March 2, 2005 A List and a Rant The trouble with busy days is deciding whether to chronicle everything that happened, and risk boring people to tears, or distilling it into a couple of stories, thus missing something that seems insignificant today, but may have ramifications for tomorrow. I used to do a bulleted list of "What I did today" in my entries. So I think I'll do that, and then write some more. What I did today: Woke up kind of late for me (8:30 am), stumbled downstairs and checked e-mail. Replied to everything I could think of a rational answer to, and blindly surfed the 'net for awhile. I formatted two old entries into sort-of-poems and wrote to Joanne (whom I'd met when she came to visit Mary Ellen a couple of years back), because I know she knows the poetry market very well. She was kind enough to send me a bunch of links. I haven't sent her a thank-you letter back yet, mostly because she indicated that she might want to read the poems (to better judge the market I should submit it to), and I'm embarrassed that they might be utter crap. Got an e-mail from Suzanne (who has a hilarious short entry about her daughter today) yesterday about a local theater festival, so I looked over the two plays that would be appropriate for it, decided on one of them, and tweaked it so that it fit the time limit (basically, I needed to shave off a page and a half, which was done by cutting down stage directions...let the director figure it out!). I'll print it out and send it tomorrow or the next day. I had a quick breakfast/lunch (cereal...not exactly the breakfast of triathlon champions), remembered to plug in my iPod for charging, and got caught up in another hour's worth of work (I have to stay away from the company server at all costs next week), adding the final e-mail addresses to the list and sending it to the IT guy who'll be posting the scheduling request form to the intranet. I got a call from Mom, asking if I was going to the grocery store today (I wasn't), and asked me to write down "crushed pineapple" for tomorrow's shopping. She does birthday cakes for the guys at work, and one of them only likes angel food cake with crushed pineapple on it. Dutifully recorded the one-item shopping list. Mom asked if I had called the vet about Skottie's never-ending ear infection. I admitted I had forgotten to, so I hung up and called. They had an appointment at 4:30, and since the interview was at 2:30 (and these things rarely take more than 35 minutes), I took it. I decided to head into Cambridge early, so I could fix a template on the new hire testing laptop and maybe have lunch with Laurie. I took my camera with me, to capture a few "daylight" photographs, and along the whole day, I ended up maxing out the memory card (117 pictures), just snapping pictures of everything. Before hitting the highway, I drove to Staple's to see if they had a piece of furniture to replace the side table next to the comfy chair. All my computer stuff is piled around the chair, and I need a way to neatly store everything away. I wanted to put something behind the chair, but because of its position, I would have to find a triangular unit that would fit into a corner, and I didn't think that I'd find anything like that. I actually didn't find any acceptable furniture there, but I did check out the b&w laser printers. I found one that was very small (it could fit into a cabinet, if I found one for the family room), very fast and very affordable. Deciding to use my other (newly-paid-off) credit card, I bought the printer, because it will come in very handy for printing stories and plays without using company equipment to do so. I went to the mall and bought lunch for Laurie and myself, stopping at the hair salon along the way to see if there was a better shampoo than Head and Shoulders, because that stuff just dries my scalp right out, during the winter. Bought moderately-expensive shampoo, and had lunch in Laurie's cube. The interviewee arrived, so Lara and I ushered her into Dan's office and conducted the interview which went very well. She was nice and personable, and had real motivation to work nights. I let Lara conduct the assessment test, and took off. I had some time to kill before the vet appointment, so I went to Target in search of the aforementioned side table/cabinet, and found exactly what I was looking for. In the next aisle, I also found a triangular corner shelving unit that would fit exactly behind the comfy chair. I loaded them both into my cart (as well as a 4-pack of Jones Soda (Hey! Maybe one of my pictures will eventually be good enough to send in for their labels!), I love Jones Soda), and went to the register, where the exceptionally nice sales clerk asked me if I wanted a 10% discount just for applying for a Target Visa card. Though my credit isn't all that good, and I knew I'd be rejected on the spot, 10% is 10%, so I filled out the form and waited to be rejected and get on with my purchase. To my surprise and delight, I was approved! And not only that, I was approved for a credit limit higher than any of my other pitiful, using-them-to-rebuild-credit credit cards. So I now have another line of revolving credit to fall back on if I should ever need it. I just have to make sure I can pay this bill online, as I'm only bad at paying bills that involve using a paper check. I took my purchases home, unloaded them into the basement, grabbed the leash and went searching for Skottie. He's practically stone deaf nowadays, so calling for him was futile. I found him at the top of the stairs, and instead of being thrilled at the sight of the leash, he put his head back down on the floor and tried to ignore me. We've been to the vet too many times. I finally got him downstairs and into the car, and off to the vet we went. Skottie saw a third doctor for the ear infection. She took all of five minutes to