So I work for a doctor. Working for a doctor can be very rewarding. You get to help people, you get to educate people about the practice specialty, and it's truly been my favorite job to date. But every once in a while you get a patient who is just crazy. I don't mean mentally ill. I mean that they just lose it when they're talking to you and swear, freak out, or are so sweet but keep you on the line talking about what they ate that day, how many times their dog pooped, or they just sneezed into a kleenex and does the doctor want to see it?
That really happened. Here I was, minding my own business when a sweet little old lady walks in. She waits her turn for my window and when she gets to me she pulls out this kleenex with a HUGE wad of sputum. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's basically a loogy. So she pulls it out and says, "I just coughed this up. Does doctor want to look at it?" Really? REALLY? All I could say was "No, he does not want to see it. It needs to be done in a sterile container as a lab specimen." I mean, what else could I say? If you can think of a better answer to that one, I'll give you major props.
Then you have the patient who gets really manipulative. They insist that they need to see the doctor today, and that if I don't get them in "right now," they will die. This has seriously happened to me. Well for one, if you're on death's door, don't go to the doctor. Go to the ER! A doctor's office has very little in the way of treating death, whereas your hospital down the street has everything you might need to treat death! This one lady was pushing me on this, so she asked to see the main scheduler for the doctor. I told her that was me, and she got extremely aggressive. I was actually trying to work with her, but she would not have it. The conversation went like this:
Her: "I know you can get me in right away. I know you can just put me in anywhere you want to."
Me: "No, I really can't. I already have people scheduled and it wouldn't be fair to them to short them on their time with him."
Her: "Well, if you're they primary scheduler of the doctor, then you can."
Me: "No, I really can't."
Her: "Nazi."
Me: "Did you just call me a Nazi?"
Her: "Yes, you're a Nazi!! You are taking absolute control over his schedule and are dominating it! You're just like Hitler!"
Me: "I can't let you speak to me that way, and I'm hanging up now. Good bye."
When something like this happens we are told to document it and give it to the doctor to view. He did, and she was to be discharged from treatment. But she called back and apologized and because it was OK with me she got to come back. When she got in the room the doctor had a couple of words for her such as "I heard you called Jeanne a Nazi" and "If you do that again I will discharge you." And when he means something, he can really get the point across. She was obviously desperate, and we are always willing to work with patients who need to be seen, but not when they abuse us. Nazi. As if!
My favorite one had to be during my first year with this practice. I had been checking a woman in for her test, and due to her particular insurance I told her we would bill her and therefore not collect anything that day. She had her test and went her merry way. Cut to a month later when the bill arrives. She calls my boss (who is the doctor's wife) and complains about me. This is how my conversation with my boss went.
She: "I had a complaint about you today."
Me: "Oh no! Who was it?"
She: "It was a patient who thought she didn't have to pay anything for her test."
Me: "What????"
She: "Yeah, she told me that you told her she didn't have to pay. And then she said you 'breathed.'"
Me: "I kind of like to breathe. But what did she mean?"
She: "She said 'The girl in the front told me I didn't have to pay anything. And then she BREATHED.'"
Me: "I'm really sorry, but I have no idea what the heck she's talking about!"
She: "It was actually really funny."
Me: "Greaaaat."
Of course I did not get into trouble. All I can think of is that things were busy, and I often take big breaths to sort of calm down. She must have heard me and assumed that I was being pissy. Dude, I have to breathe!
Over the years I've seen it all. The truly ill. The old guys who flirt. The medical professionals who are sometimes the worst patients. The patients who don't listen. The patients who feel entitled because they bring in some little gift for your office. The patients who are truly trying so hard to do what they need to do but Just. Don't. Get. It. I've been called many names, been sworn at many times, and shaken my head in disbelief what must be hundreds of times. But I still love them. I want to help them. I want to pour myself out (most of the time) for them. I really do care about them!
Except when they call me a Nazi. ;-)
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Water, Discovery, and Panic
Today I woke up early and decided I would get a head start on the laundry. I don't really mind doing laundry, except the putting-it-away part. I got the clothes I was to wash, went out to the laundry room (which is really my garage) and deposited the clothes into the washer. I added the soap, turned on the water, then went back into the house to you know, do stuff. \When the cycle had completed its run, I went out and put the clothes from the washer into the dryer. Blissfully unaware of what was to happen next, I reached down to put the last piece of laundry in the dryer only to discover that I HAD WASHED MY PHONE.
