Being sick is for the pigs

Charlie has been sick since Monday. It started out as a very tame illness-- runny nose, slight fever, etc. It gradually got worse, and yesterday he slept the entire day, and his temp has been up close to 102. I called the doctor Thursday, but they told me to just monitor him and call back Friday. Then I was going to take him to the doctor Friday, but they were booked and told me to call back today. I called back this morning, and they told me they were booked and that I should've called earlier.

Considering that this was the third time I'd called and been told to call later, I was not a happy camper when she told me I should've called earlier, and I told her so. I explained that I had been trying to get him seen for a couple of days, and every day I had been told to call back the next day. She told me I should've called at 7:00 this morning because they start seeing patients at 8 on Saturdays, but start making appointments at 7, and they always book up within 15 minutes. I expressed my disgust at the fact that nobody bothered to tell me that YESTERDAY or even THE DAY BEFORE.

After I hung up that time, I went to their website to find out whether they are open on Sundays. They are, so I called back. THEN she told me the next after hours shift is 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. tonight--- another nugget of information that would've been good to know earlier.

Every time I call the clinic, whether it's to get an appointment or speak with a nurse, I'm given the least amount of information they can get by with. It's like they think it costs them money to open their mouths and say a few extra words to give me the answer they know I'm looking for. If I call for an appointment on Saturday but it's booked, why would they not bother to explain that there's a second shift later today and that I can get him seen then. Why not just tell me that? Do they get paid extra for turning away patients? Are they so overwhelmed that they want to send people elsewhere? Or are they just a bunch of bitter old ladies who enjoy letting people know how much it bothers them when people expect them to do their jobs?

If I understand it correctly, if I call right at four o'clock I MIGHT be able to get him seen tonight. That is unless the lady forgot to tell me something important, like that there's a special phone number I need to call. So help me God, if I call back this afternoon and they tell me I was supposed to follow some other procedure and they can't schedule Charlie, I'm going up there and my child WILL be seen.

About an hour after I hung up with the clinic for the last time, Charlie woke up. He seems to be perfectly fine now. I didn't take his temp again, but his forehead and tummy don't feel burning hot for the first time in 5 days, and he seems happier. I hope he's truly on the tail end of this, and not just feeling better temporarily because of the Tylenol I gave him earlier. It should've been out of his system by now, and he still seems okay, so I'm optimistic. I'm not going to bother calling the clinic at 3:55 unless his temp goes back up again.

I don't want to take him in that place if I can help it. With our luck, we'd probably catch the swine flu in the waiting room and come home sicker than we already are.