Annoyances, Good News, Bad News and Hard Ka-Ka

Yesterday I saw the cornea specialist at Mass Eye and Ear Infirmary. I was dreading this as, in the past, I’ve had utterly heinous experiences in their big eye department. There's been radically unhelpful and/or completely non-existent office staff, one mega rude doc and endless, ENDLESS wait times. I once tapped my toes for 2.5 hours just to get in for a scheduled visit with my surgeon! Guess what – my time's important too and, talented as you may be, you ain't god. Yeah, he got booted from the pit crew.

Given that my recent 10th floor neuro-ophthalmology appointment was such an utter disappointment, I had negative amounts of hope that this first floor cornea specialist experience would be any better.

But it was! Better that is. WAY fucking better even.

Apart from the front desk lady that is. She kept asking for my phone number. Yes, I know, getting a phone number is standard procedure BUT I’m deaf. Office staff can’t reach me by phone unless they text (which they never do). I always tell them no phone, email me instead. The drone signing me in seemed unable or unwilling to comprehend this wee out-of-the-ordinary bit and continued to insist that she needed my number. Ooof. She was like a glitchy recording, stuck in an annoying, perpetually repeating loop. Finally one of her co-workers stepped in and I was cleared to move to the next level – my cornea doc’s office.

An aside: this is Mass Eye AND EAR – don’cha think staff would be accustomed to dealing with deafies? Also, as soon as I had this cornea appointment scheduled, I tried to get a ‘terp to come in. That IS something Mass Eye and Ear offers. Cool, cool BUT the website notes that you have to CALL to schedule the services. Gosh, if I could call, I wouldn’t need the ‘terp now would I!? Why can’t I request an ASL ‘terp via email?

In any case, my appointment, shockingly, began right on time. On top of this, Doc Dana’s secretary informed the rest of the team of my out of commission sound system. His intake nurse set up a text doc and keyed in most of her questions as well as her responses to my queries. The baby doc who I saw next did the same thing AS DID Doc Dana! This was incredible. I’m so used to medics and their staff insisting I lip read and just giving up when, inevitably, I don’t catch every last little utterance.

VERY impressive doctor (handsome too!) and staff.

OK, now the bad news. I need more surgery on my wonky left eye. It’s really a no big deal day procedure BUT The Amazing Bob’s not here to help, to take care of me, to make this fun. He really would make this fun too. Acknowledging that, yes, we were both nervous and afraid, he and I would get our jollies on big and dive in, cracking wise the whole time. TAB and I could handle anything as long as we could joke our way through it. At home later, there’d be cake. Of course!

Getting the Slice-Me-Up-Time news threw me into a fresh pit of intensely and desperately missing my handsome, wonderful man. How can I possibly face this challenge without him?

I can and I will. Survival – one of my superpowers. Also too, Jen and Oni are here for me. Helen and Celeste can pitch in if needed. I have friends who’ll stand by me – cook a meal, bring take out, give me lifts, make me laugh, whatevs.

I’m not alone.