(re-run)
This past summer I decided to start taking brain supplements for my memory, which is getting worse the closer I get to 70. I’d seen a zillion Prevagen commercials compared to only a few Neuriva commercials. They show up during the national news. I checked out the price of Prevagen and went, “Holy buckets!”
Then Costco had Neuriva on sale. I bought two bottles and started taking it daily back in June. I thought I was noticing a small improvement. I still struggle with learning the lyrics to a dozen songs in chorus every semester but kept telling myself it was helping.
Then this week happened. I went in for some lab work for my upcoming infusion of Reclast for Osteoporosis. The LabCorp woman behind the desk said, “For Dr. Saw?”
I had no physical order in my hand since one was never given to me.
“Yes,” I replied, although in retrospect, I don’t think I even stopped to consider if that was the right name. I trusted that the order was in, and this was the order, and all was well.
“Have you been fasting?” she asked.
“No,” I said.
“You should’ve been fasting.”
Here was a big fat clue, which I missed.
That was on Wednesday. I went ahead and did the blood work, since the doctor’s office (when I called the week before) had assured me that I didn’t need to be fasting..
On Friday, I got a call from the doctor’s office about my infusion appointment.
“We don’t have your blood work back,” she said.
“I did it on Wednesday, and they said I needed to fast, but your office said that I didn’t, so I did the test anyway.”
“It shows here in the portal that there is blood work for Dr. Saw but not for Dr. Tang.”
OMG. Saw. One syllable. Tang. One syllable. I’d seen each new doctor a total of once.
‘I guess I have to do it again,” I said.
“Where are you going? I will fax an order just to be sure,” the woman on the phone said.
“Alamo.”
I was already in my car on my way to pick up Daisy’s Prozac so that she would continue to wag her tail and not be so stressed out all the time.
I headed to Alamo LabCorp and checked in. There was no order from Dr. Tang in the computer.
It turns out that the computer drops the order after a full year, explained to me by the LabCorp woman on Friday. My appointment had been pushed back three weeks from the original date. The order was given last November. It had expired. No wonder LabCorp thought my order was for Dr. Saw. His order was the only one in the system for me. The woman behind the window checked her fax machine at my request and was able to process me and get my blood drawn again.
I hope Medicare pays for my double blood work. I signed a paper on Wednesday saying I had to pay $107.00 for a certain test, a test I didn’t even need.
I missed all the clues, the fasting, the wrong doctor name, the order disappearing after one year.
Neuriva, you’re not really doing your job.
Maybe I should spring for some Prevagen.
FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER! 