appoint-mehs

i don't like having appointments.

doesn't matter if it's a medical appointment or an appointment at the bank, there's something about them that i find distracting and, sometimes, distressing. as if the slot an appointment occupies on my calendar has somehow thrown a big wrench into whatever plans i don't really have.

"ugh, i have to go to ________ on thursday."

"what else is happening on thursday?"

"well. nothing. but still."

if i have an appointment on the horizon, i find it hard not to fixate on it. this is especially problematic when it comes to doctor and dentist appointments -- the latter more so than the former. if i have a dentist appointment booked, all i can think about is that it's coming up in X days, and that maybe i'll have to go back for ANOTHER appointment if X-rays or an exam reveal a cavity or a crack or a giant alien coiled within a molar. then i get lost in a spiral of dental what-ifs and "did i floss enough?"s and mental calculations of how much this latest appointment is going to cost me.

also, the farther away the appointment, the worse this all is. you'd think that it would be the opposite -- that i'd worry more as the day grew closer. you'd be wrong. i actually worry less the closer the appointment gets. as in, "FINALLY, i can go and get this over with."

if i'm set to get test results, i spend the pre-appointment days worried about the results or trying to guess them based on how i'm feeling. am i extra warm? chilled? is that a rash on my neck? have i put on weight? which then leads to: is my thyroid wonky again? am i anemic? is my cholesterol too high?

note: after last week's visit with dr. textbook, my blood tests revealed that my thyroid has gone wonky, that my medication dosage needs to be increased and that i now have to schedule not one but TWO follow-up appointments. one sometime next week, to go over the rest of the blood-test results and the results of my impending mammogram/ultrasound, and another in about five or six weeks so that my blood can be tested, and the results reviewed, again.

at present, i have booked neither.

when i have to schedule an appointment, i always try for the same-day or next-day booking. i'm happiest and most relaxed if i can call a given office first thing in the morning and hear, "we have an opening this afternoon if you'd like." PERFECT.

so it was that, this morning, i got around to calling my dentist's office to book an appointment. they'd left a message for me last week, reminding me that it's time for my six-month check-up. given all the to-and-fro-ing for dr. textbook, i initially thought i'd shove the dentist to the back burner for a while. then i realized that knowing i would have to book an appointment was just as distracting as actually booking one.

thankfully, when the receptionist answered, she said, "when did you want to come in?"

and, before i could even answer, she added, "i don't suppose you want to come in today or tomorrow?"

done.

mammogram in the morning tomorrow.

dentist in the afternoon.

two appointments, one stone.