A year ago, my annual medical checkup was scheduled as I checked out from that year's appointment. My doctor has three offices that are conveniently located within 15 minutes of the house in Lowell, and I usually scheduled my appointment for first thing in the morning at whichever location where my doctor or PA had an opening. That allowed for minimal delay before breaking the fast and being able to have coffee and breakfast, and I could usually be logged in for work on time or close enough to it to not be an issue.
This year's annual checkup was originally scheduled for 7:45 a.m. on a Thursday in late August. Under the old life with a job, I would be home from that appointment by 8:30 or shortly thereafter and be drinking coffee and logging on for a day of remote work. As soon as I moved an hour's drive from the Lowell life, I called to reschedule. Luckily, there was an opening in September at the less stressful hour of 9:30.
This morning I got up at my old workday early hour, showered, and checked email before taking the drive to the Dracut location of my doctor's office. The traffic on Routes 2 and 495 was steady but tolerable. There were stretches where we crept along at barely 30 miles per hour in the drizzle before things opened up and we could enjoy a couple minutes blazing along at the speed limit before the next slowdown.
The road where the medical office is located had a school in the midst of student drop off and I and the rest of the through traffic got to enjoy knucklehead parents unloading small children from vehicles, not via the door on the sidewalk side of the car, but on the busy traffic side, into the path of moving vehicles. I have seen this potential disaster too many times for comfort. Are they trying to kill off their children? Someone please explain it to me.
The Dracut office was quiet when I arrived. Despite a week's work of system emails and text messages where I needed to confirm my appointment, update my information, be reminded again of the appointment, and check-in online for my appointment, the receptionist couldn't find me on the schedule. My doctor wasn't even at the office today, she was in one of the Lowell locations. That's when we figured out it's because my appointment was scheduled for tomorrow. Friday the 26th, not Thursday the 25th. Just like it says in my daily planner which was on the desk all week and was now in my purse. Oops.
The receptionist was an absolute sweetheart. She called the other office where the doctor was working today and asked her scheduling assistant if they could squeeze me in. They could, as long as I got there within the next 15 minutes. I thanked her and headed to the other office. And all was good.
The assistant noted my weight and blood pressure. Now that I'm officially old, I got the fun test of remembering three words and drawing the time on an analog clock. The challenges were "banana - sunrise - chair" and "4:45" and I aced it so I guess that means I'm technically a genius even though there were no official declarations to that effect.
My weight was lower than a year ago, which I suspected based on my shorts and "good" jeans fitting again and was probably due to the months of packing and unpacking. If it follows past patterns it won't last long. |
| Relaxing in the exam room. |
Even though she was already running late, and even though I was squeezed in to an already tight schedule, Dr C didn't rush though my visit. I saw her annual disappointment when I confessed once again that I still usually forget to take vitamins. Just like every other year, I promised to try and do better. She told me to do muscle building exercises and asked if I was dating (no) and told me I should date and to date younger men because the ones who are older than I am likely expect to be taken care of. I got a flu shot and a pneumonia shot. Lab test orders were placed. Blood was drawn in the on-site lab with the personable phlebotomy technician who was fun to chat with.
And I was on my way home, back into the traffic, which was much lighter at 11:30 than it was at 8:30. I was hungry and lacking caffeine and couldn't wait to be home. Hopefully, there won't be a need for another visit before next year. There is time to look for a doctor closer to home, but I really like my doctor and the in-office lab, so maybe it will be worth it to stick with her for a while longer. Maybe I can convince her to move her office closer to me.
No comments:
Post a Comment