Fixing Mistakes Makes a Difference

One of our indulgences is drinking bottled water – the kind in 3 or 5 gallons bottles we put on the water cooler. About three months ago, our supplier, Diamond Springs, put a new driver and our route. Since then, problem after problem with delivery. He never had enough of the 3 gallon bottles by the time he got to my house. He’d take all of the empties and leave less than a full order – and a note saying he would drop of the bottles he shorted us the next day. Sounds ok, right? Trouble is, he never came back the next day. Instead of having 7 bottles for the 2 weeks, I had 5 bottles (and that's after a special delivery of 2 bottles after an earlier complaint) … and we ran out completely over Thanksgiving weekend.

Long story short (phone calls, messages, etc). I got 7 bottles delivered on Monday and then the next problem occurred – since the driver only picked up 5 empties, he charged me a $7 deposit for each of the other two bottles. I had never gotten a credit when the guy picked up the empties before.

Resolution … the general manager I talked to was good. He defused my frustration, said all the right things, listened, gave me an immediate credit, asked for my continued business and told me what he was going to do to make sure this doesn’t happen again. I hung up happy. Later, I realized that all I got was a friendly, understanding voice and a refund on the incorrect charges. I expected to get some extra free stuff, but ended up not even thinking to request it because the general manager was that good.

See people, we know mistakes are made. Just fix them! Listening, taking action, saying the right things and being fair and timely – and you get customer satisfaction and retention and it doesn’t cost you anything.

Now I have to lie down. Bad body pain, dizziness and headache. A strong weather front pushed through today and my body doesn’t like that. Another front with strong storms is due tonight. (Or is this a reaction to day 2 of my new anti-depressant medicine?) I’ll know by tomorrow or Thursday.

Hoarding Christmas Decorations

I started sorting through the Christmas decorations yesterday. What should this year’s theme be? Do we need more lights? Do we need more ornaments? Why is it that we keep collecting more and more Christmas stuff, but never throw/give any of it away?

I spent Friday going through the boxes. I plugged in EVERY set of lights I could find. If they didn’t work, I threw them out – let’s face it, I’m never going to go through to find the one bulb that doesn’t work and replace it. I still have more than enough lights to do the tree in all white or multi-colored (plus all red or all purple – yup, Katie and I did a purple and gold tree one year back when it was trendy).

I have handmade crocheted snowflake ornaments, all colors of balls, gold chains, gold garland, antique plastic icicles and several fancy ornaments. I don’t use most of them, and know that realistically I never will, but still, I never seem able to dispose of anything. This year, I am going to really try to reduce my hoard of Christmas decorations.

It’s been a long weekend. After peeling potatoes and sweet potatoes, chopping onions, baking bread for the dressing, chopping fruit for the waldorf salad and baking dinner rolls – for the feast for just Mike on me on Thanksgiving … and then setting up the tree and putting on the lights on Friday, my back and shoulder are not working today. They probably won’t work for several days. I enjoy doing things, but my body no longer allows me to do all I want to do. Oh well, now I will spend this week recuperating and resting for the Nashville trip and Brady’s first birthday.

A week of doctor appointments done – I’m mostly normal

This week was all about the doctors.

Monday – psychiatrist. I already wrote about that. I don’t think I’m going back.

Wednesday – sleep apnea dentist. Two nights down and I’m liking my mouth piece. Mike says I’m significantly quieter and I know I’m sleeping more. I wake with a couple slightly sore teeth, but that goes away quickly and I’m thinking it’s worth it.

Thursday – orthopedist for follow-up on my shoulder pain. We’re happy that last month’s cortisone shot worked so well, but a little concerned that the pain came back (at a lower level). But, since I’m ok living with this level of pain, we are just going to let it slide for now. The doctor wrote an open order for a shoulder MRI – if the pain increases, that’s the next step. There’s a chance that the rotator cuff has a tear in it. Mike already had that surgery. I’m not going that unless/until I HAVE to.

