Cancer & Croup

Cancer and croup...both topics are alive and well in our household.

My mom's PET scan results came in today which revealed spots on her liver. We are still optimistic that sarcoidosis is the diagnosis but we won't know for sure until she has a lung biopsy on Monday. Mom had to wait several hours on the nurse practitioner to call back with the results. She was here the entire time, helping out with B and I could tell that it was very stressful for her. Sometimes I wonder why medical results have to wait until the 5:00pm hour to be discussed. Obviously doctors are busy, but a few moments, maybe in the noon time hour doesn't seem like too much to ask for.

Meanwhile, B has croup. He's been out of school all week. His imitation of a seal is dead-on today. Hopefully, that won't be the case tonight at midnight. The pediatrician ordered up a prescription of prednizone, which is, ironically, the nasty stuff used to treat sarcoidosis.

So here's the riddle of the day: What does it take to obtain said prescription?

Obvious answer would be: One trip to the local Long's pharmacy.

Actual answer is: One trip to Fair Oaks pharmacy, two phone calls to dr's office from that location, one Hot Wheels purchase to pacificy the barking boy, two more calls to dr's office from cell phone en route to another pharmacy, one phone call to dr's office also en route, change route to re-group at home and get the bark under control with some dinner, three more calls to Longs, two calls to dr's office, and an "I give up, kids lived through croup without the stuff...there will be no prednizone tonight!" Complete process with a call from the nicest woman ever at the local Long's and a follow-up apology call from the dr.'s office. Oh, and a $5.00 co-payment for the medication and a statement of "thank God the child is on his dad's health insurance plan and not mine!" and now we're in business with prednizone administered and B fast asleep with the humidifer blasting away.

What is up with the medical community anyway? Is everything so backed up and super slow that a simple phone call - whether to calm an anxious 65-year-old woman, waiting on a cancer diagnosis OR to get the right medication into a croupy 5-year-old - cannot be made in a timely manner? I can't come up with a good answer and thus...

I am so done for today.