Squeaky Wheel blah blah blah

Finally, after four attempts to make an appointment with a local endocrinologist, I have succeeded.  I just called to cancel the appointment that I made with one of KU Med Center's endocrinologist. I am so relieved to not have to drive all the way to Kansas City, while I am hypothyroid, six weeks after my thyroid is removed.

Show Me the BODY

I was at a funeral where an in-law of the deceased expressed dismay that there wasn't an open casket.  She was asking the sons and daughters to consider having an open casket, after the funeral had already begun.  She became insistent, but it wasn't going to happen.

Everyone was shocked that she would be so bold in a time of grief.  I thought, well, we all react differently to death, and she is entitled to her own reaction.  But really, was she entitled to be pushy about this?

I think about that incident a lot whenever I see someone doing something that seems inappropriate during a serious and troubling event, like a funeral or medical emergency.  I think, for some, that trauma brings out emotions that turn off their common sense censor.  Others are left to watch in dismay or to be further troubled by their behavior.

A friend of mine posted this LA Times article on Facebook about "how not to say the wrong thing."  I think it's basically good advice.

I'm hesitant to include this in my blog because someone might think, "oh, dear, what might I have done to offend Angie, who is currently in the center of this circle?"  While that might be an interesting mental exercise for you, I'm not directing this at anyone in particular.   You haven't spoiled it for me.

Yet.

The article says I'm entitled to kvetch all I want.  I'm not much of a kvetcher, if that's even a word.  I'm more likely to manically talk about my thyroid woes with a big grin on my face, like I'm about to go on an ocean cruise. My worst kvetching sounds more like I just accidentally put a dark red shirt in with the whites, and now everything is pink, which is slightly amusing.

The Cracks We Slip Through, Step On, and Smoke.

For the record, I have never smoked crack.

If you've ever worked in the service industry, hopefully you are aware of the phenomenon that I have experienced as a service provider.  There are certain people who fall through the cracks nearly every time I encounter them, through my fault alone.  When I was a waitress for a summer in my 20s, a pair of businessmen would always sit at one of my tables. I would always forget their coffee, and they would always get their food late and cold.  I didn't do it on purpose, but we were somehow trapped in a bad relationship where they weren't on my radar and were neglected as a result.  They complained, yet still continued to sit at that table.

This still happens to me today. Certain members of the monarch enthusiasts club want things from me, and it is my job to provide them.  99% of the time, it all works out for everyone, but sometimes certain people experience repeated issues.  Emails get buried, invoices get misplaced, and the like.

Who wants to be that person who is falling between the cracks?  Not me.  I think I've been that person before, and I think I do a good job of recognizing it and re-calibrating my trajectory.  My previous doctor repeatedly failed to attend to certain, important things.  Being overlooked when I'm paying for a service caused me to seek the service elsewhere, and I landed right in the hands of a doctor who pays attention.

After some debate about which doctor to use -- Dr. Reussner in Lawrence, or Dr. Shnayder at KU Med Center -- I decided to go with Dr. R because he is so highly recommended by people who know him, including Dr. S.  One nurse friend told me, when I was explaining my choice, and I said that part of it was his excellent bedside manner.  She has seen patients who had this same procedure, and she said, "His technical skills are on par with his bedside manner."  That's good to hear.  She also said that the majority of the time, things go right, and even when things go right, something can go wrong, even with the simplest procedures.  I think this philosophy goes along with that mysterious gap between getting it right most of the time, and things sometimes slipping through the cracks, even when you're trying to pay attention.

My thyroidectomy is scheduled for Aug. 12. 

But I've had to call Dr. R's office several times to get him to refer me to an endocrinologist.  It turns out the person who normally does the referrals was in a car accident.  So, I called Dr. S and my primary, Dr. Cordova, to send the referral. Dr. Lehil is the current endo in town, but he is leaving to be replaced by Dr. Oertel, who just finished a residency at KU Med Center and isn't seeing patients until mid October.  So, there's a window where no new patients will be seen, and I need an endocrinologist on or around Sept 20, six weeks after my thyroid is removed.

At this point, I have three doctors working on getting me scheduled for the first available endocrinologist with either Dr. Oertel or a KU Med Center doctor.  

When I called Dr. Oertel's office myself,  when the receptionist said I can't be seen until October, I told her, "I'm having my thyroid removed because I have cancer. I'm not rescheduling just because Dr. Oertel isn't seeing patients.  If he can't see me, I'm going to go to KU Med."  The receptionist said she'd try to fit me in. But until then, I am most certainly slipping through a crack.

I now have a referral for the KU Med doctor, and the receptionist there is lovely.  She said, "I don't know what's going on with Dr. Oertel."  

