A Day in the City

I woke at 5:30am yesterday morning. It was the day to head in to Boston and visit with my new pulmonologist for the first time. I woke anxious and intimidated by the thought of getting there. It was to be my first time navigating the commuter rail and my route required some changing of stations and transferring to a bus. I consoled myself that all would be well with the reminder that previously, a visit to my pulmonologist required a 3-4 hour car ride followed by a flight to another state!

Stepping on the commuter rail at 7:21am I thought about hubby. This is his daily commute now. He sometimes speaks wistfully of how much more simple our lives used to be. He dislikes the anonymity of the commute, "I feel like I'm just another number" he says. I never really appreciated that fully until yesterday when I saw for myself how protective everyone seems to be of their own personal space. The train pulls in to the station, they move as one towards the carriages. They wait their turn to step on board, not much chatter, barely a few smiles or nods of acknowledgemnt to be seen, then find a spot, close eyes, perhaps read a paper, maybe fill one's ears with ear buds and off they go....and yesterday me with them, although no sleeping or earbuds or reading for me, I was anxiously memorizing my route, reading it over and over, studying the times "Okay, are we still on time here? Yes? okay, now which bus number do I need again?"

Needless to say I got there and got there in plenty of time which was a good thing as when I arrived I was told that the referral I needed from my internist/primary care doctor, that most important piece of (digital) paper that communicated to my pulmo doctor's office that my insurance provider approves of my seeing him and will indeed pay for the visit, the attainment of which was the main purpose of my visit with Primary Doc last week... did not exist. "Are you sure?" I asked incredulously. "Yes Ma'am". "Isn't there someone you can call or something....I mean I submitted all the paperwork....they told me it would get done...." "No Ma'am. All of that is your responsibility." Short, to the point, this lady wasn't one to try to sweet-talk. What to do?

It was 8am. I got on my cell-phone and started calling noting the disapproving glares of my fellow patients. I realized later that I was sitting directly underneath a large sign that prohibited the use of cell phones, oh well. Ignorance is bliss as they say except I wasn't feeling all that blissful. I called Primary Doc's office, closed till 9am, called the insurance provider, always a dreaded task, no record to be found of anything submitted by Primary Doc so nothing to work with, called hubby "Why don't you just go ahead and keep the appointment, they can bill us, we'll fight it later, you need to get in..." "Okay!" Then I sat and waited, and waited, and waited. "The doctor is running a little late" they said. They weren't kidding!