For those of you who have washed your phones, you can completely sympathize with me. The emotions run the gambit of "Oh crap! I washed my phone!" to "Muahaha now I can get a new phone!" to "Oh no, what will the children say..." And really, the last one is the worst. I have lectured my kids upside down and backwards about this. "Put your phone in a safe place and you CAN'T wash it. I just isn't possible." And with two out of three kids washing their phones MULTIPLE times, this seems like sound advice. And it is, sans the irritation and judgement about how careless they were. Now I have to eat my words. This will not be fun, mark my words. To any one of you who have had to endure the cringing that takes place when your kids catch you doing something you preach to them no to, well - it's going to be the opposite of someone bestowing loving and gentle words upon you. They will eat me alive with this one! Not to make them sound terrible, but they are related to me and Dave, so I know what I'm in store for. ;-)
After finding my phone water logged and dead in the bottom of the washer, I snatched it up and sprinted upstairs to plug it in and see what was going to happen. Dave was looking at me like I was crazy, and then being a very logical person tried to tell me that it wasn't going to work. He realized his mistake when I looked at him with wild and crazy eyes and yelled "I've got to try! You have to understand that!" He of course backed way off while managing to turn the sympathy vibe on which was really good that he did because I was in a panic. Twenty years of marriage will teach you that, won't it? Well, it will if you're smart.
After unsuccessfully trying to resuscitate my phone, I gave up. I called Verizon where a very nice lady told me how I could steal my son's upgrade and then switch my phone number with his so he could keep using his old one. I don't know how he got the early upgrade date, but he did. Stinking kids! I will be stealing the upgrade after church today. <---- Now that's funny!
Anyone have any good "I lost/washed/killed my phone stories?
For those of you who have washed your phones, you can completely sympathize with me. The emotions run the gambit of "Oh crap! I washed my phone!" to "Muahaha now I can get a new phone!" to "Oh no, what will the children say..." And really, the last one is the worst. I have lectured my kids upside down and backwards about this. "Put your phone in a safe place and you CAN'T wash it. I just isn't possible." And with two out of three kids washing their phones MULTIPLE times, this seems like sound advice. And it is, sans the irritation and judgement about how careless they were. Now I have to eat my words. This will not be fun, mark my words. To any one of you who have had to endure the cringing that takes place when your kids catch you doing something you preach to them no to, well - it's going to be the opposite of someone bestowing loving and gentle words upon you. They will eat me alive with this one! Not to make them sound terrible, but they are related to me and Dave, so I know what I'm in store for. ;-)
After finding my phone water logged and dead in the bottom of the washer, I snatched it up and sprinted upstairs to plug it in and see what was going to happen. Dave was looking at me like I was crazy, and then being a very logical person tried to tell me that it wasn't going to work. He realized his mistake when I looked at him with wild and crazy eyes and yelled "I've got to try! You have to understand that!" He of course backed way off while managing to turn the sympathy vibe on which was really good that he did because I was in a panic. Twenty years of marriage will teach you that, won't it? Well, it will if you're smart.
After unsuccessfully trying to resuscitate my phone, I gave up. I called Verizon where a very nice lady told me how I could steal my son's upgrade and then switch my phone number with his so he could keep using his old one. I don't know how he got the early upgrade date, but he did. Stinking kids! I will be stealing the upgrade after church today. <---- Now that's funny!
Anyone have any good "I lost/washed/killed my phone stories?
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Introductions
Hello, Blogspot!
I love the variety of people I've invited to view this blog. There are friends from work, old friends, new friends, people I know really well, and people I don't. And as I was thinking about mostly the people who don't, I realized that you may not know much about me, either. So here is the story of me and Dave.
I came to Hope Chapel Long Beach not really knowing what to expect. I had, of course, gone to church a lot when I was a kid, but not really since I'd been an adult. I walked into a very warm and welcoming atmosphere, settled into my seat, and noticed a very good looking man right in my line of site. He was tall, muscular, and he had hair that fell into ringlets down his head. I couldn't tell at the time, but I was later to look into the most beautiful blue eyes I had ever seen. I couldn't help it. I thought, "wow!" and then tried to focus on the message. He was just very charismatic and attractive! But honestly, I was in a not good place in my heart, and God was working on that. I decided I would not go out of my way to meet him, and left it at that.
Monday night comes, and I am working up the courage to go to the singles Bible study. I walked into Bible study, and there he was, stringing a guitar. I sat down on the love seat (haha, just realized what that sounded like) and he was to my right on the couch. Study hadn't started yet, and so not being a guitar player at that time, and with no one talking, I decided to open up and talk. I said "What are you doing?" And without looking at me, and with a very rough tone in his voice he said "Stringing a guitar."
