The Down Side

So, I have reached the point of utter frustration with this transplant thing. Not with the desire to do it - that is still strong. But I am completely fed up with the way it is being handled.

Of all the people involved, I am the only one who has NO FREAKIN' IDEA what is going on. I have never done this, and I can only go on the information that is given to me each step of the way. So why is everyone being so damned stingy with information? This is how every test has gone so far...

Professional #1: You need to have Test A.
Me: Okay. How do I go about doing that?
Prof. #1: Just go to your local lab.
Me: Okay.
(later, usually either rushed before or after work on a busy day)
Me: I need to have Test A.
Lab Vampire: Well, should it be Test A1 or Test A2? And do you have this very important, necessary paperwork?
Me: Um. No.
Lab Vamp: I can't do it without that information.

This means that I then have to call back to Professional #1, usually during one of my breaks at school, and leave a message, because no medical professional EVER answers the freakin' phone. Then, I wait, hoping that Prof. #1 calls back during a time when I can sneak a phone call (cell phones are not supposed to be used at our school). I eventually get the information that Prof. #1 should have realized I would need in the first place. I mean, how many transplants has she been involved in? Grr. This has happened multiple times now. And I know that it is "typical", but that doesn't make it any less irritating. Especially when followed by this interaction...

Me: Just checking to make sure you got the results for Test A1 and A2.
Prof. #1: Let's see....nope. You'll have to call and find out what happened.

WTF???? I made a conscious decision as a teen to go into education, NOT medicine. Why am I the one who has to do all this? Let's see how it turns out...

(calling the lab)
Me: Prof. #1 never got the results of Test A1 and A2.
Lab Vamp: Well, I don't actually do that. I do the blood draws and such and send them off to The Big Lab. You'll have to call there.
(calling The Big Lab)
Me: I am trying to find the results of Test A1 and A2. I need them sent to The Hospital
Big Lab Vamp: Okay. Did you include the information for sending it there?
Me: I gave it to the Lab Vamp. I don't know if she sent it on or not, but she photocopied it.
BLV: Well, if she didn't send it, you will need to get your doctor's permission.

For crying out loud. I can't even win when I actually have the information I need. So this means more phone calls, more waiting, more rushing around dealing with medical crap when I should be dealing with school things. Why is this so hard. Why can't the people who do this procedure every freakin' day act like they have a clue? All I want to do is help out. Why does that always become an ordeal? No wonder most people could give a s**t about others. It is so much easier.

There has not been a single step of this that anyone has made easy or stress-free. I knew that going through this process long distance (I am two time zones away from all others involved) would make it more complicated, but I didn't realize that I would be the only one interested in finding/sharing information. The fact I am so far away makes it all the more imperative that I get the data I need in a timely fashion. I am supposed to fly to MN in 10 days, but I can't get anyone to help me fill out paperwork, verify tests, or anything. It is too long a trip (I will be missing 3 days of school) to take if it isn't necessary. I only have 4 weeks of sick leave, and I can't afford to be wasting 3 of them.

I guess I will just be hoping that I get the phone calls I need today. Hopefully, they will say that my last test results are in and good, and help me get this paperwork filled out and sent in. I don't know what more I can do.