The Doctor is in...

It's been about 8 weeks since Mom's surgery and last week we were to see Mom's regular doctor at the local clinic for a routine followup.  Usually the rehab unit transports patients to such visits.  But the day before Mom's appointment, the area was hit by a significant amount of snow and wind (i.e. blizzard) and I called the clinic to re-schedule the appointment.  The new date was to have been today, February 11, at 1 pm.  I called the rehab unit, just to let them know of the change. When I entered Mom's room earlier in the week, I saw a note attached to the refrigerator: Hazel: Dr. Shelhamer, 1 pm, 2/11/16.  Good, I thought, we're all on the same page here.  So  I began mentioning to Mom that she had an upcoming checkup with her local doctor.  "What for?" she asked each time I mentioned the appointment, and I assured her each time that it was merely a checkup following her surgery.  "Surgery?" she'd inquire.  And then I'd remind her that she'd broken a hip, was healing, but just needed a checkup to see all was well.

Yesterday when I confirmed that Mom would be transported to the clinic by the rehab van, I was told that Mom's appointment had been changed.  Changed?  Again? Changed to…when?  To next Tues., the 16th.  Looking at my phone's calendar I soon realized I needed to accompany my husband to Rochester for a medical appointment that day and couldn't be with Mom at her appointment.  "When and why was the appointment changed?" I asked.  No one seemed to know the reason.

Accessing Mom's clinic patient account online, I saw that indeed her appointment had been changed to the 16th.  I called the clinic, asked why the appointment might have been changed, got a "I have no idea" from the scheduler, and decided to change Mom's appointment back to today.  They had a 3:45 opening.  Super!  I suggested that my number be added to Mom's contact list from the clinic, should appointments ever be changed again.  I needed to be kept in the loop.

I called rehab, notified them of Mom's new appointment day (actually the same day now, just different time) and was told…."Oh, we figured out why your Mom's appointment was changed. We don't have any transportation tomorrow, so we changed her appointment.  We should have notified you of the change--that was an oversight on our part. Sorry about that."  So now Mom had a 3:45 appointment for something that had already been changed twice, and had no transportation.  Great.  This was going well.  But  transportation was something I figured I could do myself, right?

As I thought about the upcoming appointment overnight, I decided Mom didn't really have to see the doctor this week and decided to change the appointment to next week, this time allowing the van to transport Mom.  I called the appointment desk again (for the third time--was relieved it wasn't the same scheduler I'd had previously).  New appointment date and time:  Thursday, February 18, 1:15 pm.  Super.  Set in stone.  I called the rehab unit to notify them that Mom would NOT be going to the doctor today with me transporting her.  Instead--next Thurs.  There WAS a van available, right?  Indeed there was.

So today I was tying up loose ends--feeling all was in order--when my phone rang, a number I didn't recognize.  "Hello, this is Jane," my standard response to an unfamiliar number.

"Hello, this is the scheduler from Dr. Cross's office just checking too see why Hazel missed an appointment today,"  the gal said.

What?  I wondered.  "Who is Dr. Cross? What appointment.  I afraid don't know anything about this," I tried to explain my confusion.

"Your Mom was scheduled to have her femur x-rayed and then meet with endocrinology today in Rochester."

"In Rochester?  Sorry, but I have no information about this appointment," I explained.  "I'm sorry we missed it, but Mom's going to see her regular doctor here locally next week."

"Oh, I see.  Well I'll let Dr. Cross know.  When your mom was here with a broken hip, she agreed to be part of a study, and the appointment today was made as a follow-up for that study."

"OK. Well, my mom's 93 and I guess she forgot to mention anything about the study, and obviously the appointment today as well."

"I'll let Dr. Cross know your  mom will be following up with her regular doctor and I assume she won't be part of the study?"

"No, I don't think she'll be part of the study," I agreed.  I again thanked the scheduler, rolled my eyes, hung up, and turned to my husband.

"Mom had an appointment today in Rochester," I said.  "She'd agreed to be part of a study and she was supposed to have an x-ray and consult today."

"She'd agreed to be part of a study?" he asked, just as incredulous as I.

"Yep," I said.  "A study.  Of COURSE she'd agreed to be in a study."  We both smiled and shook our heads.