Addendum: The Helpful Hospital

Well, after all that cyber bitching it all actually worked out.
Friday, while at work, feeling pretty good, (until about noon, then I got really dizzy and just tried to stay sitting) I made another call to the good Doctors office. I was still kinda hot from the day before and I was ready to take a few verbal jabs over the phone. Called once, got the machine. I decided not to leave a message, I saw how well that worked out the day before, so I called back a few minutes later. Success! I actually got a real live person on the phone and it was the good Doctor's secretary! Score! I jumped into my story feet first and before I even finished the first sentence I heard, "Ben, of course, we want to get this all worked out." I was a bit taken aback, I mean, I want to believe in the best of people, I would like to be a trusting man, but as they say fool me once.....Anyway, she got the schedule people on the phone, and unfortunately they weren't able to help me. In their defense they tried, but their hands were tied. I began to lose heart. That whole trusting people, beliving in the best starts to fade, but then the good Doctor's Secretary called in the big guns. She decided to go right to the top and call the women who actually schedule the MRIs. Now I knew we were gonna get somewhere. The phone rang, it rang again, it rang a third time, and then...an answer machine. Oh the humanity! Like getting my legs cut out from under me, sand kicked in my eyes, and told I have incurable disease. Oh wait, um, already happened, minus the sand. Anyway, had I gotten my hopes up for nothing? Here I sit with dreams of MRI in my mind and all I get is this rolling office chair and my bony butt. However, the good Doctor's secretary still seems hopeful and leaves a message with my cell phone number and tells me they should get back to me soon. We hang up, and honestly I feel a little hung out to dry. I go back to my desk and surf the internet some more.
Incidentally I do a lot of this at work. I mean I work my behind off, but really only on certain days. So I'm not sure exactly why I have a full time job. I don't want to seem ungrateful here, I mean who gets a job like this in these economic times, but I mean seriously maybe we are in tough economic times because you're giving guys like me cushy jobs in middle management, but I digress.
About an hour later I decided to give them a call back on the number that the good Doctor's secretary has supplied me with. No luck, back to the machine. I don't leave a message. I figure no reason to seem desperate, or at least to remove all illusion of being as desperate as I was. about 20 minutes later the phone lights up and low and behold its the girls from the MRI scheduling department. Apparently they are also aware of my plight and are on the case to rectify the wrongs that have been committed. Wow, what a difference a day makes!
Well, the MRI girls take a look and see that they have a 12:40pm appointment on Saturday. Perfect I say. Then they get into the nuts and bolts of it, insurance, prescription, etc. I feel that old nagging feeling of disappointment creeping in, or it's just the pins and needles in my hands and feet from the MS. Either way I'm not happy about it. Just as I am figuring they will say sorry we will see you on the 17th, I hear, "okay were gonna have to give you a call back, I'm gonna need to call your doctor and insurance company. I have put you in for this appointment regardless." Then I heard it," Don't worry we'll get this worked out for you." Wow what a roller coaster of emotion. So through out the day my cell phone rang, the nice women of the MRI department giving a call just to let me know at what point of the process they were in.
"Got your prescription...We are in the process of getting a pre-cert...you should call your insurance company they have your name spelled wrong.(figures)" Helpful things like that. All in all it was a pretty great experience.
So here we are Saturday evening. I have been to the hospital had my MRI. Again all in all a good experience. It being a Saturday there were very few people around, only one kid and he was getting in trouble by his grandfather, so he was in good health. I signed in, and still had my paper work from the other day all filled out, handed it to the lady who said, "Oh my God, this is wonderful, I could just kiss you." Then she looked at me and kissed the air, simulating that she was giving me a kiss. I have to say it was a surprise to me, but better than say her taking a swing at me. Although, I'm sure if her man had walked in at the time he might have taken a swing at me.
Anyway, then they walked me back to the MRI area, which is where I have to get into those flatering hospital gowns. For whatever reason they make you get in two of them: one forward, one backward. Niether of them seem to really fit or tie properly, and as I exit the dressing room and take a seat in the MRI waiting room one of the four women sitting there kindly lets me know, "if you are cold there are lots of blankets just over there on the shelf." So I sat with the nice ladies and talked. Turns out two of them were from the greatest place on Earth, my home town, Reading, PA. (there will be many blog posts to come about the greatness of Reading, PA. Yes, the Railroad space on the monoply board.) The other lady and her daughter spend three months out of the year in Disney World. It was a very informative wait.
Long story short they take me back set me up in the machine. I ask for some extra padding under my head. I don't know if it is the lack of hair or what, but I always seem to get a terrible pain in the back of my head, then a knot for like two days. I am trying to avoid this. The first hour isn't so bad. I fade off, sleep, in and out, but the second hour, after they inject the contrast it isn't near as comfortable.
I guess sitting still for that long starts to ware on a bald guy and I become very much aware of the pain in the back of my head, I guess the extra padding, read folded towel, isn't really doing the trick, but I can't move my head due to the actual reason I am there. Then my face starts to itch, again very little you can do about it because of the reason I am there. I can however move my hands which have fallen asleep, but that is easy enough to shake off. Truth be told before I know it I am being pulled out of the machine, and they send me on my way. I ask them if they know what it is like out side, one of the ladies says, "hellish." Hmm, that could mean any number of things when you live in Philadelphia. Although, it seems the portion of hurricane Hanna that is suppose to hit us has hit. I make it to my car, pay the $9.00 to exit and piolt my little Yaris throuh the city of brotherly love, back to my home. I think I hit a lull in the storm, it really isn't that bad.