So far, so ?????

Wow!  It's Wednesday already.  What happened to Monday and Teusday, or Saturday and Sunday for that matter?   We are really not happy at all with Mercy Hospital in Gilbert, Arizona.  I believe they have very competent doctors and nurses as far as patient care is concerned, but families seem to be an annoyance they would prefer to do without.  Trying to get information on Mom (my partner's mom) has been like pulling teeth with a pair of tweezers.  After several phone calls we finally got to meet with a doctor and who does it turn out to be?  The flippin' cardiologist!  All he knows about is the blockage they are NOT going to treat because of the hypothyroid problem that must be controlled first.  Can we get in touch with the doctor covering that issue?  That doesn't seem likely because we don't even know his/her name yet and she's likely to be moved out to a rehab facility today. That's another thing.  Yesterday, after spinning our wheels with the cardiologist and just as we were leaving, a hospital staff lady came up with a list of rehab facilities she wanted us to pick from.  It was 11:30 in the morning and we had until 6 PM that evening to choose one and a couple of alternates.  WHAT!?!?!?!?!?  She indirectly recommended one as well as gave us suggestions as to what to look for and what questions to ask.  Mom's charge nurse suggested another.   After a few minutes of letting the shock and panic subside, I thought to try a lady at work to see if she had any suggestions or could transfer me to someone who did (see my journal entry "Three-day weekend" for an idea of the great people I work with) .  Of course, the company's Cinco De Mayo celebration was in full swing at that time and I couldn't contact her right then, but a message was taken for her to call me.  We left the hospital and was sitting in the car figuring out where to start.  After our plan was formulated, we ran home to print out maps, then stopped at the Starbucks for energy and fortification.    Just as we were fixing to pull out of the parking space, she called.  Her husband had been in a rehab facility called Citidel and she said they treated him real nice there.  Since it was the closest to where we were than the others, we started with it.   What a wonderful place!  Everything was clean, bright, and well cared for; even the back halls that normally only the employees see.  The clients (I hesitate calling them patients) all looked to be happy and healthy as they could be considering where they were.  Staff was very pleasant and appeared very competent.  Only one was a bit grouchy and her energy was a person with a lot on her plate right then (it was lunch time there), not a normally "bad-mood" person.  Good energy, just stressed at the moment.  In fact, the entire place reeked of good energy. Ok, we really should compare it to some other places so we headed out to continue our quest.  The first was so cold and institutional we didn't even bother parking when we got there.  In both our minds we saw stainless steel everything and a staff that did things "by the book" with the "book" having priority over everything else.  The second was quite disappointing, too.  We walked in and there was this young man that really looked like he was skipping high school to work there standing behind the conceirge's station.  Another young man looking only slightly older and dressed in hip-hop regalia was walking up from a hall while grasping his crotch in hip-hop style.  From their brief conversation as we approached, he also worked there.  We told the first that we wished to inspect the facility because we were considering placing her mother there for rehab.  He handed us a form to fill out wanting out names, address, e-mail, and phone numbers before the tour, all the while referring to Mom in the masculine (???).  When asked why we had to provide that information for a tour, he had no answer.   We left, called the lady at the hospital and told our choice was the Citadel.  She wanted alternates in case they were filled on the day of the transfer (turns out Wednesday wasn't rock solid after all).  The lady at the Citadel had assured us they had a room for her even if the transfer wasn't for a few days, so we relayed that information to the hospital woman.  She wasn't happy, but she accepted it.  Poor thing.   Whew!!  OK, all done (thanks to some blessed guidance) and it's only 3 PM.  Let's get my eyes checked, since we have a 50%-off coupon for Lenscrafters and I've recently had a significant change in my left eye's vision (from far to near sighted).  Went through the full exam, dialation and all.  Yippie!!  I have cataracts!!  New glasses will take care of the vision issues for the time being.  Time will tell for how long. Oh, and the cat is doing fine after his extractions Friday morning.  He had the last of his pain medication (that really mellowed him out) yesterday morning and is now returning to his grouchy old self.  The antibiotic will be done with today.  My partner will be most happy she no longer has to deal with squirting that stuff into his mouth.   They could use a "tired" mood smiley along with the five they now have.  But they don't, so I'll use "Good".  I'm always good, no matter what's happening.  It's a matter of choice and attitude, and good is better than bad.  So I choose good. Blessings, all.