. You boil in your own juice. By Monday morning I was a pressure volcano that exploded as soon as I called USAA.
"I can only think of a mistake", says the male voice at the end of the line "I will reinstate you immediately and you have no lapse in coverage". Who are they kidding? First of all, I get the letter in the mail Monday afternoon that says that they cancelled my policy following my wishes. "What if I had a claim while I was uninsured?" "It would have been covered since it's our mistake". How they can prove it was a mistake since obviously "they were following my own wishes to cancel"!!!! It would have been a convenient excuse. But, THANK the LORD HE has been good and nothing bad happened. The second call I make I get a lady that looks into the account and says that I talked to "Martha" last year about my auto policy (that tends to get higher every 6 moths with another 10-15$....grrrr). And what is "Martha" doing in my friggin' auto policy account and cancels my homeowners?????Now there is no reasonable explanation to it. I will try to find Martha at a later date when I have time to spend on the phone tracking her down. Goood...sooo..
Tuesday right?
Going in early to Shreveport to get into Barksdale and do my Commissary shopping and pick up my prescriptions. I get to the pharmacy only to find out 1. they filled another prescription and 2. that the one I called in for did not have refills anymore. Neither the pharmacist or the doctor told me anything different. I feel my head exploding and pissed off I storm back to the clinic where I try to track down the doctor. A very slow male nurse that barely took him 10 minutes to jot down my information, moves and gives the notice to the doctor's assistant/sergeant.
It's 1400 and I have to be at the VA at 1530. Boiling. The sergeant comes out and she explains to me that they had two systems and in one it showed no refills and the other showed two. She will try to get the other doctor (mine is MIA) and see if she "can do it today, if not we will bring you here again tomorrow". I explode only not to get my hands down to her throat as I try to explain to her that I am coming from 100 miles away and gas is incredible high these days!!! and if they don't have the time I am sure the Clinic director can find 3 minutes to put in the computer a prescription. Not to mention that I am not to be punished for their mistakes! She smiles at me like she feel sorry and annoyed at the same time, she leaves. Thankfully, she was able to do it in 10 minutes or so, I was having already a heart attack. Now, on to the pharmacy. I was lucky to get out there in less than 15 minutes - MIRACLE!
1440 - out in my van driving like maniac to get back to VA. Luckily I find parking space and rush to the GI clinic. First I get to the 5th floor and is the wrong one. Spend 10 more minutes to get the elevator again (I swear those elevators are meant to raise your blood pressure), the friggin elevator skips 5th floor and jumps straight to 10th!!!! Finally, back in the elevator for 7th floor. Check in, waiting time. 15:10.
15:45 getting anxious because the travel pay will be closed soon and I haven't been called in to my visit. The clerk reassures me that she will put it in by 1600 if I am still there.
15:55 finally...record...I get called in. All looks good, but they still cannot get to the root of my problem. Now, I am faced with the perspective of a colonoscopy, crap, I don't see myself vulnerable without panties and sleeping on a damn table again!! Not to mention the other chemicals you have to drink before and two days not eating but Jello! Yuck!
I get out at 16:10. I get downstairs and get my money. Go back on the elevator, 5th floor to get my blood drawn and inquire about a weird appt.. The nurses from the station were barging out the door as I was entering, they referred me to ER.
I try to explain that I have an appointment to a rheumatologist. After double checking, they figure it wasn't mine, mistake AGAIN! Cancelled that appointment, 16:40 I am downstairs trying to check in to get Dracula to get two vials of blood for my pancreatic tests. The nurse at the ER says that "no way we ain't doing it"...everybody left...crap...to my luck, someone says that there is a "late nurse" in another part of the hospital. Going there looking for her. I finally see the nice lady who is willing to reopen the lab just for me and save me another trip tomorrow.
After she reads a cheat sheet she finally gets to print the labels. We go and get ready to search for the needles and all the stuff since she is not a phlebotomist. First needle I thought was too big for my vein, but we found a smaller "butterfly". She tries one vein. Of course she put that darn thing too much in! No blood wants to come out. She starts playing with the needle up and down...nothing. We decide to look for another vein. Patch that hole. She could not locate my "plasma" vein. She looks down and she finds another vein just at the wrist. Painful painful place to stick a needle ok? Found a "good" visible vein. Finally that seem to work. On the first vial. Second one, I am starting to run out of juice. Very slow, really my peripheral veins I know they barely work. No wonder I am always cold. Move the needle, finally got enough blood. Now I have two band-aids. She sends the stuff to the lab, I mention that they also forgot to give me instructions for the procedure. Awesome. I am double asking myself if I should even go through with this procedure. If they are so careless not to give me vital information what if...??/

I finally get out of the hospital at 17:40. Get to the Base back. Commissary closes at 1900. Crap, no time to eat. I go in and I am staying 20 minutes at the deli counter. Of course right? I get what I need I finally making it to eat. 1900 hours. The friggin base closes down at 1900...you can starve but all you can buy after 1900 is gas.
Leaving to go back to Tyler. I stop 10 miles down at a Popeyes. This was not my day I swear. I wait for like 15 minutes to get a basket of shrimp, and when I get it I have like 15 little things in there. I get upset and I ask them if they can put some more because that thing looked awfully empty!!! Of\course. I was getting reeally bad looks. I wait another 15 minutes for them to remake the damn order. I leave finally at 2000 hrs...driving through the night , eating with one hand. I made it home late. Tired, annoyed and with less money in my pocket.
A day from Hell. Glad is over.

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