“Remoted – Hybrid” – Day 712 (Wednesday)– valued time

Today’s schedule had the unusual interruption of a follow-up visit at the dental surgeon. This was the latest chapter in the ongoing saga of the molar broken on popcorn in February 2020. The appointment was scheduled months ago with the latest appointment of the day requested to minimize time missed from work. That magical time was declared to be 4:15.

Fully aware it's a new benefits year, deductibles started all over again, and unsure of what was happening at the visit, about three weeks ago, I called the office to ask if there would be an insurance estimate. I needed to know to what extent the monthly budget might be blown. The person on the line said it was “just a follow up, and an x-ray and no insurance estimate is needed.”

A week before the appointment, and again two days before, there was an email reminder about the appointment with the cheery statement “We appreciate your time and look forward to seeing you then!” Both days, there were also text message reminders that said “All patients arrive 30 minutes prior.” Apparently, they appreciate my time so much they are demanding an extra 30 minutes of it. The website was consulted and no mention of arriving 30 minutes early was found. 

Upon arrival at the office, the receptionist asked if I had an estimate for the CT scan. What CT scan? And no, there was no insurance estimate received, which is exactly why I called weeks ago. In the end, there was no CT scan, and as of now, there will be no dental implant, because really, why bother? 

No dental professional has yet provided a compelling reason for the implant to de done. It’s been a lot of “with time, this or that might happen.” How much time – one year? five? twenty? There are no clear answers, because everyone is different, but it seems like it could be closer to 20 years than one, so I’m saving the money and rolling the dice. Enough money has already been spent on tooth #31 thank you very much stupid popcorn.

Back outside in the parking lot, a classic hospital wheel chair with “LGH” stenciled on the back of the seat sat amongst the motor vehicles. I wonder how often this happens. If picking up someone being released from the hospital, why not pull the car up to the door? Why push a wheelchair all the way to the middle of a large parking lot? Or did the wheelchair occupant roll themself out to the car in the lot? There are so many questions.