Friday – 2^nd half of my physical with my primary care. Pap, etc. No big deal. Got a print out of all my test results. Just about everything is normal and good. Being somewhat overweight and taking the medicines I do and not eating as healthy as I should, positive test results always surprise me. THANKS, MOM AND DAD! Mammogram – normal. We also discussed that if I decide to take the anti-depressant, I could get refills and monitoring here and not have to return to the psychiatrist. That’s good by me.

The only (small) negative was the bone density scan showed a slight amount of reduction in density. We aren’t going to do anything about it right now, but I will get another scan in one year (instead of two) and keep checking. Still don’t want to break any more bones!

I’m tired of doctor appointments. Next week, a dental check-up and cleaning, but then, a much needed break from being healthy! Time to think turkey, dressing, pie, etc.

A Night of More Sleep

Yesterday, I picked up my SomnoMed Mandibular Advancement Splint (MAS) … translated, my mouthpiece that is supposed to help me sleep with sleep apnea. Skeptical me – it worked! I actually woke up almost refreshed.

It’s bulky, hard plastic (doesn’t bother me while I’m sleeping) and has a funny plastic taste (the dentist said that would go away soon). No mouth pain; no gasping or CPAP noise; no air in my stomach or air blowing on Mike. So far, so good.

I wore it ALL night. Mike said I didn’t gasp and that I slept a lot quieter. I feel more refreshed. It didn’t stop the need to change positions during the night to combat back pain, BUT it did eliminate the waking up from sleep apnea and CPAP issues. So, on the first night, I reduced my awake time by 2/3. I think that’s a good first night.

Without getting my expectations too high, I really, really, really want this to work in the long run. It may look funny, but sleep is so much more important than vanity.

Tired of Doctors

Yesterday, I went to a psychiatrist. Her end result – she said I was depressed and wrote a prescription for an anti-depressant. Of course she did. What else would she do? She gets paid when people come see her and as long as I go back regularly for medication review, she gets paid. My end result might be different. Since I’m going to see my primary care anyway this week, I will see what she thinks – and ask if she can simply write the prescription (if I decide to take it).

How did the psychiatrist get to the depression diagnosis (other than my somewhat sarcastic take that it has to do with $$)? I don’t think I agree with most of her analysis. She thinks that since we were doing something stupid when I broke my back (non-professionals cutting a big tree without safety glasses/equipment); I am punishing myself with the pain. Really? You think I want to hurt? That I feel I deserve to hurt? I agree with the stupid part but not the punishment part. She had other thesis, but who cares?

She did hit one on the head – suck it up. She thinks that I’m a person who sucks it up and deals with it rather than admit the pain, the hurt, the emotions, etc. Totally right. For her that’s a problem. Me? I think that’s a good thing. What’s the point of complaining or making a big deal of stuff that is out of my control. It is what it is. Get over it. She tried to talk me into believing that I shouldn’t suck it up and instead get help (in the form of another pill). We’ll see.

Finally, she said the WORST thing anyone can say to a person with pain. She wanted me to understand that “It’s all in your head.” She really said that … and I called her on it. Told her although I understood what she was TRYING to say, she should never use those words. She tried to weasel her way out of it. “I didn’t say it was all in your head.” YES, you did. “Well, what I meant, it’s biology …” Yes, I know what you meant – the brain controls the pain receptors and so while there is a physical deformity in your spine and your back hurts, we can possibly make a difference by taking a pill that interacts with the brain’s pain receptors.

Not sure I’ll go back to her … or what I’ll do. I’m just so tired of doctors … and tomorrow I go to the sleep apnea dentist to get my mouthpiece (hopefully that will allow me to sleep better); Thursday I go to the orthopedist for a follow-up on my shoulder pain (it’s at 50% and maybe that’s good enough); and Friday to my primary care for the 2^nd part of my physical.

