Bureaucracy Sucks

For any of you who have ever been kept waiting on tenterhooks for an answer, here’s a cute story. My needle biopsy was negative. I had to pull some teeth to find out, but the test was negative. Sheesh! You’d think I was asking for top-secret information! Seriously! I’m about fed up with all the security and privacy everyone is so concerned about. It seems the only person who can’t get information about an individual is the individual him/herself!

In a nutshell, the questionable calcium cluster was discovered by the radiologist during a routine mammogram. But, since he is not a “treating” physician, a prescription was requested from my regular doctor who IS a “treating physician”. The pathology report was sent to my “treating physician” but, since she wasn’t “really” the one who had requested the test, her nurse “couldn’t” give me any details! Her nurse said, “Confidentially, it looks okay to us” but if I wanted any more information I had to talk to the guy who actually ordered the test. The nurse of the guy who actually ordered the test says he NEVER talks to patients and sent me back to the “treating physician”. I have yet to speak to an actual doctor but the nurses, all very “unofficially”, keep telling me I’m okay. “It’s negative”, one said, “but you didn’t hear that from me.” Who’s in charge here? It anyone as outraged as I am?

I called my internet service provider the other day to cancel a program that I never ordered, never requested and never used. In fact, I didn’t even know I had it but apparently I’ve been paying for it for almost three years! Before they could refund my money they needed my name, my mother’s maiden name, the last four digits of my social security number, and the last four digits of the credit card I use to automatically pay the monthly bill. I asked “Why would someone go to the trouble of impersonating me to get me a refund on my personal credit card?” Does this make any sense? How is it that any schmuck can get my credit card number and run up a bill online but I can’t save myself some money?

I needed to transfer a balance to a new credit card. Since the promotion came with my husband’s name on it, I needed to put him on the phone. Luckily he was home. They asked him for permission to talk to me! He could have been the janitor but they needed to hear a male voice. The last time I needed something similar I put my son on the phone. He said “Yes, I’m him.” Presto change, I was granted access to the secret city! Have everyone gone mad? What if I said I was him? Could I sue for discrimination claiming I just had a high voice?

Anyway, I’m fine… I think. The nurse at the radiologist called the nurse at the doctor’s office and begged her to please call the patient (me) and let her (me) know that she’s (I’m) okay. I still haven’t gotten that call. Neither have I gotten my refund from the internet service provider. I think the credit card transfer went through but that is because the new company stands to make some money.

Bureaucracy sucks!