Yesterday I had a follow-up appointment with a doctor in a town about 30 minutes north of me. An easy appointment, not one to worry about. But the day before I’d had a related appointment with a specialist, at a major university an hour south of me. And that appointment had resulted in a perscription that I wanted to inform my local doctor about.

But, of course I can’t remember the name of the perscription. So I figured I’ll pick it up at the pharmacy before my follow-up appointment. Simple. The pharmacy, located about 10 minutes south of me, opened at 8. My appointment, about 30 minutes north of me was at 10.

Somewhere in between I needed to take a shower.

I arrive at my pharmacy at 8, and wait in line behind a woman picking up multiple perscriptions, all of which seemed to have some kind of issue. And then she wanted to pay for a cart full of other stuff while she was there.

No problem, I had time.

When it’s finally my turn I provide my name and birthday and the clerk tells me there’s nothing for me. I tell her I received a phone call the evening before indicating it was ready for pickup. She looks again. Nope, not here, she says, but it’s at the drugstore in the town north of me.

Uhhuh.

I go home, jump in the shower and then head back out around 9, which turned out to be a good idea because the town north of me is repaving their roads. One lane is open in either directon, but even that is periodically closed as equipment is moving around. So there are multiple places where people with hard hats and stop signs ask us to wait as we manuver past dump trucks and hot new pavement.

It takes a very long time.

But I’m not worried, I left early! When I get to the pharmacy I still have 30 minutes until my appointment on the other side of this town. I wait behind 2 people. When I get to the front of the line the clerk says there’s no perscription for me there.

Unhuh. I explain again. She looks again. Oh yes there is!

With perscription in hand I head to my appointment. I still have 15 minutes. But I don’t want to go back through all that construction so I choose another route, longer, but open. I’ve never gone that way before and I get lost, turned around on country roads, not sure whether the doctor’s office is north or south when I finally emerge back on the main road.

I have a 50/50 chance of guessing correctly, left or right. I go right. I was wrong. I turn around in another construction zone glad there isn’t much traffic, and buzz back north toward my doctor’s office, sighing at every red light.

It’s OK, I tell myself, I still have time.

I arrive 5 minutes before my scheduled appointment, like I planned it that way. I sit in the waiting room concentrating on my breath, trying to calm myself down. The day before, at the appointment in the big university setting, my blood pressure was ‘slightly elevated’ which is not normal for me. I really didn’t want it to show high at this appointment.

Helpfully the receptionist doesn’t check me in for another 15 minutes. When I finally get into my appointment my blood pressure is perfect.

Go figure.

I guess it just goes to show that even if you have a lot of obstacles to drive around you can still get to where you’re going on time, and with enough breath control to have a good outcome. I’m glad I’m done with doctor appointments for a few months.

So that’s my going to the doctor story. I’m almost finished with the photos from my camping trip in northern Georgia…those are coming up next.

Promise.

They’re bound to be more entertaining than going to the doctor.