ENT Run Around

I forgot I was updating peeps since it was a few days ago when I updated on my wife. Today I'll update you on me.

Right before all this Covid crap hit, I was actually scheduled to have surgery on my nose. The day before my surgery, they cancelled all non essential surgeries but this update actually goes back before that.

After the beginning of the year, the wife and I decided that we would finally get my nose looked at. I pretty much couldn't breathe out of it anymore so we made an appointment with an ENT (ear, nose, throat) doctor in the clinic where my insurance covers. I went to 2 appointments and had my surgery scheduled. My diagnoses was that my septum was shaped in a S and that the membranes on the sides inside my nose had all grown out so they were going to go in and straighten it out and burn back some of the membranes and open it up.

Upon scheduling my surgery, right before it was cancelled, we realized that the doctor I had been going to wasn't even in my network so the insurance didn't cover those 2 initial appointments and I had to pay for them completely. Apparently they were renting out the space in the clinic and aren't actually a part of it. So they were never in my network. So even if Covid hadn't cancelled it, I was going to because I wasn't going to pay twice the amount I needed to.

I found another ENT, made sure he was in my network and went to him. When they scheduled the surgery, my wife told them that it couldn't be at Memorial hospital because they weren't in my network. After 2 weeks, they never sent my paperwork so I went over on the Thursday before my surgery was scheduled. I got the paperwork, everything was good on it and they told me I had to go for a Covid test that day so they could have the results back before the surgery. Sure, no problem. I went down to take the test and when they did it, she told me I had to quarantine until the surgery. Nobody told me that before hand, I had planned on working the next 2 days, have Sunday off and work Monday and Tuesday before my surgery on Wednesday.

I went to work the next day because I couldn't just call in for the next 4 days and I have to schedule vacation days a week in advance. I talked them into giving me Monday and Tuesday off but I still had to work the weekend before. When I got home on Friday, I grab the mail, and the letter they were supposed to send me 2 weeks ago, was there. I opened it up and on this one it said my surgery was scheduled at the hospital that was out of network. WTF?

So I proceeded to call the ENT only to find out they closed at noon. So I than called both hospitals to find out which one I was scheduled at and sure enough, they scheduled me at the one I can't go to. I went ahead and went to work on Monday and told them it was cancelled, again. I finally get everything straightened out and scheduled at the correct surgery center and my surgery is rescheduled for a few weeks later.

They told me that I could do a rapid Covid test on the Friday before my Monday surgery. They scheduled it for 3:45 in the afternoon and my wife specifically said "I thought you closed at noon?" The lady told her that some people stick around and there will be someone there.

So Friday rolls around, I get off work early and go to get the test done. I show up at the ENT and they are closed but there is a doorbell and it says to ring it for appointments so I ring it, and wait. Nobody comes, so I ring it again, and wait. I ring it a 3rd, 4th and 5th time and nothing so I call the office number and there is a number to call for the on call nurse so I called her. She told me she would get a hold of someone so I sit down and wait. Meanwhile, it starts dumping rain outside.

Eventually someone comes to the door from the inside so I stand up and go to it, she opens it and looks at me and asks if I rang the bell, I said "multiple times" so she said "I'll go and let them know you're out here." So she was another patient and didn't work there. She brings back a doctor and I talk to him. He told me he has no more patients scheduled so I told him what I was here for. He told me that they do the Covid test down around the other side of the building. I showed him the text I had confirming the appointment and it says on the text that it was at his office. He said the only reason he knew the tests were down there is because they took one of his nurses earlier down there.

So I go outside in the pouring rain and walk all the way down to the end of the building and there is a sign that says Covid testing and to stay in your car. Figures. I knock on the door and she pokes her head out and tells me I'm supposed to stay in my car. I told her what happened and that my car is all the way on the other side of the parking lot so she finally let me in and took the test.

I never did hear back from the on call nurse.

In recovery (flipping off my wife)

After all was said and done, I had the surgery last Monday. Once they got in there, they found a bone spur that they had to remove as well. It went well, I came home that afternoon. The only issues that I have had since was for the first couple of days afterwards, when I would stand up my nose would bleed. I'm not allowed to blow it or stick things up there so basically I had to let it bleed than wipe it up. I never took any of the pain meds that they prescribed for me.

I'm now 4 days since the surgery and my nose is finally starting to clear up some. It's not completely clear yet and they said it could take a month or 2 for the swelling to go down but I can tell you as of today, I can already breathe through it more than before the surgery and as I said, it's definitely not completely clear yet.

They didn't schedule my post op until the 14th so I have all of next week off as well. I'm certainly not complaining about having more time off. I do plan on complaining to the doctor that his office staff sucks ass, I'm sure he probably doesn't care but I do plan on complaining because of all the run around.

That's my update, maybe I'll update the kids, maybe not. I'm seem to be getting forgetful in my old age.