Confused Woman!

I decided to go to urgent care today after a nagging cough was getting worse.  I’d toughed it out for a couple of weeks and decided I was miserable enough to drag myself in.  I was crossing my fingers it was allergies and not pneumonia, which I had last winter and was down for almost two weeks.

When I arrived, I wasn’t greeted by the usual receptionist, Chatty Cathy.  She’s nice but the woman treats every interaction with a patient like it’s a meet and greet over coffee.  It’s painful to be the person behind the patient while she’s asking 300 questions and making idle chit-chat.  I’m here to get better, not be sent into a blind waiting room rage.

I was hoping this receptionist was better but she was not.  She was serious and had no time for monkey business.  I will call her Militant Mary.  When I told her I had a cough, she insisted I wear a mask in the waiting area.  I asked if I could wait until I sat down and she was adamant I put it on right then and NOW.

Alrighty then….I slapped that bad boy on and told her it was hot and I couldn’t breathe, which is not good when you have a cough and labored breathing.  No response.  I also said if you hear a loud thud from the corner of the waiting room that will just be me passed out on the floor.  Still no response.  Crickets.

I head to my corner seat and try to breathe and not pass out from the hot air and my bad breath.  Whenever Militant Mary was distracted, I ripped the stupid mask off of my face so I could get some fresh air.  Fortunately, I was called back fairly quickly, so no chalk outline was needed on the carpet.

When the nurse came into the exam room, I told her about Militant Mary and said how strict she was about wearing the mask.  I understood it was to protect other patients but for crying out loud, this woman would have slapped my face on a wanted poster with “VIOLATOR!!!” under my name if she could.

I explained to the nurse how I cracked the joke about passing out in the corner of the room and had no response and she thought that was hilarious.   I told her I’d hate to be a stand up comedian with a room full of Militant Marys because I’d think I really suck.  That’s when urgent care turned into a comedy club.  Not only did my nurse think that was awesomely funny, she proceeded to share it with the nurses and doctors outside of the exam rooms as well.

All I could think of, before I found out I just had lousy allergies is, I am so glad I could be there for their entertainment.  Now, can I get paid for my performance, instead of me owing you up the Wazoo for the exam, x-ray and labs?

Yesterday was my birthday…and I had dreaded it for the last few weeks.  I know it’s lame to not look forward to your birthday because, frankly, it’s a hell of a lot better than the alternative.  However, I was, and it was a real bummer.

I think it’s because the last year has been truly awful and I never thought I’d be in this place at this point in my life.  I look at others my age and they seem to “have it all”: the marriage, the house, the stable and well-established careers, kids growing up and leaving the nest.  Compared to them, I am a college grad drowning in debt and just starting out.

If any of you have dealt with a layoff, you know exactly what I am talking about.  It’s an abrupt smack in the face, and knocks you out.  I went from having a well-paying job with no debt to being unemployed and drowning in it.  You go from bitching about welfare with your friends to applying for it.  It sucks.

So for a few weeks, well actually since last July, I have been doing the pity party dance.  Oh woe is me, this is miserable, why can’t I be like everyone else, etc.  Yesterday on my birthday, for some reason, I had a moment of clarity and calm.  I realized that yes, I have my troubles, but I also have many blessings.

I celebrated my 45th birthday…how many others never got that chance?  Yes, I’m struggling financially, but I am slowly crawling my way out of the debt hole.  I have my health, a beautiful and happy daughter, and a wonderful support system of family, friends, and CF.

Here’s to hoping this year will be a vast improvement over the last 12 months and I will continue to climb, grow, and see the glass as half-full.

I apologize for not blogging last week.  My computer decided to go all “wackadoo” on me.  I had just worked on my computer and shut it down for the evening, with no inkling there were issues.  The next morning, the computer was still on and had the nasty screens that no one wants to see.  Yep, my machine was toast.

The following day, I took the dead machine to a local store, hoping to recover the files and pictures I had saved on the hard drive.  I was a little concerned when the tech person looked at my computer in awe, like he had just seen a dinosaur egg break open on the counter.

His first reaction to my machine was, “Wow, I haven’t seen these kinds of ports before…and they’re even color-coded!”  Great.  It was worse when he noticed that the computer was refurbished and at one time had Windows Vista on it.  That was when the customer behind me laughed.  Ugh.

However, after the embarrassment of the fossil computer was over, I was reassured when the tech explained what work needed to be done.  He was very thorough, knowledgeable, and didn’t make eye contact with me once.  I think he stared at my shoulder the entire conversation.

The best news of all, is that not only did he recover the files and pictures I actually cared about, but he also put them on the new computer and my machine works like a champ.  I’ve learned my lesson…well, a couple lessons…back up and often…and don’t wait until your computer is ready for the Smithsonian to replace it.