Being used to the sort of guy that was very interested in me, this was a strange phenomenon. Here was this guy, and he was so rude! And he was being rude to mwah! As I got to know him, the words that would best describe him to me would be rude, rough, and uncouth. I had never met anyone so arrogant in my life. Plus, he made me so uncomfortable, like there was something wrong with me. Turns out, he was not so up on me, either! What a shocker. ;-)
We ended up doing a lot of things together, mainly because we had to. We were in a very small singles group, and therefore, we did everything together. He drove me crazy every time I saw him. I mean, this guy was like the most exasperating and frustrating guy I had ever met! He challenged everything I said, no matter how benign it was. I literally got to the point where I would cross the room to avoid him. Not quite the sweet love story you were expecting, was it? And the most frightening part about it was the moment I realized I actually had feelings for him.
It had been a lovely day, just sitting there by the pool with my friend April. I think I was complaining to her about how much he irritated me when suddenly there was a voice in my head. I mean, I literally heard it say "He would not bother me so much if I didn't have feelings for him." I tell you, it was as if someone had punched me in the stomach. Or opened a veil. Me? Like him? Oh no. Oh crap. NO!!!!!!! I poured out my heart to God that night, pleading with Him to make it go away! We were still having a lot of fights, he and I, and it scared me to think I could actually have feelings for him.
Then came the day my roomate, Wendy, suggested that we start praying for Dave. We prayed faithfully for him every night, and that God would change my heart and I would have sisterly love for him. We prayed I would care about his welfare and his life. I tried really hard during that time to deny how I felt about him but oddly (she said, facetiously,) my feelings just got stronger! And the prayer did work. We actually started being able to hang out without being so contentious with each other. S-l-o-w-l-y we started becoming real friends. Our gang of singles hung out every Sunday, and not too long after that we started hanging out together, just the two of us. He would bring over breakfast items and we'd cook them together and then hang out after church together as well.
One day while we were hanging out and watching back-to-back episodes of Hart to Hart, he kissed me. I felt crazy happy and then repulsed because you know, he was my friend! You don't kiss your friends! But, in that moment, he became much more than my friend. He became my BEST friend. We did everything together. He used to come over and we'd pray on the church steps by my apartment. We walked around Balboa peninsula. We had lovely conversations about our future. I couldn't believe we actually were dating, and I was extremely happy.
Then, on November 13th we were outside on those same steps. He looked at me and said "Will you be my wife?" With absolutely no hesitation I said "yes." :-) For me, it was perfect. So spontaneous, so heartfelt. We sat there and cuddled into the we hours of the morning, marveling at what God had been able to do to bring us together.
Remembering those times makes me feel so good, because after 20 years we've gone a full circle and feel that same way about each other. The way we felt that day he proposed. Because you see, life has not been easy. There were many times when we could have decided to call it quits because of our stubborn and prideful personalities, and because of the devastating trials we endured. But we didn't. We allowed God to teach us about real love. The kind of love where you don't love each other in your own strength, but you love in God's strength. We learned to be patient, and kind. We learned not to take into account a wrong suffered. We learned to trust each other with every fiber of our beings. We came to a gentle place, full of that newlywed kind of mushiness. Oh, we can still throw it down like we're challenging for the heavyweight title, believe me. But there is a long suffering there that wasn't there before. A willingness to give more and more grace. A tenderness learned at the altar of humility, doing what's right because Jesus said to.
Dave + Jeanne = TLA. ;-)
I love the variety of people I've invited to view this blog. There are friends from work, old friends, new friends, people I know really well, and people I don't. And as I was thinking about mostly the people who don't, I realized that you may not know much about me, either. So here is the story of me and Dave.
I came to Hope Chapel Long Beach not really knowing what to expect. I had, of course, gone to church a lot when I was a kid, but not really since I'd been an adult. I walked into a very warm and welcoming atmosphere, settled into my seat, and noticed a very good looking man right in my line of site. He was tall, muscular, and he had hair that fell into ringlets down his head. I couldn't tell at the time, but I was later to look into the most beautiful blue eyes I had ever seen. I couldn't help it. I thought, "wow!" and then tried to focus on the message. He was just very charismatic and attractive! But honestly, I was in a not good place in my heart, and God was working on that. I decided I would not go out of my way to meet him, and left it at that.
Monday night comes, and I am working up the courage to go to the singles Bible study. I walked into Bible study, and there he was, stringing a guitar. I sat down on the love seat (haha, just realized what that sounded like) and he was to my right on the couch. Study hadn't started yet, and so not being a guitar player at that time, and with no one talking, I decided to open up and talk. I said "What are you doing?" And without looking at me, and with a very rough tone in his voice he said "Stringing a guitar."
