Much Improved

Yesterday morning I decided Bob needed to actually see the urologist. Not an easy thing to accomplish but I was up for a challenge so I started at 8:30 a.m. and by 3:00 p.m. we were sitting in the office of the urologist.

Things began to break our way once the urologist entered the room. He ordered Bob's catheter out, and talked at length with us. We returned early this morning for some tests. At this moment in time Bob is managing fairly well. There are still future appointments ahead of us and some work to be done learning to deal with incontinence supplies but we're in a much improved place today.

Every doctor's office has its own personality and generally I do well adjusting to the wishes of a clinic but not so with this group of urologists. I don't think it's our doctor, but either the other doctors or the office manager has given the office staff some very rigid guidelines. They absolutely cannot deal with a situation that does not fit within their rules.

I tried to get Bob in the next day after we were in the ER but could not get past the severe wall of office staff there to guard against people like me. I could scale Donald Trumps 'wall' easier than I could get past the guards in that office. They absolutely would not break the rule that a catheter had to be in 14 days before returning to see the doctor. Since he'd never seen the doctor in the first place I thought that was a dumb rule.

Yesterday was it for me, enough was enough. I spoke with the doctor about the situation when we finally saw him, and explained I wanted to be nice but I simply could not figure out the system for working with his office staff. He said to me "Don't try to be nice. When you think you need to be seen just show up. They will not send you away." It could be the office manager but I'm thinking it is more likely the senior doctor in the group who's responsible for these rigid rules. Perhaps he's a rigid person himself and likes a lot of protection from his patients.

In the future I will 1) just show up, or 2) leave a message for our urologist's assistant, and work through her. You live and learn. We are exhausted, and I feel like I've fought a war, but that damn catheter is gone!
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We picked up Bob's new glasses. He said they were better and we came home. He told me he would try to wear them all time like everyone seemed to think he should.

A few minutes later I see him with four pair of glasses, three of which were older prescriptions. He was trying all four pair to see which pair was best! I told him his new glasses were as good as it was possible to do for him, that he needed to put the other three pairs away and use only the new ones.

Just now I caught him reading the paper with an old pair. He clearly did not realize he had an older pair. Said he just picked up a pair that was on the table. Since he did not put away the old glasses I will.

He is back to wearing his glasses in his pocket.
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I'm interested in Donald Trump's trip to Mexico today. I was amused to see he was taking Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama with him. He is about the most rabid anti-immigration person in the senate. Fine choice there Donald.  The other person he took was former NYC mayor Giuliani, who's gone completely off the rails lately. What a group. Don't believe it if Trump comes back and reports Mexico agreed to pay for the 'wall.'