Making doctor appointments always gives me headaches. I don't know why, but there's something about the process that makes me grind my teeth the whole way through.
Maybe it's something about having to take a half day off of work to go to these appointments. At this rate, between appointments and the tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy (which takes about a full week to recover), I'm going to have NO time-off days. Good-bye, day I need to take off for Actuary exam (hence, Good-bye taking Actuary exam in 2009)! So long, vacation plans!
Or maybe it's the amount of forms involved. The referrals are a pain in themselves since not every doctor's office can get electronically submitted referrals, and my doctor's office is a pain-in-the-ass one-and-a-half-hour trip to South Philly. But then there are other mysterious forms. One of the secretaries wanted me to bring a "prescription" from my doctor for the consultation. Which isn't a referral -- because she wanted that, too! What the hell is a prescription for a consultation?! Unfortunately, I was too headachey to ask. Which means I'm going to have to call back. Beh.
Or it's all the copays. Oh, don't get me started on the copays. What am I made of, twenty-dollar bills? Between all my loan payments, bills, rent, groceries, etc. I only have room on the budget for a doctor visit a month.
However, despite the downsides, I need to start taking care of myself... by having other people take care of me. So here is the schedule* as it stands, to show that I'm not fucking around:
~February 16th -- first PCP appointment, general check-up, asthma medication refill
~March 3rd -- Vision doctor, computer-glasses prescription
~late March through late April -- Sleep Study nonsense
~May 20th -- ENT doctor (hopefully the surgery decision can be made that day)
~June 2nd -- Cardiologist (hopefully I can have the Echo that day)
~late June/early July -- OBGYN (annual exam + refill on birth control)
~July -- Dermatologist
~August -- I am taking a doctor break.
~September -- Dentist (am SO past due on this)
~Future months -- Allergist? Nutritionist? Psychiatrist (for anxiety)? The medical world is my oyster.
My goal is to be 30 pounds lighter and miles healthier by the end of the year. I'm six pounds and three doctors down.
Let it not be said that I've never taken advantage of health insurance.
*This schedule assumes that if I do get surgery, it's going to happen around June 19th (my birthday), which is the plan for now. I want to take that time off anyway, and someone could get me ice cream cake. :D It's perfect.
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Do you have to use vacation days for all of the visits? Your company doesn't grant any sick leave? Also, my first question at any new doctors office is "When is your late night?" They always have one.
ReplyDeleteYour vacation shouldn't have to suffer because of your health, and vice-versa.
Also, if you explain to your boss that you want to take the next Actuary exam, would they not be sympathetic? I mean, you are essentially telling them you are trying to become more qualified for your job. It's not like you're taking the BAR or something.
On the late night: ORLY? I asked the ENT secretary what the latest appointment was and she didn't even offer anything past 3:40pm. The cardiologist's secretary told me that his first appointment is at, like, 8:45am and his last is at 3pm. WTF. But I'll call those places again and ask specifically -- thanks for the tip!
ReplyDeleteMy boss would totally be okay with me taking time for the exam, but I hate asking, you know? I've been working at this place for about six months and I don't want to come off as a jerk.
We have 5 sick days and 10 vacation days and 2 personal days (all paid). So I've been using 1/2 personal days to go to some of these appointments (the ones that I can't schedule for really early or really late), but it looks like I'll need to dip into my sick days bin at this rate. I've already used up two sick days being sick. I need to talk to my boss about what happens when I run out of sick days and actually get sick -- will I *have* to use vacation, or could it just be unpaid, etc.
I don't know, does your job let you take off, like, two hours early on one day and then make up those two hours on some other day?
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ReplyDeleteYeah, doctors offices are all different, by it is my experience that most, if not all, have one late night and one weekend day. You may have to wait a few months for an appointment because that is when everyone who has a job takes their appointments, but I'm sure they're out there.
ReplyDeleteMy job is weird because you don't really have a set "schedule" per se, but there are a core set of hours that you need to be in the office, 10-4. If you're here 10-6 or 8-4, it doesn't matter, and a lot of people are here 8-6 or later. It's just the nature of the work and the tight deadlines.
Also, on a completely unrelated note, my arrow keys seem to have stopped working. Great.
ETA: My arrows work again. I wish there was an "edit comment" button.