Wasted Day

Today was a wasted day. Not that I was sitting around bored all day with nothing to do. Nor was it because I was stuck in traffic or didn’t get anything done that I needed to do. It was a wasted day because everything I was scheduled to do ended up being disappointing.

First of all, I had a doctor’s appointment with a specialist in Portland. My doctor feels like the specialist can help change my meds to better help me deal with my arthritis better. She has done a great job treating my arthritis over the past several years but there are other medicines out there that the specialist knows more about that she feels would be better for my liver. One of the medicines I am on is really tough on my liver and my liver function tests aren’t always what they should be. She wants me to be switched to something called “biologicals”, which are an IV drug and are easier on the liver.

I met with this specialist a couple of months ago. My doctor’s office had spent an hour faxing all my records relating to my arthritis, all 88 pages of them, to his office so he would be well informed as to how I am doing these days. The last time I had visited this specialist’s office, seeing another doctor, had been five years ago and many things have changed since then.

At the visit a couple of months ago, he didn’t have my current records. Somehow they were never put in my chart so he was going by how I was five years ago. With the medication I am on now, I am much the same, at least in looking at me. He didn’t have the records that showed my inflammation level being high, my liver function being bad or any of the other test results that one can’t see in just looking at me.

Needless to say, my doctor was quite upset when she found out that the last appointment was such a waste of time. She made sure that her office manager spoke with the specialist’s office manager and that they had all my records in my chart. I am not sure that happened. In looking at my chart yesterday, it appeared to only contain the records from five years ago with a note from my doctor requesting that I be put on the biologicals. She did give me a copy of my last blood tests to show the specialist and I did but the tests didn’t have the record of my liver function because that number hadn’t come in yet when I was in to see her.

So the specialist looked at my joints, asked me how I felt, looked over my doctor’s note and looked at the blood test results. He feels that, since I am doing so well on my current meds and he thinks my liver is fine, there isn’t any reason to switch me off of them. But I don’t think he had all the information, once again. I think he was basing his opinion on how I looked and felt. Not to mention I think he might be one of those doctors who compares patients. I am not as bad off as other patients so I really don’t have anything to complain about when, in reality, the comparison should be how I would be if I didn’t have arthritis to how I am now not how other people feel. Their lives have no bearing on my life. (I have had other doctors do this and, when they did, I would drop them as a doctor and find a new one).

Then there was the fact that my appointment was at 9:15 am. When I got out to my car after the appointment, and after waiting a few minutes to check out, it was 9:30 am. He saw me for maybe four minutes. FOUR MINUTES! I wonder how much he is going to charge my insurance company for those four minutes. Things like this is one of the reasons our medical profession is such a mess.

After the doctor’s appointment, I decided to drive to BJ’s Warehouse to get some to-go containers for church. We like to use small styrofoam containers for people to take pie home with them if they can’t finish their desert or if want to take a piece home for a loved one who couldn’t make it to the supper. I figured that since I was up in Portland anyway, I might as well drive over to pick them up even though it wasn’t on my way home.

I put in my GPS where I was going and it lead me through the streets of Portland until I ended up at BJ’s. It was really handy because I would have gone a different way that was much slower and I would have had to deal with much more traffic. Love the GPS!

When I arrived at BJ’s, I grabbed one of their giant grocery carts (really much bigger than the average grocery cart) and began wondering up and down the aisles to see if there was anything else I needed. Giant can of tuna? No. Huge box of cereal? Not necessary in my life. Massive jar of mayo? Wouldn’t get through that in my lifetime.

I finally made it back to the paper products and went up and down the aisles looking for the take out containers. I did find some that had three compartments, like a large lunch tray, but I couldn’t find the small single serve containers. VERY disappointing.

Just so it wouldn’t be a completely wasted trip, I did purchase a case of 48 cans of cat food. They are just the kinds my cat likes and it was cheaper to buy them in bulk than at the grocery store. I did get out my calculator and figured out the price per can. Sometimes, with these bulk warehouse stores, what may seem like a bargain really isn’t and it is important to figure out whether it is a savings or not.

After BJ’s I went home for a while and then I went to a workshop for three hours in the afternoon. I went to a similar workshop last month and enjoyed it. Even though I had been dreading that workshop I ended up learning a lot and it was well worth my time. So I was kind of looking forward to this workshop.

Well, it was a waste of time. Why? Because there was one woman who dominated the conversation. She was egotistical, opinionated and had one of those loud, booming voices that, after the first few times she spoke, started to grate on my nerves.

At first, the instructor would include others in the discussion but by the last hour, it ended up being a conversation with Egotistical Booming Voice and the instructor. The rest of us just sat there and counted the minutes until the workshop was over.

In my evaluation sheet for the workshop, I noted that the instructor did a poor job of controlling the discussion. That she could have told this woman that, although her life experiences were interesting, the workshop was for everyone and others needed to share as well. Hopefully she will learn how to do it better.

This evening, in looking back over the day, I realized that it was a wasted day. The doctor’s appointment, the trip to BJ’s and the workshop were all a tremendous waste of my time. Very disappointing all the way around.

The good thing is that this upcoming weekend is Labor Day weekend. I have to work on the church power points tomorrow, have our bean supper to run on Saturday (and get to make three pies! Yeah!), and have church Sunday morning. After that it is just at time to relax, read, and maybe see a movie. Not a whole lot to do Sunday or Monday but that is not wasted time. That is just relaxing happy time! Joy!

I think there is one good thing about a wasted day. It makes me appreciate days that are busy, happy and fulfilling. The kind of day that, when I fall in bed at night, I can go to sleep knowing that I am exhausted from a day fully lived and with work well done.