Being used to the sort of guy that was very interested in me, this was a strange phenomenon. Here was this guy, and he was so rude! And he was being rude to mwah! As I got to know him, the words that would best describe him to me would be rude, rough, and uncouth. I had never met anyone so arrogant in my life. Plus, he made me so uncomfortable, like there was something wrong with me. Turns out, he was not so up on me, either! What a shocker. ;-)
We ended up doing a lot of things together, mainly because we had to. We were in a very small singles group, and therefore, we did everything together. He drove me crazy every time I saw him. I mean, this guy was like the most exasperating and frustrating guy I had ever met! He challenged everything I said, no matter how benign it was. I literally got to the point where I would cross the room to avoid him. Not quite the sweet love story you were expecting, was it? And the most frightening part about it was the moment I realized I actually had feelings for him.
It had been a lovely day, just sitting there by the pool with my friend April. I think I was complaining to her about how much he irritated me when suddenly there was a voice in my head. I mean, I literally heard it say "He would not bother me so much if I didn't have feelings for him." I tell you, it was as if someone had punched me in the stomach. Or opened a veil. Me? Like him? Oh no. Oh crap. NO!!!!!!! I poured out my heart to God that night, pleading with Him to make it go away! We were still having a lot of fights, he and I, and it scared me to think I could actually have feelings for him.
Then came the day my roomate, Wendy, suggested that we start praying for Dave. We prayed faithfully for him every night, and that God would change my heart and I would have sisterly love for him. We prayed I would care about his welfare and his life. I tried really hard during that time to deny how I felt about him but oddly (she said, facetiously,) my feelings just got stronger! And the prayer did work. We actually started being able to hang out without being so contentious with each other. S-l-o-w-l-y we started becoming real friends. Our gang of singles hung out every Sunday, and not too long after that we started hanging out together, just the two of us. He would bring over breakfast items and we'd cook them together and then hang out after church together as well.
One day while we were hanging out and watching back-to-back episodes of Hart to Hart, he kissed me. I felt crazy happy and then repulsed because you know, he was my friend! You don't kiss your friends! But, in that moment, he became much more than my friend. He became my BEST friend. We did everything together. He used to come over and we'd pray on the church steps by my apartment. We walked around Balboa peninsula. We had lovely conversations about our future. I couldn't believe we actually were dating, and I was extremely happy.
Then, on November 13th we were outside on those same steps. He looked at me and said "Will you be my wife?" With absolutely no hesitation I said "yes." :-) For me, it was perfect. So spontaneous, so heartfelt. We sat there and cuddled into the we hours of the morning, marveling at what God had been able to do to bring us together.
Remembering those times makes me feel so good, because after 20 years we've gone a full circle and feel that same way about each other. The way we felt that day he proposed. Because you see, life has not been easy. There were many times when we could have decided to call it quits because of our stubborn and prideful personalities, and because of the devastating trials we endured. But we didn't. We allowed God to teach us about real love. The kind of love where you don't love each other in your own strength, but you love in God's strength. We learned to be patient, and kind. We learned not to take into account a wrong suffered. We learned to trust each other with every fiber of our beings. We came to a gentle place, full of that newlywed kind of mushiness. Oh, we can still throw it down like we're challenging for the heavyweight title, believe me. But there is a long suffering there that wasn't there before. A willingness to give more and more grace. A tenderness learned at the altar of humility, doing what's right because Jesus said to.
Dave + Jeanne = TLA. ;-)
Back From Obscurity
Hello, Blogspot. It's been a long time.
I started blogging in 2008 when we first moved to Arizona. It was so fun! I loved the creative outlet it offered, and it was a fun way to keep in touch with all my homies. Then life got hard, and I didn't really feel like revisiting it in a blog post. So, I deleted my account.
I actually had no plans to start blogging again, but recently I've been feeling the need to stretch my writing wings a bit. I'm not a "real" writer like a few of my friends are, but I find it's such a creative way to fulfill my little writing itches. And frankly, sometimes I just like a forum to rant in! Unlike several blogs I belong to, no one here can tell me to curtail my comments! All right, I'll cop to the truth. And if you know me, you'll understand why they admonished me. I was on a Phoenix Suns blog site, and they told me to tone down my "homer" comments. It's just never going to happen, Suns blog. Anyhow - it's a good reason to take up blogging and create my own account. (And I still secretly smile when I think about being "talked" to. It's probably a bad thing to be proud of! ;-p)
I'm happy to be back!
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