Tests and Timing

This week, I had a bone density scan and a mammogram – part of my annual physical routine. The mammogram is no big deal. As I have written before, this is the time I appreciate my large chest. Big boobs are much easier to mammogram; there is something to put on the table and x-ray. Women who have no boobs face extra pulling and squeezing. Not that it is unbearable to anyone – so get your mammogram!

I am interested in the results of the bone density scan. Since I broke my back, I have had these scans every two years. Just want to make sure that the bones are not getting brittle or more fragile. Don’t want another break! For several years, I took fosamax (you have seen the ads; it promotes bone density and growth). Sounds good, but there are some risks. Since I started taking it well before menopause (the normal time to start) and have taken it for so long, I decided to take a break. Now this scan will show the results of NOT taking the fosamax. Then we’ll determine next steps.

The other issue this week is WAITING. My regular counselor suggested I go see a psychiatrist (I’m not ready to discuss the personal part of the counseling yet). So I called for an appointment. The doctor can see me Monday, November 15 (a cancellation) or December 16 – nothing in between. And they require a credit card authorized for a $225 fee if I don’t show up or cancel. Rationally or logically, I understand – doctors are busy and their time is worth money. Of course, I’m not totally rational or logical right now – that’s probably why I am going to a psychiatrist. I don’t like giving out my credit card number when I don’t know you; $225 is a lot of money AND I don’t think anyone should be so busy they can’t see your for five weeks. And the person who answered was NOT anything near empathetic when I voiced my concerns.

I still don’t get the medical community. Unfortunately, I am forced to play their games.

Doctors, Needles and Questions

This week has been all about the doctors – physical time, blood work, flu shot and a new (to me, not to the practice) P.A. at the pain clinic.

Jeff, the P.A., wondered why I didn’t have a TENS unit that I used regularly. Because no one suggested it before? In addition to potentially helping the back pain, he thinks it could also help the shoulder pain. The cortisone shot I got two weeks ago, wore off after 12 days (most last around 3 months). We talked about physical therapy and why it doesn't help my back. Jeff thinks either PT or the TENS would help – after a year. A year? Yup, a year! I’ve had the pain for seven years (since the break) so I should expect the therapy to take a long time to help. Now that’s frustrating to think about. Let’s use a TENS machine which uses an electrical current to stimulate the nerves every day for a year before it stops irritating the back and helps. They are ordering me a unit that will get at my next monthly appointment.

For now, nothing else changes. Pain the same (worse today because it is raining, but the same in general). Medicine the same. Diagnosis the same. Treatment the same. Same sh** … different day.

Next stop: Wake Radiology for a mammogram and a bone density test. Forget the updated guidelines, I still get a mammogram every year and a bone density test every two years.

A Place for Everything and Everything in its Place (ALMOST)

I have been in a major de-cluttering mood lately (and it’s not even spring cleaning time). How come our home offices always get so cluttered? It seems like everything ends up in the office.

Today I am feeling good because my home office is newly refreshed, clean, organized … almost. As you can see, my desk (right) is neat. Back in my General Motors/Saturn years, we went through a period where all of our desks were marked with tape where everything went – phone, note pad, scotch tape, etc … all had specific places. Now, I haven’t gone that overboard, but I definitely found a neat, organized place for everything (on my side).

Mike’s side is a little different. I did clean and dust everything on Mike’s desk. He has SOOOOO many wires though, I gave up trying to make them neat. And, notice the box on the floor next to Mike’s desk – that’s all his ‘extra’ stuff that doesn’t have a good home. Ranging from old (very old) games to notes to extra cables, I put everything that didn’t fit into a box. I wonder how long before Mike makes an effort to go through the box. I’m not holding my breath. Next week, I’ll just haul the box to the basement for storage and see if Mike even misses anything.

The frustrating part? I went through a box of old pens/markers to throw away those that no longer wrote. Tried each one. Not heavy lifting, no big movements, but that repetitive click, scribble, click … probably 150 times or so … took me down. OUCH! Even though it hurt my back/shoulder, it was worth it in the long run!

I know that in time, more stuff will just appear, but for now, I love the clean office!