Yesterday I took X to get his flu shot. None of us got one last year, but decided to get it this year because we've got some high risk factors going on with the new baby coming. Anyway, Walter and I already got ours last week, but not many places do kids, so I went to the urgent care that our pediatrician was referring to for pediatric vaccinations.
So, first day of the clinic. Clinic opens at 10am. I arrive at 10:15am and there is already a line. No sweat, that's just what happens I guess. X and I stand in line for 35 minutes. (Luckily I'd come armed with books and snacks!) We get up to the desk and are then informed that they are OUT of the vaccine for kids 3 and under. But, they had called the courier at 10am and doses are being couriered over from the hospital as we speak. They tell us we can pay now and come back later, or stay and wait. To clarify....first day of clinic....clinic opened at 10am....called for courier at 10am. Does anyone else wonder why they didn't know they had NO doses for kids under 3 before 10am at a clinic that pediatricians are referring people to??????? Um, yeah, me too!!!!
I decide to wait because we're already there and I really don't want to make a trip back and stand in line again. So, we wait...in a room with about 20 other people with kids under 3....and because kids under 3 just love to wait around the "attitude" in the room is oh so pleasant...NOT.
One hour and 15 minutes after first arriving X (bless his heart) has now reached his "waiting" limit. I couldn't blame him. I was bored, it was warm in the room with all those people, and you can only entertain yourself with stuff from the diaper bag for so long. Plus, I'd given him a dose of Tylenol when we first arrived thinking it'd kick in just in time when he got the shot. I didn't expect to be waiting so long and my little man was starting to fade. I decided he'd earned some binker time and pulled one out for him. After sitting on my lap for 5 minutes happily sucking away X just decided to check out, and fell sound asleep. This was good for me in the moment because I didn't have to entertain him anymore, but I knew it would come back to bite me because he probably wouldn't take a "real" nap later on. (and I was right!)
One hour and 45 minutes into our wait time the vaccines arrive. Why the heck it took so long to get them from a hospital that is about 30 minutes away is still a mystery to me. Everyone cheers and the nurses start calling names of those who are waiting. Yeah!!! EXCEPT......they must have thrown all the paperwork up in the air first because they starting calling people completely out of the order that they'd arrived in. I noticed people who'd been there for 15 minutes being called ahead of people that had been waiting almost 2 hours! I was silently fuming. I remained silent though because I didn't think it was in my best interest to piss off the people that would be sticking a needle in my son's thigh.
Two hours into our wait time X's name is called, we do our thing (which takes all of 1 minute or so) and are FINALLY headed back to the car. Oh, and they won't submit to insurance, so they have a lady running back and forth into another office making copies of your paperwork and you then have to submit it yourself (and now I have to find out how I even do that which will require a call to the insurance company which is always so much fun anyway!)
I figured X and I deserved a treat after our long ordeal (and since he obviously wasn't going to nap again) and we headed to Wendy's for a burger and fries and then to a playground. X had a blast but I pushed my luck when I decided to stop at Payless to see if I could find him a pair of shoes on the way home. The mini nap at the clinic was clearly not enough as X proceeded to lay on the floor of the shoe store and cry as I tried shoes on him. Lovely! I totally blame the flu shot people for messing with my kid's nap by not having their crap in order and thus creating an unpleasant shoe shopping experience later in the day. Maybe I should send them my Payless receipt and ask for reimbursement??
No comments:
Post a Comment