Weekend and a new cafe

Happy weekend!

My ophthalmologist appointment went well. Instead of going in for a follow-up appointment every six months, it's now every eight months. Yay!

There is a new cafe that has replaced my favourite one next door to my ophthalmologist. It has Japanese-style sodas. I got an orange mango soda and it was so good. I will return.

I also got a chocolate croissant. This place is extremely generous with the chocolate filling. Yum!

Ophthalmologist appointment without the cafe next door

I've got an ophthalmologist appointment today. It's weird that this place no longer does reminder calls.

It will feel weird dropping by. My favourite cafe next door closed in late August. There's a bubble tea place, but it opens at noon. I never stay there long enough to drop by.

Eye appointment, cafe stop, and writing advice

I visited my ophthalmologist yesterday. All went well. I go back in six months, in my usual monitoring mode. I'm happy.

I got to visit my favourite cafe next door. I was so happy getting a raspberry white hot chocolate and an albacore tuna sandwich. Yum and yum!

A fellow writer at work in California reached out to me asking for advice. I'm not sure how she found me. I hope to ask her that question next. She's apparently new to her project.

Verdict on using a tissue to eliminate eyeglasses from fogging up

I decided to skip a day posting here. Friday was pretty busy that I ended up taking a nap at around 22:30, woke up, brushed my teeth, and went to bed for another 7 hours!

My appointment with my ophthalmologist went well. He says that my eyes are healthy such that I don't need to see him for another six months. It's good that I don't need an eye injection. Here's hoping that this trend continues.

As for my eyeglasses fogging up, I tried the tissue technique where I had it folded as a strip at the top of my mask. At first, it did fog up, but not as badly as if I didn't have the tissue. Within a minute, there was no fogging at all. It was nice to do the eye test and not apologize for not being able to read the chart due to fog.

Another tip that I got was to wash your lenses with baby shampoo. You then let your eyeglasses air-dry. I haven't tried it, but I'm curious.

Foggy glasses when wearing a mask

I have an appointment with my ophthalmologist today. Last time I was there, I had to read the eye chart with my glasses and mask on. My glasses fogged up, so this task was difficult to achieve.

I just learned to use a tissue inside your mask, at the top, to prevent fogging. I'm going to try it and see how things go.

Years ago, I had anti-fogging spray that I used on my lenses. Perhaps I should get something similar again.

Eye update

It's my third try posting this entry. Blogger is so frustrating right now!

I'm actually posting from my cell phone instead of my Mac mini. So far, so good. 

I visited my opthalmologist on Friday. The good news is that I don't need to get injections. Instead, I'm in monitoring mode.

There is a chance that my blood vessel in my eye will burst again. I have been able to keep my blood pressure and stress levels down for the past three years. 

I go back in two months. I'm a bit sad that I'm going back more frequently, but like how cautious my ophthalmologist is.

I am fortunate that I have made a decent recovery and that my eyesight is practically what it used to be. I'm so thankful.

Shorter workweek

It's a shorter workweek. It throws me off. 

Tuesday is really Monday. A shorter workweek seems to mean less work. At my workplace, it tends to be busy because everyone wants to cram five days of productivity into four.

To top it off, I have an appointment with my ophthalmologist this Friday. If you looked at my work calendar, I barely have time for lunch!

Happy week ahead, everyone!

Eye update and relaxes after decluttering

On Friday, I visited my ophthalmologist. I haven't seen him for five months, which is a good sign.

I called earlier in the week to find out whether my appointment was still on. In a pandemic, sitting in a waiting room to get an injection in my eye is not the ideal situation. The woman at the clinic speaking to me over the phone indicated that safety precautions were top priority.

I asked about seating in the waiting room. Each row has four seats. I told her that I didn't feel comfortable if someone sat next to me. She said that they have measures to space people out. She also said that only patients who needed injections or were emergencies were being accepted. I felt better and went with it.

I was asked to wear a mask when I dropped by the clinic. I let her know that I didn't have one (I have since ordered one, which came in the mail after my appointment), and used a scarf instead. It worked well.

Sure enough, staff were great making sure that everything was sanitized. My regular diagnostic tests were streamlined down to my right eye, which had the issue.

My ophthalmologist was in good spirits. He said that he'd evaluate my eye in another five months and will likely stop injections. So, it is possible that last Friday was my last injection, which I am grateful.

I am fortunate that my blood vessel burst hasn't recurred. I bounced back nicely and my eyesight is practically back to what is used to be.

