Setting Up Appointments, otherwise known as, Shoot Me Now...

I don't know how sick people do this. Sit through seven phone calls, trying to figure out what your appointments will be, and how to get back to people who don't answer their phone.

I got a call back from the Surgical Scheduler (you gotta love that moniker) for my gynecologist, who told me to call her back. Only she doesn't answer the phone. I finally reach her -- by accident, she picked up the phone, or so it seemed -- and she told me she wasn't ready for me. This is after she had called ME.

So I waited for her to call me back. This is a stressful time for me. I want to set this up so that I can behave like I'm supposed to, and actually go through with this surgical procedure. But this is one obstacle on the way. 24 hours later, literally, she called me back. But then I found out why it takes so long.

She has to clear times with the doctor, and she has to clear surgical times with the hospital. She has to set up a pre-op appointment with me and the GYN, with me and the hospital people (most likely the anesthesiologist), which is usually two days before the surgery, and then the actual surgery. And then she sets up a follow-up appointment with me and the GYN, again. AND I have to have my doctor send in an approval slip, a "clearance note," to her. That last part didn't make any sense to Dr. Miller (another tough person to get a hold of), but I think I talked the Surgical Scheduler into faxing my doc a note about it. Whew.

So I'm all scheduled for the actual surgery on December 15th, with pre-op appointments prior to that. You know, after this part of the dance, I think the actual procedure is going to be a piece of cake.