I have an implant called a VNS
https://us.livanova.cyberonics.com/learn-in my chest. It sends a signal that somewhat controls my seizures.
Every few years the battery needs to be changed as it runs out of power.
So I had and appointment to see a surgeon. I was kind of nervous because I had looked the guy up online and half the people said that he was a real a jerk.One said that he was like Jekyll and Hyde.
Since I can't drive my sister took me. I had transposed the office number in my head and had written it down wrong in a little notebook I had with me.
We had to be there 30 minutes early. We got to the parking garage about on time (we thought) for her to park and to walk over to his office.
Naturally the parking lot was packed.
The place is really laid out strange. The parking garage is separate from the office building. The only way to get over to the building is to either go down and cross a kind of driveway in front of cars. The driveway leads to the ramp that goes up to the garage. So its difficult to get by.
The other way, (which is the way that the designer obviously designed people to use) is to cross over is on a kind of covered pedestrian bridge about mid-level of the building .
So unless one is parked on the same level as the bridge they have to go up or down on a really small elevator. One of the elevators was broken (there are only two). So we had to wait for the elevator to either come up or down from a level. (I think there or six or eight levels), or go over and out a door to a narrow stairway; (with the hot Phoenix sun beating down on it). We decided to go out and use that rather than wait for the elevator. My poor sister has really bad back problems but up we went (or maybe It was down). Anyway we got to the level I thought I was supposed to be on. Took a really weird designed hall that went around and around. (The G.D. place is like a maze). Every time we saw somebody that looked like they worked there we asked if they knew where the hell we were supposed to go. The Mexican janitor we saw only spoke Spanish. The white janitor we saw was scary looking like he had just got out of prison. He said he didn't have a clue. We finally found where I
thought I needed to be. Instead of where I needed to be it was something like a VD clinic.
So we went back out and start asking
anyone we saw if they had a clue where the doctor's office was. Of course they were as lost as we were.
I got out my notebook (as we were walking along) to look up the doctor's office and say we were lost, and ask for help. Of course I had only written down the address not the phone number.
We had seen a sign about security cameras being in use. I said that there has to be a security guard somewhere, (having been one I know that they aren't as big an a-holes as people might think). So we went down to try to find a lobby or someplace to ask around. We finally got an elevator down. Luckily as soon as we got out we saw a guard he knew right where we had to be and told us the Dr.'s office number etc. Then we saw an elevator open. Then it closed. I was behind my sister. I said why the hell didn't she get on? She said that it was packed. Desperate I said that we should have thrown people out if need be. Finally we got up to the right level. We got lost again on the maze hallway. Found another no-nothing janitor that looked like any ex-con.
We finally found the office real late from the check in time.
Got there and they gave me a
stack of paperwork. I was taking so long that finally one of the receptionist came over to help out. Fortunately she was really nice. (She must be used to brain scrambled epilepsy patients.)
I finally get in - really nervous because I had read online that this Dr. could be a real a-hole. On the way we had to pass by a guy laying on the floor groaning (there were nurses with him).
We got in and just got in before the Dr. came in. This Dr. also works as a spine surgeon. So he had a skeleton (small model). My sister started turning it around to show me where she had had some back surgery. So I'm trying to keep my voice down but saying to quit messing with the guy's skeleton.
Just then the Dr. (that lots of people) said was an a-hole walks in to see her messing with his skeleton
And of course the guy was . . .
really nice!
If you find this long and confusing well it sure as hell was! Luckily I had got the good Dr. Jekyll part of him.