Switching gears a bit, I have been reorganizing my bedroom and decluttering. It's therapeutic. I feel relaxed and accomplished.

Being nice can make someone day and your own

I had my ophthalmologist appointment yesterday. I am doing great. My next appointment has been extended to five months. This one was four months later.

I didn't like dealing with one staff member there who had a horrible tone in her voice, accusing me of not signing a consent form and then asking for my health insurance. She was shocked when I questioned her on how often I needed to sign said form. I don't sign things because you tell me to. I need to know why. I enjoyed giving her advice to call patients for such details before they come into the clinic. No one likes surprises. No one likes to be told, "You didn't sign the consent form." Why can't people word things well these days?

Anyway, with my eyes dilated, sitting in the waiting area, an older woman sat down across from me. Our eyes met. I was smiling. She reciprocated. I think she made my day and vice-versa.

We started talking. My name was called. I apologized and went over for yet another brief test. We ended up sitting next to each other, as there are a couple of tests that shuffle you around the waiting area.

We got to talk. It was nice. She and her daughter drove from Wasaga Beach. It's a good distance to travel down for a medical appointment. She told me that there's tons of snow up there. There isn't any snow left in Scarborough.

When it was my turn to get my eye injection, I wished both of them a good day. They reciprocated.

It's good to be nice. Pass it on!

Busy packing, going to appointments, and working

I spent some time packing for my staycation. I am pretty late with this task for my standards. I have been trying to wrap up work.

My doctor's appointment went well. I have another appointment today. I then get a bit of a break before I have a dental one in a couple of week.

Ah, the excitement... haha!

Busy with medical appointments, but all is well

It has been a busy couple of days with consecutive medical appointments. All is well.

My first appointment was my quarterly one with my family doctor. It was a different than the norm. She saw me, said hi, and asked who my orthopedic surgeon was. I had surgery back in 2011. I needed to do a search to find his name. Thankfully, he is still a practising surgeon.

My doctor has sciatica. I have battled it a number of times since I was 19 years of age and offered exercises to help her get some relief. It's interesting that I was providing insight to a medical professional.

On Wednesday, I had an eye injection with my ophthalmologist. I am doing exceptionally well that I am now seeing him three times a year, reducing a visit. Yay!

Eye is doing well

On Friday, I had my eye injection. Even though I have been doing eye injections for over a couple of years, I am still not used to getting a needle in my eye.

I am thankful for each injection. I have recovered well from blood in my central vision, which was pretty scary when it happened. My ophthalmologist continues to tell me that I'm doing well. I like it.

Updates on my eye, Valentine's Day, cooking, and my guy

I have a few updates on various things.

On Friday, I went to see my ophthalmologist. My right eye is still doing well. I had my eye injection. I still see him every fourteen weeks, which is my favourite number.

He asked me an interesting question. He asked whether I have any new year's resolutions. I'm not the type to declare them. I have goals that I feel are attainable, such as decluttering in phases.

Then, there's Valentine's Day. One of my students indicated that she was bummed out not having a boyfriend to enjoy this day. I had to tell her that the day is overrated. Love happens all year round. Valentine's Day is just a reminder to those commercializing on this day to get flowers, candy, and hit a nice restaurant. It also tends to alienate those who are single. They need to know that they are loved by friends and family.

I cooked up a storm on Sunday. I made broccoli cheddar soup for the first time in my life. The recipe called for eight tablespoons of butter. Really? That seemed like way too much butter. I put in four tablespoons and felt that it was a ton.

My guy has made it safely to India. I have a feeling that he will have a tough time adjusting to the timezone, which is normal for him. I hope to hear from him when he isn't working or sleeping.

My right eye is back to normal... yay!

Last Wednesday, I went to my ophthalmologist for an appointment. I used to go monthly. This appointment was the first one in two months, which is good news. It simply means that my right eye is making good progress.

To recap, I had an eye stroke back in late March. I had no idea what was going on. All I knew was that I was constantly looking through a water droplet and was getting dizzy.

I didn't think that I would make a fully recovery. Just reading up on various studies saying that it was rare wasn't the best news. My guy felt that if anyone could make a full recovery, it would be me. I didn't want to set my standards so high. He understood.

He was right. On Wednesday, I went in and did my eye test. I could read even the tiniest print during the eye test. I was shocked!

My doctor said that my right eye is 20/20, meaning that the blood splats have disappeared from my central vision. I am now seeing him every three months for my eye injections. There is still a chance that fluid will seep out.