determine that the last three courses of treatment hadn't worked, so she suggested something else. I agreed, and went to the counter, where I got into an altercation that I eventually won (more on that below). Went home, chatted with Mom and checked e-mail before dinner. Work e-mail had a message from the woman Christy had recommended me to, for an assistant's position. She asked if we could get together tomorrow or Friday, and I said that, since I'd be in Cambridge tomorrow morning anyway, I could drop by the office and we could talk. I'm so excited about this, I can't even describe it. I'm actually feeling like a sought-after commodity! Dinner was served, interrupted only at the end by Chris and the kids (they usually show up right as we're starting to eat, so this was a pleasant surprise). Chris had paperwork to drop off, and he gave me an update on the table for the company crafts fair (it sounds like it's going to be beautiful), and I gave him an update on his website (which I'll be lucky if it's halfway decent. I'm trying too many bells and whistles when all he needs is a few static pages). I asked the girls (who are learning to sew because Nana does it, and love the sewing machine) if they would do me a favor and fix the pockets on a pair of pants I own. They seemed thrilled with the prospect of a "real" sewing job, so Mom told them that they could come over this weekend and she'd help them do the mending. (Pockets are easy...it doesn't matter if they get the seams straight or not.) I felt bad not having a project for CJ to work on, but he didn't seem to be paying attention. I went to Laurie's, where we watched Lost (the best episode of the series yet, due mostly to the fact that it was all about my favorite character on the show) and sort of watched Alias, but mostly gossiped and talked about Laurie's upcoming move to her Mom's house. I got home, booted up the computer and started to write an entry, but chatted with Stephanie and Becky for a very long time. I finally had to bid them a fond farewell and get down to writing, so that I could finish this before daylight. And now, we're all caught up! Okay, I've written 1,500+ words in a list format, when I was going for brevity. Is anyone still there? If so, I think I'll just tell the vet story before I have to shower and go see Dr. B. (no, it's not really that late, but almost). It had been a day of ups and downs. I was feeling good about my recent acquisition of more credit, but a bit guilty about yet another tech purchase (though it is essential to me for writing, even though I could conceivably print out whatever I wanted to at work). I had a great interview with the candidate, but was put off by Lara's attitude towards her (she thought that the woman wouldn't be suitable for the position because she had an MBA, which is silly to assume, since at least three people in our department [including Lara herself] have advanced degrees, including Laurie, who is the best designer in the department, I think). I had a good lunch with Laurie, but read an e-mail that so thoroughly pissed me off (no, it wasn't from anyone who's reading this) that I had to call Mom just to vent about it (she was sent the same e-mail, but wasn't home from work yet, so she hadn't checked e-mail yet), and step away from the computer, lest I fire off a reply that I would later regret. I kept my online "mouth" shut, but I'm really and truly done with this person. I can only try so hard before I finally realize that some things are never going to change, and it's better to just keep a polite distance, rather than try to get involved with someone who obviously doesn't want you to be in his/her life. Anyway, with all this going on, I went to the vet's office, where Skottie spent his time shaking like a leaf and, once in the exam room, nipping (he never nips, not once since we got him) and growling and jumping up on the door. Every time we've gone to the vet over the past couple of months, they've agressively cleaned out his ears, to the point where I've heard him yelping very loudly from the back room. The vet checked him out, took a culture from his ear, and came back five minutes later, saying that the very expensive medication they'd recommended didn't work at all, and that we would have to try something else. She also recommended another ear wash; something that would dry out more easily than what she had sold to us before. Considering this was meant to be a routine "follow-up" visit, and we've never been charged for follow-ups with Trooper (who has had much more expensive, difficult problems than an ear infection), I was surprised when the bill came to $150. I asked the receptionist how much of that was the medication, and she said $40. I told her that I wasn't inclined to pay for the checkup or the labs, as they've been performed three times before, and the doctor(s) (we've seen a different one each time we've gone there with Skottie) hadn't been able to help heal him. The receptionist looked utterly flummoxed by this until the clinic manager showed up, took Skottie's file from her, and flipped through it. It looks like you were told to clean out his ears every day, and you cleaned them out every other day, back in December," she started out with. "Well," I said, "First off, that's wrong. And secondly, I don't appreciate the fact that you're trying to shift the blame for my dog's medical problems on inadequate care on our part. We've done everything the vets have told us to do, to the letter." "I wasn't trying to shift blame, sir, I was merely pointing out a fact--" "That isn't a fact. We cleaned out Skottie's ears every day when the vet told us to bump up the number of times he needed to have them cleaned. Re-check the chart." She did so, said, "Oh," and then, "I'm going to have to discuss this with the doctor before removing any charges." "Why's that?" "Because