Not Today… I have an appointment…
I haven’t been in the blogosphere much this summer. Early in the summer, I had a death in my family. But mostly I feel like I have been swallowed up by the appointment gods.
Other than regular physical therapy, I didn’t have too many health related appointments during the school year. As I focused on my first year of college, I had kind of forgotten about the appointment world, that medicalized life. But, now, this summer, I’ve had to pay the piper. Here’s how I’ve been spending my time over the past few months :
An MRI without anesthesia (MRI machines don’t like spasms)
An MRI with anesthesia
Bone density scan
Orthotist appointment for AFO check (Hey! I don’t need new AFO’s!)
Orthotist appointment for neck splint (splint was of no help)
Physiatrist appointment
Two dentist appointments
An orthodontist appointment
An eye doctor appointment
A pulmonologist appointment
Two sleep apnea studies (hard to sleep during those!)
Wheelchair maintenance (although my role was staying home without my chair; my mother went to this appointment and the 3 appointments for van lift repairs without me.)
Wheelchair repair (despite above maintenance, my chair broke at a highly inopportune time – away from home, just before I was to give a presentation at the Illinois Youth with Disabilities Leadership Summit)
Computer training classes to help me learn Spanish Dragon, Spanish Soothsayer Word Prediction, and increase my use of keyboard shortcuts (to decrease neck pain) once per week for several weeks.
A meeting with my Department of Rehabilitation representative
A physical therapy appointment three times a week most weeks.
Because I knew that this summer would be heavy on appointments, I opted out of summer school. Good decision. And, I regularly scheduled recharging time – including a great trip via Niagara Falls for my sister’s graduation in Massachusetts, several family gatherings and some serious downtime – movies, sports, games. Unfortunately, I was not able to work on any projects that I wanted to work on --- frustrating because the busy-ness of school is right around the corner.
During this summer of appointments, I reacquainted myself with the old challenges, annoyances, and vulnerabilities of this aspect of living with cerebral palsy.
1. TIME AND ENERGY
Appointments eat up so much time. So much physical energy and so much mental energy. Mentally preparing for the visit, physically getting ready to go to the appointment, the car ride, looking for a wheelchair accessible place to park our raised roof van, waiting in the waiting room. All this before anything is even accomplished. As a person with limited stamina, the time issue alone is major, even though I have learned a few tricks from others. Although health care facilities have accessible entrances, their procedure rooms, exam tables, and cafeterias tend to be one size fits all. Quite a bit of energy goes into figuring how to make things work for me. By the time I get home, my energy is sapped and it feels as though my day has been taken away from me.
2. PROVIDER AND STAFF SENSITIVITY
Some healthcare and service providers seem completely oblivious to the fact that seeing them is not the highlight of my week. Some, no, many, use the opportunity to tell me about what a difficult day they are having – a busy schedule, an "impossible" job, even another patient who is difficult. While these problems may make a valid impact on their day, I don’t want to hear about it. I often feel the unspoken message, “I hope you are not going to add to my hassles today, David.” And, listening to the secretary’s or repair person’s woes is just a waste of my precious time (see number 1). Just as I am not at this appointment to make someone’s day miserable, I am also not here to make the day pleasant. I am here to meet a need that I have. Simple as that. I am here not because this is how I’d like to spend my day, but because I need some tool or advice to be able to do what I want to do.
3. ETIQUETTE OF FAKE, NICEY-NICE SMALL TALK
There are some unspoken appointment etiquette rules that a patient must follow. And these can drive me nuts. I don’t know if small talk drives everybody crazy – maybe it’s just me or just because I have so many appointments, but I get really tired and annoyed with chitchat. I don’t always feel like being polite and making small talk with providers and staff. If I am tired from other stresses or in a bad mood, I feel like I have to hide that. There’s a performance aspect to many appointments that is difficult to describe – be nice, friendly, and sweet. And if I’m called “buddy” or “honey” by someone who is meeting me for the first time, I just smile. Sometimes I feel an underlying message that being liked gets better care. (This coupled with number 2 above multiplies the aggravation. And, of course, number 1 – my time- goes downhill as well.)
4. APPOINTMENTS ALWAYS LEAD TO MORE APPOINTMENTS. More tests, more procedures, followup appointments, etc., etc. I am learning from my mom to always question whether I really need X procedure and could I return in 6 months instead of 3 months and let’s have Test A while having Test B.
5. IDENTITY MOLDING
Finally, even though I think I am secure in my identity, multiple appointments could consume my identity if I let them. I have to tell myself that I and my time are worth demanding repair service or prompt attention for a need even when the provider finds the timing inconvenient. Running through my medical history or listing what I cannot do or being poked and prodded and told what’s “wrong” with me is really wearing on the self esteem. I try to keep my guard up, because you never know when an ego blow might come. I have to work to not let myself get sucked into the idea that I am defined by somebody else’s list of my “problems.”
I have to add that I have some wonderful providers and have met some wonderful staff – people who are thoughtful, respectful, and efficient with both their time and my time. I am so very appreciative of them, their expertise, and their attitudes. And I even have a handful with whom I do have a personal relationship. But, even under these circumstances, going to an appointment is never how I’d choose to spend my limited energy. There’s a lot else to do with my life!
