Here we go again! I couldn’t make it to my mother’s Tuesday appointment at the oncology clinic so I sent in a sub. Now, we already know that it is trouble when we a non-blood relative is sent to pinch-hit. I should have seen this coming.
One of the prophylactic drugs that my mom needs is extremely expensive. It actually costs three thousand dollars for a month’s supply and is not covered by her medical insurance. She is in the process of working with a social worker to try to get some sort of assistance with the cost of the drug. When she doesn’t take this medication, a fungal infection takes over her respiratory system and inevitably turns into pneumonia. Pneumonia is always a hospital stay and is always life-threatening. Long story short, she needs this medication.
The staff at the clinic has been able to supply my mother with a thirty day supply to get her started but, we have just about reached the end of the thirty days. Unfortunately, we have yet to secure funding assistance for this drug so; the clinic has generously offered another thirty day supply. So, back to my husband covering for me at yesterday’s appointment.
Mom is always irritated when we go to the clinic. She doesn’t understand why she has to be there so long (as if cancer has a drive-thru treatment). She is a diabetic and should always have a snack and her insulin with her but, never does. She has stated over and over that the visits should be quicker and she shouldn’t have to bring supplies. (I guess she thinks that being mad at the cancer will make it go away?) So, she is getting to the end of the visit but the Nurse Practitioner is not coming out to see her. Mom, has been told by the doctor and the nurse that the Nurse Practitioner has the medication in her pocket and will hand it to my mom as soon as she gets done seeing another patient. So, what do you think my mother does at this point?
A rational human being would sit down and wait for the NP to come and see her. My mother decides that she has been there long enough and tells my husband that she is ready to go. Now, hubby is no dope and is aware that mom is one of the bad kids so, he asks her to just wait a minute and goes to the desk to see how long it will be until the NP will come out. When the receptionist tells him that she is hung up with a patient, my mother (who was eavesdropping) throws her hands up in the air and storms out.
Now, here is where I would have done something differently. I would have told her to storm out if she wanted but I was going to wait for the medication. She would have gotten on the elevator and probably just waited for me in the lobby. Unfortunately, hubby is concerned that she will wonder out into the big bad city and will have to explain how he lost my mother, never to be seen again. So, he follows her and is conned into taking her home because she has three pills left and she can pick up the meds on Friday, three days away. Here is where she is super devious! Yes, she had three pills and there were three days until she returned to the clinic but, what she left out is that she has to take the medication TWICE A DAY!
Cause: Mom decided that is was not worth an additional ten minutes
Effect: My father (her ex-husband and a co-senior citizen) had to travel all the way downtown to fetch the medication, I was late for work and my son had to witness me making mother cry when I was reading her the riot-act and asking her why she pulls this crap with our spouses.
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