I'm not qualified to read a chart and make a determination on diagnosis." "Except as a bully tactic to try and get me to pay for services that I don't think should have been applied," I said. "That's certainly not the case," she said, "I was merely trying to see if everything was done right." "Even though you just admitted that you aren't qualified to read a chart?" "I'll speak with the doctor," she said, and left the lobby. The receptionists all looked a little stunned at me, and I walked over to the bird cage. One of the receptionists said, "They're so loud in the afternoons." "That's why I never had birds after the first one," I said to her. We both laughed. I wasn't a scary, off-his-nut guy like they thought. The clinic manager returned. "The doctor can't see you right now," she said. "He's with a patient." "I saw Dr. S__," I said, "Why do I have to speak with Dr. R__?" "He's the managing physician here, and he's very busy right now." "That's okay," I said, sitting down. "Today, I'm not very busy. So you let him know I'm here, and will be here until he can see me." "If that's what you want, I can't stop you," she said, and turned to leave. "Excuse me," I said (in a calm and rational manner, even though I know I'm sounding a bit like a wingnut right now). She turned around. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't take that attitude with me." "Sir, I don't 'take attitude' with people," she said. "Maybe you should take a time out and speak to me when you're feeling a bit more rational." "That response right there is exactly what I'm talking about," I said. "I'm a customer who's been coming here for 20 years. I used to work here back before [the large veteranary conglomerate] took it over. Back then, someone who talked to a client like you're talking to me would be reprimanded, at the very least. So I would appreciate it if you told Dr. R__ that I'm here, and I'm waiting, and I'll see him as soon as he's free." She left, actually slamming the door to the office as she did so. I understand that I was being a hardass at this point, but I was being a reasonable, calm, even-tempered hardass. I've been in customer service in some capacity all my life, and I'd be mortified if I treated a customer with the disrespect she showed me. About 15 minutes later, a vet tech came by and said, "Mr. Cleary? Dr. R__ is just about done. Would you like to come into an exam room so the two of you can talk?" "Thanks very much," I said, giving her a smile. She wasn't the problem. She smiled back. Dr. R__ came in about 10 minutes later. "Okay, Mr. Cleary, I understand that you have a problem with the bill?" "Yes," I said, "I don't believe that I should have to pay for a follow-up visit, especially given the fact that the three treatments your doctors have recommended have done nothing to fix the problem." "Medicine isn't always an exact science," he said. "I remember telling you that we might have to do a more agressive procedure, where we would sedate Skottie and do a deep cleaning on his ears--" "Yes, and Dr. S__ told me that the procedure most likely wouldn't do any good, given the fact that his ear canal isn't swollen up, it's just painful and full of discharge. Are you saying that her diagnosis was wrong? Because I can get Skottie (who was in the car, because he had been freaking out so much in the office) right now so you can perform that procedure. That procedure, if it's what will work, I'll happily pay for." "No, she wasn't wrong. It probably wouldn't do any good," said Dr. R__. "Then why did you bring it up?" "I'm trying to explain to you that this is a tricky problem, and we're doing the best we can." "I appreciate that. However, Skottie has an ear infection, not flesh-eating bacteria. With my other dog, who has advanced cancer, follow-up visits have cost nothing, and the treatments he's been given have worked. So why am I being charged for a follow-up visit for a method of treatment that hasn't worked for over four months now?" "We had to take a culture. A tech had to read the slide," he said. "The culture reading took five minutes and I was charged $40 for it. That works out to $480 per hour. Are you telling me that your technician is making $125,000 a year? Because if that's the case, I'll go through the year's worth of training necessary and submit an application for that job." "We charge for the human time it takes to see patients," he said, "That's how we make money. If we didn't charge, we wouldn't be in business." "And you've charged me an extraordinary amount of money on treatments for my dog that haven't worked. Are you telling me that you're going to go bankrupt over $110 for a visit that really shouldn't, after four months of treatment, be taking place at all?" Dr. R__ sighed, in the way that one does when one is trying to convey that one is talking to someone who clearly doesn't understand anything at all. "If you went to the doctor because a treatment didn't work, you'd be charged for it." "For a follow-up visit? Not on my plan, and I'm on the cheapest HMO there is. Besides, your own office has already set a precident by not charging for my other dog's follow-up visits, especially if there's a problem that they weren't able to fix the first time around. Being selective with your charges like this is very confusing and frustrating." "I understand that it can be frustrating when you don't know what's going on--" "I know perfectly well what's going on. My dog has an ear infection. Your staff hasn't been able to fix it, despite three separate visits. I feel that this fourth visit should, as a courtesy to a frequent, long-term customer, be written off. My dog has been in constant pain for four months. We have put him through the wringer, cleaning his ears and forcing very expensive pills down his throat. He's a basket case whenever we put him in the car, because he's afraid