Never Upset Your Grandma or the Cameradawktor

Never Upset Your Grandma
Originally uploaded by jacqrojo.

don't you just love this photo? my new australian buddie jacqrojo has this in her People are Strange set.

i just love this granny talkin' on her cell phone. to see more of jacqrojo's pics click on the photo or on her name to see her photo stream. if you love tulips you'll be in heaven. it is spring over there and she's gone tulip crazy.

well, i didn't blog this granny photo just because it's funny (which it is) or because it's black and white (which i love) or because some old lady is talking on a cell phone ( which is stinkin' butt hillarious), but because she is hot steamin' mad!

well, it's been about a month since i got my insurance to approve botox as a migraine treatment and my neurologist won't schedule me for the procedure. i've called about three times, and they've called once. their approach has been, when we set up a day, we'll call YOU.

in otherwords, don't bother us. well, that just doesn't cut it for me. it is very hard to wait, let alone when you are not given any reason.

my therapist asked about the botox last week and i said i hadn't had it yet. you'd a thought she'd look like this old granny! she said that was unacceptable to not be given any explanation and for it to take so long. she encouraged me to be the "squeaky wheel that gets greased." ARGHHHH!!!

so yesterday when i saw my primary care doctor, i was hoping that HE would call and put on the pressure. nope! he passed the buck to me. so this morning about nine thirty a.m., my stomache was just churning with the thought of calling them again.

but, i'm worth it, i thought.

you deserve an explanation, i said to myself.

this is your right as a patient, to ask for a little clarification, i reminded myself.

ughhh!

my heart was POUNDING! (i hope i don't get a migraine from this, i thought. Day #2 pain free!!!)

so the little lady, renee, gets on the line and i ask to speak to the doctor. i try to sound as low key and as sickeningly sweet as possible. I DO NOT want to shoot my help in the foot.......

what do you want to talk to him about, she says.

about my botox treaments, i said.

well, he doesn't know when he's going to do it, she said.

yes, but i would like for him to call me, so he can help me understand how long i'm going to wait, so i can be prepared for how long it's going to take.

you've been so patient, she said. i know it's hard waiting and we really appreciate how patient you've been. ( i was hoping that she couldn't see that my face looked like el grandmo's here.)

yes, well i try, i said.

the doctor has three other patients, as well, that are waiting for botox. it's a relatively new treatment for us, so that's why it's taking some time.

(why didn't he explain this sooner when he said i was a good candidate? why didn't he offer me some other kind of drug to try in the meantime? geesh, it's not like my problem is getting any better. i mean, where' s the f'n customer service? oh yeah, it's medicine...there IS NOT F'N CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!)

~good thing she couldn't see me looking and thinking like granny~

this afternoon at lunch we are going to have a little meeting about it. and i will see if i can get him to put a date on the calendar, she said.

(DO YA THINK?!)

i will call you this afternoon or tomorrow, she said.

that would be so nice, i said, i would really appreciate that. (gooshing with sweetness).

*click*

fewf! i actually kept all my latent granny anger under wraps. and, i felt soooo much better that i had been an advocate for myself (which i'm told i desreve) and showed them that i care about the kind of care i recieve. (not that they really noticed that...but i like to kid myself that they do).

so, i spent about another 1/2 hour helping a friend who has chronic pain, and has just been diagnosed with fibromyalgia. that made me feel like SUCH A BETTER PERSON because AREN'T I SO WONDERFUL, I HELP OTHERS EVEN WHEN OTHERS DON'T HELP ME!!!!

that really fed my self esteem bucket!

is there a moral to this story? who knows. i do know that it's 3:40 pm and still now call. woops wait.......i ran some errands, let's see if their number is on caller i.d., hold on here.......nope! dang it all, just some wireless caller (granny is that you?!) whose number i don't recognize. no messages either. darn darn double darn!

*p.s. if you love granny as much as i do, click the picture and tell jacqrojo!