Other than regular physical therapy, I didn’t have too many health related appointments during the school year. As I focused on my first year of college, I had kind of forgotten about the appointment world, that medicalized life. But, now, this summer, I’ve had to pay the piper. Here’s how I’ve been spending my time over the past few months :
An MRI without anesthesia (MRI machines don’t like spasms)
An MRI with anesthesia
Bone density scan
Orthotist appointment for AFO check (Hey! I don’t need new AFO’s!)
Orthotist appointment for neck splint (splint was of no help)
Physiatrist appointment
Two dentist appointments
An orthodontist appointment
An eye doctor appointment
A pulmonologist appointment
Two sleep apnea studies (hard to sleep during those!)
Wheelchair maintenance (although my role was staying home without my chair; my mother went to this appointment and the 3 appointments for van lift repairs without me.)
Wheelchair repair (despite above maintenance, my chair broke at a highly inopportune time – away from home, just before I was to give a presentation at the Illinois Youth with Disabilities Leadership Summit)
Computer training classes to help me learn Spanish Dragon, Spanish Soothsayer Word Prediction, and increase my use of keyboard shortcuts (to decrease neck pain) once per week for several weeks.
A meeting with my Department of Rehabilitation representative
A physical therapy appointment three times a week most weeks.
Because I knew that this summer would be heavy on appointments, I opted out of summer school. Good decision. And, I regularly scheduled recharging time – including a great trip via Niagara Falls for my sister’s graduation in Massachusetts, several family gatherings and some serious downtime – movies, sports, games. Unfortunately, I was not able to work on any projects that I wanted to work on --- frustrating because the busy-ness of school is right around the corner.
During this summer of appointments, I reacquainted myself with the old challenges, annoyances, and vulnerabilities of this aspect of living with cerebral palsy.
1. TIME AND ENERGY
Appointments eat up so much time. So much physical energy and so much mental energy. Mentally preparing for the visit, physically getting ready to go to the appointment, the car ride, looking for a wheelchair accessible place to park our raised roof van, waiting in the waiting room. All this before anything is even accomplished. As a person with limited stamina, the time issue alone is major, even though I have learned a few tricks from others. Although health care facilities have accessible entrances, their procedure rooms, exam tables, and cafeterias tend to be one size fits all. Quite a bit of energy goes into figuring how to make things work for me. By the time I get home, my energy is sapped and it feels as though my day has been taken away from me.
2. PROVIDER AND STAFF SENSITIVITY
Some healthcare and service providers seem completely oblivious to the fact that seeing them is not the highlight of my week. Some, no, many, use the opportunity to tell me about what a difficult day they are having – a busy schedule, an "impossible" job, even another patient who is difficult. While these problems may make a valid impact on their day, I don’t want to hear about it. I often feel the unspoken message, “I hope you are not going to add to my hassles today, David.” And, listening to the secretary’s or repair person’s woes is just a waste of my precious time (see number 1). Just as I am not at this appointment to make someone’s day miserable, I am also not here to make the day pleasant. I am here to meet a need that I have. Simple as that. I am here not because this is how I’d like to spend my day, but because I need some tool or advice to be able to do what I want to do.
3. ETIQUETTE OF FAKE, NICEY-NICE SMALL TALK
There are some unspoken appointment etiquette rules that a patient must follow. And these can drive me nuts. I don’t know if small talk drives everybody crazy – maybe it’s just me or just because I have so many appointments, but I get really tired and annoyed with chitchat. I don’t always feel like being polite and making small talk with providers and staff. If I am tired from other stresses or in a bad mood, I feel like I have to hide that. There’s a performance aspect to many appointments that is difficult to describe – be nice, friendly, and sweet. And if I’m called “buddy” or “honey” by someone who is meeting me for the first time, I just smile. Sometimes I feel an underlying message that being liked gets better care. (This coupled with number 2 above multiplies the aggravation. And, of course, number 1 – my time- goes downhill as well.)
4. APPOINTMENTS ALWAYS LEAD TO MORE APPOINTMENTS. More tests, more procedures, followup appointments, etc., etc. I am learning from my mom to always question whether I really need X procedure and could I return in 6 months instead of 3 months and let’s have Test A while having Test B.
5. IDENTITY MOLDING
Finally, even though I think I am secure in my identity, multiple appointments could consume my identity if I let them. I have to tell myself that I and my time are worth demanding repair service or prompt attention for a need even when the provider finds the timing inconvenient. Running through my medical history or listing what I cannot do or being poked and prodded and told what’s “wrong” with me is really wearing on the self esteem. I try to keep my guard up, because you never know when an ego blow might come. I have to work to not let myself get sucked into the idea that I am defined by somebody else’s list of my “problems.”
I have to add that I have some wonderful providers and have met some wonderful staff – people who are thoughtful, respectful, and efficient with both their time and my time. I am so very appreciative of them, their expertise, and their attitudes. And I even have a handful with whom I do have a personal relationship. But, even under these circumstances, going to an appointment is never how I’d choose to spend my limited energy. There’s a lot else to do with my life!
