Dear Mom,
I wonder how it was for you when you went through your cancer. I was too young to understand most of the behind the scenes, but I think about it now.
Yesterday I had to call to make an appointment for blood work—all automated—not a live person to talk to. I mumbled something not so nice when the robot thing couldn’t understand what I said and it replied, “Oh you want to talk to someone,” and I’m thinking, great I’ll be connected to a real human, but then it went on, “I’m sorry this is fully automated and you will need to answer or say Go Back.” By then I couldn’t remember what I was supposed to answer, so I said, “Go back.” I kept future mumblings to myself because that robot thing picks up some kind of vibration and I feared I’d never get the appointment set.
I went today after coming from another appointment and ended up an hour early. I thought since they took walk-ins maybe I’d luck out. It didn’t matter how many people came in after me, if they had an appointment time before mine they went in while I sat.
Some lady arrived after I had been there 45 minutes and they didn’t have record of her appointment. I worried the robot didn’t program me. But it did. They got my blood. Now I wait.
I’m sure you went through something similar but with live people.
When Mom had her appointments at ol' Doc Johnson's office in Ferguson, the waiting was always lengthy. I recall taking her to one of her cancer treatments there, and one of the nurses who lived close to us had Mom come in the back door so she could get into the room, on the "bed" and begin a treatment - no waiting. I distinctly remember when the intravenous drip was getting close to being done, Mom freaking out that it would put air into her vein and she would die immediately. I rushed to get the nurse to make sure that didn't happen. Being in the back room, there was little activity and it was difficult getting a nurse's attention - no waiting but no attention either.
ReplyDeleteWow, I had no idea she went for treatments. You need to talk to me more. :-)
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