The Journey Of A Monthly Pharmacy Trip Ends In A Series Of Steps

Nothing is ever easy for Mrs. HM. The week that Stay-At-Home-Down was ending is the week that my six-month prescriptions ran out. I knew I had to make an appointment for an office visit. Sometimes, though, the doctor nurse practitioner will approve one month's worth, while I'm waiting until the appointment date.

Of course that didn't happen this time. I still had some extra pills. I don't wait until I take the last one to refill, like Farmer H. I was not happy about traipsing off to the clinic during the first week they resumed regular appointments. But I figured I had enough pills to survive until my Tuesday appointment.

Well. Seems like FIGURING is as bad as ASSUMING! The pharmacy sent me a text that I had a prescription ready. I waited a day, thinking that the other two would be ready the next day. But NO. I went to their drive-thru, which is the only part open, and is just a sliding window in the side of the building.

"We have this one, but your doctor says you'll have to have an appointment before he approves the other two."

"Okay. Not sure why I get to have ONE out of THREE. But okay. I'll make an appointment. Can I leave this until I pick them all up together? Or is that a problem?"

"Well, we can only keep them for two weeks..."

"Here. I'll take it. Never mind."

So I paid. It was the expensive one that I can't take generic. $38 for 30 days. I went home and made my appointment for the following Tuesday. During which both the nurse and the NP himself verified my drugs and dosages, and that I need them monthly, not in that 90-day mail method. Easy peasy, such a breezy. Only it wasn't.

On the way home, I had taken over sweaving duties from Farmer H, since we were in T-Hoe. He looked at my phone when I commanded him. Because one of the few things my new used iPhone 8 does right is accept texts. Sometimes in a timely manner.

"It says here you have two prescriptions ready."

"Okay. I'll go by tomorrow. I'm not in a mood to do it today. I'd rather go home and have some lunch."

The next day, I drove up, fully expecting my two remaining prescriptions to be ready.

"That will be $48."

"Um. Why so much? I'm only getting two."

"Yes. It's the [heart-slower] and the [thyroid med]."

"No. I picked up the [heart-slower] last week. I don't need that one. I should have the [thyroid med] and the [blood pressure med]."

"No. Your doctor did not authorize the [blood pressure med]. You have to go in for an appointment."

"I was just there yesterday. He said he was sending it in."

"Well, he didn't. You need to call your doctor."

"I thought you guys did that."

"No. We didn't."

"The entire clinic has that message on their phone message. 'If you are calling about a prescription refill, call your pharmacy.' It's been that way for ten years."

"He didn't call it in. So you should call and check on it."

"I'm sure they'll have stopped answering the phone by the time I get home. But I guess there's nothing else I can do. I don't mean to take it out on you, but you're the only person here I can complain to. It shouldn't take three trips to pick up my monthly prescriptions. I don't want the $38 one. I already have it! Look at my records!"

So she took it off, and I paid $10 for the generic [thyroid med].

Off I rushed. Got home at 3:31. Had to call long distance on the landline, since not even our working cell phones can get reception inside the Mansion. I was on hold, with an annoying loop of classical guitar music, for almost 10 minutes. Then I got transferred to my office. The gal looked it up.

"Oh, for some reason he didn't sent that one in. I'll have him call."

Fifteen minutes later, I got a text that I had TWO prescriptions ready. What in the NOT HEAVEN? Why would I have TWO? Sweet Gummi Mary! They'd better not be trying to sell me that $38 one again! I wasn't rushing back to town. I would go the next day.

When I pulled up, I was relieved that it was a different gal. She asked ME if such and such was my birthdate. Usually they make you say it yourself. She said I had ONE prescription. I handed her my debit card. Then she said,

"That will be a dollar thirty-eight."

"Oh. Well. I already wrote PHARMACY in my checkbook. So go ahead and put it on the debit."

I'm guessing that somehow, I'm going to be cheated out of a refill when I get my prescriptions next month. Because of that one that I turned down.

Because nothing seems to go right for me. Just ask Farmer H!