Yeah, it's true, Island time really does exist. Not only do we skip observation of daylight savings out here, everything else has a habit of moving slower. Great for those in vacation mode, but a bit of an annoyance for people who want to get things done, plan, or generally feel that things are guaranteed. Is that wrong?
Glad that I have time.
But, not so glad about the relaxed speed of medical care. While I would like to take a moment and recognize that I do really appreciate and like my new medical team here, they are not expeditious in returning phone responses or lab results.
While I understand that the oncology department deals with a whole host of crazy illnesses, super bad blood levels, and that I present a rather healthy case, I still want (actually need) to know what my results are, even if they are not at a dangerous level. As in I'd like to stay ahead of getting sick again and see how/if I'm progressing. Is that too much to ask?
I understand that their protocol is to notify the doctor and have him call me back...but well, that always takes a really long time...as in I'm still waiting two weeks later and will be seeing him again, tomorrow. Let's just say that I was spoiled back in WI with results received an hour later and then available online. So, I'm going to have a chat with my doctor tomorrow and make it clear that I just need to know a few particular results and that I'm perfectly fine if it's only the nurse or lab tech who calls me. Because at this point I know what I'm looking at and where my levels need to be. Simple solution, right? I hope so, because recommending a patient-accessible medical record system is going to be much more complicated and expensive for them to come by.