Post Thanksgiving Catch Up

 Well, it is Monday after Thanksgiving and in years past, by this time, Christmas would be in full swing here.

This year?

Not so much.

Why you ask?

Well, the whole family got sick. It started with my son-in-law who got covid. Then my granddaughter was iffy all the week before Thanksgiving and she came home the last day before vacation sounding like she needed a tubercular rest cure and then, before my daughter could get her to to the doctor, she came down with it but she ran a fever — a little something extra for the already exhausted teacher.  So, they were down for the count and I had started with the aggravating cough and was feeling like something was brewing on my youngest granddaughter’s birthday.  Well, long story short, by the day after Thanksgiving it was all coming to a head with me and Saturday found me in the emergency clinic begging for somebody to take it away.

We have quite the variety of emergency clinics around here — CareNow being the best known, I suppose, however a new one has popped up called Breeze, owned and operated by Texas Health.  Our regular doctor is also associated with Texas Health so I figured “what the hey, I will give it a go”.  It was Saturday, my choices were limited.

So, I went to the website, read through it and they had the option to pick an open time slot, so I did — 10:30 a.m.  I then created an account and filled out all the check in information and read the procedure.  

I was to arrive for my appointment, check in, and would be seen in a timely fashion (a little skeptical here as I have been in many ER’s and emergency clinics and timely isn’t always a “thing”).  They promised, on the website that in 30 minutes I would be done.  More on that later.

I went back to check that I had done everything on the website and it greeted me by name and had already linked me up with our family doctor whose bright and shiny face was staring back at me from the screen. So, I figured all good.

I walked in about 10:20, the girl at the desk took my insurance cards, scanned then and at 10:30 here comes a  nice little nurse to take me back.  She did all the info gathering and said the nurse practitioner would be in shortly and have a nice day.  I think these places are all staffed with nurse practitioners and I am fine with that— nurses are smart and they LISTEN.  

So, as promised the NP comes in and listens to me talk, looks me over, announces that my ears are full of fluid which I knew and said my cold had turned into a sinus infection, raging conjunctivitis, and she would be prescribing three meds for it.  I thanked her very much, we had a nice chat, she sat there and actually listened to what I was saying and was very personable.  Her name was Katie.  I like Katie.  We should all be like Katie.

So, here is the fun part — and I am serious, it was fun.

These clinics have this —

It is a prescription kiosk.  You go up to it and hit start and a real person comes on the screen and chats — and it is a real person, a real talking back person, and she explains the procedure that the prescriptions are being filled and will be dispensed through the machine, picked up through a little door much like going to the bank.  After which I got to speak to the pharmacist — another real person — who explained the prescriptions, how to be taken, what to expect and what they are for.  Saying “if you have any questions just call us”.  

I mean, really, how awesome is that!

And here is the clincher == I was taken back to the room at 10:30 on the dot.  I walked out with my meds at 10:55.

And, it is really close to my house.  I could actually walk there if I absolutely had to.

I was so impressed and glad I went out on a limb to visit this place.  When they pulled up my records they could see my doctors chart and this went on it so he knows what happened this weekend and I like that.  

So, Thanksgiving was a wash — my husband cooked two turkey roasts but we never gathered as a family but that’s ok, nobody felt good enough.  We split the food between ourselves and our daughter so we all had turkey and dressing and cranberries and that was plenty.  

I spent yesterday taking copious amounts of meds and watching Christmas movies.  I queued up the new Melissa McCarthy movie “Genie” and really enjoyed it but I like Melissa McCarthy — we share a name and we are both “ample” so what’s not to like?  She is about the only comedian I like these days.  Then I settled back for my old Christmas fav “Love Actually” after which I tuned in “Gilmore Girls” and fell asleep.  

So, though not what I planned and at times pretty miserable Thanksgiving did have it’s good parts — “Genie”, turkey and a prescription kiosk — what more could a girl ask for?