I am thankful that my sight has been restored. It also helps that I have kept my stress and blood pressure controlled. My ophthalmologist cites bad luck as the cause. He also indicated that I am young to have this condition happen to me, so my recovery was easier. Handling a crazy workload at work back then didn't help. I am glad that things are much better these days.

O is for odd customer service #AtoZchallenge

I am going to use customer service loosely as a term in this post.

On Friday, as I was driving home from work, I received a phone call on my cell phone. I picked up. I have bluetooth in my car, so the call went to my speakerphone.

This woman said that she was calling from an eye program. This program is a part of the drug used for my eye injection. The first injection is covered by this program.

I asked what the nature of the call was. She repeated herself by saying that I had my appointment on April 7th and that the injection was paid for by this program. Okay, I got that information the first time. It was obvious that she was reading from a script. I asked her specifically what she needed from me.

She said that she needed to ask me some questions. I asked her how long would they take. She said ten minutes. I told her that I needed to pull over and park. I was also starting to get annoyed with her constantly repeating April 7th (she is now at the fifth mention of my appointment date) and talking over me.

I was parked. I was getting so annoyed. I asked her point blank what information she needed from me. Clearly, my ophthalmologist gave her details about my date of birth. She was asking for my drug plan information. I fired back by asking whether she had it, as my ophthalmologist would have forwarded all information to her. She first disputed my claim, but then backtracked.

She then decided to call my insurance company and patch me in. I knew exactly what she was up to. She wasn't upfront with me.

I know that in Ontario (I don't know if it is Canada-wide), medical folks who need to know what coverage patients have on their medical insurance for whatever category cannot get this information directly from the insurance company. Patients need to either call and relay the information to the medical folks who need to know, or in my case, this woman decided to have me on the line, which would allow her to get the information that she needed by calling my insurance company.

She didn't get my consent. She just called. My drug plan covers 90% of the cost of all injections. I could have told her that.

We disconnected with the woman from my insurance company. This woman proceeded to explain that, should I get approved, this program would cover the remaining 10% of the cost, provided that the 10% does not go over $500 for each injection.

I basically let her have it. I gave her this feedback:

• Right off the bat, you should let me know that this program would pick up the cost of my injections, depending on my drug plan and my eligibility in this program that is sponsored by the drug used for my injections.
• You should point out that you need to know whether my drug plan would cover this drug. You should ask whether it is okay for both of us to call my insurance company to figure out what percentage is covered.
• You should then let me know that a decision needs to be made as to whether the remaining 10% will be covered by the program. That decision should take another week or two.
• When you call me, you do not need to repeat April 7th a grand total of seven times during the call. I am fully aware that I had an appointment with my ophthalmologist on Friday, April 7, 2017. I do not need it repeated seven times. Once is good enough, especially when this call is being recorded. Repeating this date so many times does not add value to our conversation. Perhaps your demographic is geared towards older folks, but it is patronizing and is not helping me relax when you won't tell me what information you need from me or exactly why you are contacting me right off the bat.

I flat out told her that I am going through enough stress that I don't need some woman to beat around the bush. Get to the point, so that I can get on with my life and you can get the information you need to continue processing my coverage.

This call, which would have taken ten minutes, ended up being 25 minutes. I vented. I told her that no patient should deal with such customer service. I am going through enough. I don't need added frustration from a woman who is reading from a script. 

I even told her to stop talking over me. This call is being recorded? Good. Let's hope that someone is monitoring it and she actually does indeed provide my feedback to her supervisor. I have worked in a call centre in my past. Often, it falls by the wayside.

She assured me that she would forward my feedback to her supervisor and apologized again. Well, thanks for delaying my drive home, making my blood pressure boil, and wasting so much time when all of this aggravation could have been avoided.

Frankly, I am at this stage where I don't care much about the 10% cost. Being stressed out isn't worth this company paying for it. I am perfectly fine with not dealing with the stress and paying for the 10%. I should be covered, but we'll see what would cause me not to be accepted in this program. My tearing a strip off her? If that happens, I'll be back again to file more grievances, even though I should focus on my health and not dealing with annoying small potatoes like this woman.

My favourite line was this woman repeating her name at the end. I told her that I already got it when she first introduced herself on the phone and when she did the same to the woman at my insurance company. Frankly, I want to forget your first name. I don't want to deal with you after this ordeal. Let's hope that I do not need to call and speak to you again. Ever.