I said that I think I just got stuck in a gap between two doctors coming and going.

"Sometimes I feel like that's what life is... getting stuck in the gaps," she said.

Dropping the C bomb

Let the lesson be learned that Verizon won't care that you've got cancer.  Only read this if you love a good story about getting screwed by the phone company, again.

June 1, 2016

Dear Mr. McAdam, CEO of Verizon:

I live in Lawrence, Kansas and a few days ago I went into the Verizon store to see if I could add two cell phones for my kids to my current plan. I was needing to consult with my husband before making the purchase, but he was out of town until Monday the 30th. The cost of the plan came up to a little less than $140 per month for all three phones, with a state of KS employee discount and tax included. Great! This is do-able…but I had been told at that time that this promotional deal, in which I would get a gift card for one free iPhone 6s ended on May 31st, which happened to be the same day I received a phone call from my doctor saying that I have a papillary carcinoma on my thyroid. Needless to say I did not spend any part of my day in the Verizon store, but instead I was processing that information and researching the possibilities. It’s highly curable, thank goodness. My spirits have lifted, I’m feeling happy to be alive, and I am back in the swing of things today.I visited the store today and the salesmen told me that since the $650 gift card was a nationwide promotion, they could not help me out by extending the offer one more day. I had asked to speak to the manager, and they just shook their heads and said they wouldn’t be able to help me. Well, I thought… Maybe the CEO could help? I sure hope you can. My kids were promised the phones for their good grades last year, and I missed the deal by one day.Now honestly, my daughters do not need the iPhone 6s. I’m perfectly happy with my 5s, and they don’t really need to up-stage me with their phones. But now that I’ve missed my opportunity, even the lowest-end HTC phones are going to cost me around the same price and likely more than the two 6s phones would have.I know you don’t normally have time to appease people who want promotional deals. I’m really just hoping you’ll take a bit of time to consider my request to extend the offer, or to at least help me find two iPhones for my kids that are within my budget.

Most Sincerely,

Angie Babbit

Mr McAdam did not reply, but maybe that is because he doesn't publish his email, and I sent this into the ether. But, I also emailed it the director of marketing, Diego Scotti, whose staff member, Edvanna, called me saying (I paraphrase) that her hands were tied but she could offer me $50 for each new phone I purchase.

June 2, 2016

Dear Angela Babbit,

Thank you for bringing your concerns to the attention of Diego Scotti. We are committed to providing you with a stellar customer experience everyday. We value and appreciate your feedback when we may fall short of that commitment.

I am glad that we were able to resolve your concerns by offering a credit to your account for $50 for each of the two lines added to your account.

Edvanna F.

I don't know why she couldn't just give me a $650 credit, but whatever. After purchasing two refurbished iPhone 5s, this is a summary of my experience with Verizon, which I emailed to Edvanna.

July 2, 2016

Dear Edvanna,

Thank you for the credit toward two phones. I wish that I had been able to actually purchase new phones, but I decided to get certified pre-owned phones because new phones are not affordable. One of them has been working okay, with a few minor issues, like Verizon Family Base doesn't recognize it at all. No one has resolved that issue for me. The other phone arrived with a crack in the lens, so I returned it and received a replacement. The replacement arrived with a defective microphone, so no one could hear me if I spoke on anything but speaker phone. The third phone, which I've had since Monday stopped working spontaneously today and can't be restored in iTunes. According to tech support, my 14-day return window has expired, even though I haven't yet had a fully functioning phone.

And, each time I've asked for the phones to be delivered to my work address, they are delivered to my home address instead. No one is there to receive them and I have to track them down, so of course my 14 day window has expired.

I mentioned in my first email that I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, and as you can imagine I'd like to not have to deal with this at all. I could use a break here. I'm waiting for the fourth phone to arrive over the holiday weekend, but the one I currently have will be dead for the duration, because it is non-responsive.

If there is anything you can do to help me out, I would appreciate it. The experience has been a multitude of disappointments.

Sincerely, 

Angie Babbit 


Edvanna replied:

RE:Re: Re: Re: Case Closure Notification - CASE(1916059)

Verizon Wireless Executive Relations

8:33 AM (8 hours ago)
July 5, 2016
to me

Hello Angie,

I am very sorry to hear about the trouble that you have been having with the 5S purchased for you line. After you have received your replacement let me know how that device operates for you. If you are continuing to have trouble, let me know and I will look into seeing what options are available to getting you a better working device.

Best Regards,

Edvanna F.

Executive Relations

It's better than the alternative

I asked my daughter why her euphonium has a big dent in it.  "What happened to it?"  I said.

"Life," was her response.

I can't argue with that.