we're taking him here, where you cause him a tremendous amount of pain, to the point where I can hear him crying from two rooms away." "Okay," he said. "I'll remove the charges today, but you have to understand--" "That's fine. All I wanted was to have the charges removed. Thank you for doing so. Now I'll pay for the medication and get out of your hair." "But I really want to explain how things work--" "I'm sorry, but I don't really have time to hear about your ideas on proper veteranary procedure, considering the fact that you haven't cured an ear infection in four months, your clinic manager was actively hostile to me, and I've had to go through a song and dance just to get what is for this hospital a very small charge removed from a bill as a courtesy." "You need to know--" "Thank you. I know everything I needed to know. The charges have been removed. I'm happy; I'll bring my pets here again, and will pay for those services, because that's what I'm supposed to do. In this case, I think you did the right thing in removing the charges, and I don't need any other information at this time." "I just want to say that you really have to understand that we can't go around not charging for services every time you feel you haven't gotten adequate care." "Really? So I should happily pay for inadequate care?" "That's not what I meant." "Well, it sure sounded like it. If you're admitting that I've received inadequate care, perhaps it's time to seek out another vet. Like I said, I've been coming here for twenty years; I used to work here, and it's very convenient for me. However, the MA Referral Hospital is just as convenient, as is Malden, as is Angell Memorial. You're mistaken if you don't think that I'll immediately change clinics for my two dogs, my brother's dog, two cats, two rabbits, and three hamsters, and my other brother's cat, as well as anyone else I can talk to about the so-called level of 'service' I've received here. So if I were you, I'd quit while I was ahead." "Okay. The charges will be written off." "So you said. And as I said, thank you for doing so. I'm going to go pay now so I can get home." "If Skottie's ears don't clear up, I think perhaps I should refer you to a dermatologist, as it may be another underlying problem." "Whatever you think will work. Though now I'm wondering why you're suggesting a completely different course of action than you have the four times I've brought Skottie in with the same problem." "I'm not saying that he's going to need it, I'm just suggesting options if this doesn't work." "Well, let's hope this treatment works. If it doesn't, we'll deal with that as it happens." "I--" "Thanks very much. I'm going to pay now." I left the exam room and the doctor followed after a minute or two, whispering, "The visit and the lab work is going to be written off as a courtesy," to the receptionist. She nodded, rang me up, and I paid for the medication and ear wash. "I really hope poor Skottie gets better," she said to me. "I know. The poor guy is old, he's deaf, and I hate to see him hurting so badly," I said. "You have a good night," she said to me. "Thanks! You too." And I exited the building, woke up Skottie by opening the car door, and drove home. So was I just a jackass then? I don't think so. Honestly, it was the cheapest visit (even if the visit and lab charges hadn't been written off) we've had for Skottie so far. I was going hard-line and not backing down, but I don't see that as unreasonable. Trooper has free follow-up visits which include lab work all the time. Skottie has had the same. Maybe this was a special case, but for a routine ear infection, I can't see why. The expense of taking care of a pet comes with the territory. If they discovered a tumor or a rare disease on this visit, I would have paid for the office visit, the labs, and whatever treatment it took to fix the problem. My main concern is for my puppy to not be in pain all the time, and right now, it's difficult to pet him on the head because if you slip and even lightly graze his ear, he yelps out in pain. Four visits, and I get an "I don't know, let's try something we've tried before"? That's not something I feel I need to pay for. The visit itself was ten minutes total, just to confirm that Skottie did indeed still have a raging ear infection that their treatment didn't cover. Considering the free services we've gotten for more time and more invasive work, I don't see the logic in nickel-and-diming me for this one. It could be that every other problem has resulted in me having to buy very expensive medication, so it was okay to write off the office visit. This time, the medicine came to $40, which I think was the underlying issue. They didn't get their money's worth out of me, so they charged for the visit to offset those costs. I'm probably completely in the wrong, here. If someone had given me a decent explanation as to why the visit had to be charged when others had not, I would have paid. If there was a new-found diagnosis, I would have paid. But for the fourth visit to the vet for the same infection, with no new treatment? It's a no-brainer to me. I rarely get aggressive in these situations. I'm generally passive, fork over whatever money I'm being charged, and grumble on the way home. But today, I wasn't in the mood to be told, "Sorry, we just can't seem to help your dog. Let's try the drops we tried before. That'll be $110 for the visit." I'm sure there's a picture of me up in the office now with a number of darts sticking out of it. Whatever. If Skottie doesn't get better in the next couple of weeks, I'm going to take him to another vet anyway. For a short story about a single part of my busy day, that was certainly long-winded! (As I was, at the vet's.) I'm up way too late right now, and I haven't posted any of the pictures I took today. I think I'll leave that for tomorrow.