Thursday, January 20, 2011

Knowing Where To Look, Or Ask

We got off to a slow start this morning. I was awake during the night, so I was glad that sleep revisited me, and I didn't get up until 8:30. Tom helped me re-tape my foot yesterday. Today I had set aside time to contact doctors. I emailed my Group Health primary care physician, updating her on my visits to my referred podiatrist. I continued to play telephone tag with the podiatrist. I sure love being able to use email. My primary care doc responded within several hours. Then I pursued the night splint the podiatrist had recommended. He wrote me a prescription, but when I took it to the Group Health pharmacy last week, they told me I could order it but it wasn't covered by my insurance policy. It is a $100 item, so I put it off. Today I pursued it, and this time I talked to the right person, a very nice lady at the GH Take Care Store. I scanned and emailed my prescription, she checked my coverage and called me back to arrange for me to pick up the splint at the local clinic, no shipping charges, for a total cost of $20. It pays to talk to the right person! Then I was wondering where my eBay purchase was. It was over two weeks ago that I made the purchase so it should have arrived. I wandered around the computer, striking out at emailing the seller, until finally I went to the right place, My eBay, and found the tracking number. The USPS has had it somewhere in Seattle since the 15th and today was the last day of the window for delivery. Good, now I had the right information, finally. "Hmmm, I thought, "I don't think we ever got any mail yesterday. Could it be that there is a package on the front porch?" Eureka! It was a bit cold and damp, but there it was. When we gave Isaac and Irene a puppet stage for Christmas, I also gave them lots of animal puppets, including a lion and a mouse, and I demonstrated the Aesop's fable story. Irene said she knew that story. It was on PBS Kids, on the computer! Sure enough, she showed me the little animated version, modernized with the mouse and the lion going grocery shopping. I wanted them to have a collection of the fables in a more original version. Shopping on line, I found this 2000 edition, which seemed to be just what I wanted. It was out of stock at Amazon and book stores, but I located a copy on eBay for only $7.00, brand new. I just had to find the right place to shop, and finally the right place to find it upon delivery! Tom declared that it was too cold to work outside today. He says he has standards, and those standards include not going outside to work in the yard when it's below 40 degrees, especially when it's spitting rain. At 39.8, now at 3:30, it's the warmest it's been all day. So this afternoon, while I was doing my workout on the stationary bike, he has been searching for information via Ancestry.com. He just extended his contract with them to search in Canadian records. He reports he didn't find any new information today. But eventually he will. You just have to know where to look.

11 comments:

  1. Very true that when you talk with the right person, you get better answer. Hope your foot calms down soon. And nothing compares to a good night's sleep!

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  2. I'm so sorry about your foot. I sure hope you get some relief soon with the right care. Thank goodness there was a proper person to talk to. It makes all the difference. I've learned that often times it just pays to be persistent.

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  3. Big difference between $100 and $20. Good for you, and I do hope it helps with your foot. It's such a drag to have something keep you from doing what you want but it seems you are working around it...

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  4. Just catching up a bit with some of my favorite blogs. Sorry to hear of your foot. I hope it doesn't keep you up many more nights. Nothing worse than no sleep. You are such a fun grandma....very lucky grandchildren. I agree about knowing where to look and who to talk with. It just takes a lot of patience and some times mine if frayed.

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  5. It's a good thing you have keen intuition, Linda. Also, some good luck, too. I think the kids will love that new book. Hope it's illustrated.

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  6. Aesop's Fables what a great book. I loved the fables as a kid and still do. True True!

    I sure hope that foot settles down---what a pain!

    Wednesday sure was a nice day but what happened since-----Remember that song--Perry Como?---about the Blue Skies of Seattle? Where are they? MB

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  7. Isn't it frustrating getting to actually speak to a real person on the phone anymore? I just get so peeved because it is such a waste of time; like 'their' time matters and ours doesn't...
    oh well, I do hope you take good care of yourself and good for you for sleeping in :)

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  8. sounds like you are both keeping busy...and waiting for spring?

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  9. I agree with Tom, in fact I would say anything colded than 50 is too cold to work outside though I might go for a walk if there was not wind.
    You have been doing battle with that food for a while now, I do hope that the podiatrist is able to fix it. I'd be in very bad humor about now.

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  10. You are so right about knowing where to look and to whom to speak!

    Yesterday the high was 22°. It was 12 when we were driving home from the funeral. Let's just say it was really wonderful getting between those flannel sheets last night. Today is a balmy 25 -- I don't think Tom would be working outside. :)

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  11. wow..you are great at getting things done...I have never tried to e-mail with my doctors..I wonder if I could....

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