IKEA: a little piece of heaven

Isn’t IKEA just like a small piece of heaven? I just adore this store. Saturday, Jason and I decided to get up early and have breakfast at the restaurant inside IKEA. They serve a nice breakfast for $1. Hash browned potatoes, scrambled eggs, sausages & croissant. YUM! We got there by 8:40 AM, shoveled down breaky, buzzed around the store like madmen to pick up towels, blankets & pillows, and then rush over to my Homeopath appointment for 10:00 AM.

I have my first “real patient” to do a case study on at my chiropractor’s office on Tuesday morning at 11:00AM. Kim (my massage therapist) had referred a patient of hers over to me to be a case study. Ed (my chiropractor) gave me an empty treatment room to use, Kim supplied a massage table and stool, and I needed to get sheets, towels, pillows, pillow cases, etc. for the room.

I was in a kind’ve calm nervousness if that makes any sense. I’m excited to get my first real patient, yet nervous at the same time, but in such a weird way. Nervous without the anxiety that usually accompanies it.

So we get to the Homeopath’s office (she works out of Ed’s clinic) just as she was getting there. She tells us that she needs a new bulb for her color therapy laser machine and would we mind waiting while she runs over to her other clinic to pick up her other machine. We took this opportunity to rush over to Zeller’s and buy some sheets and pillow cases, and one of those plastic wheelie carts with drawers.

I don’t know if you guys know what color therapy is, but I’m giving it a shot. I figure if the insurance company is willing to pay for $500 worth of Homeopath appointments per year… then why not see how this works. Here’s a link:

http://nh.essortment.com/whatiscolort_rime.htm

Ok… I get the treatment done, and off we go home. Jason goes to the gym later and does the grocery shopping, while I soak my new sheets and super-treat them with unscented fabric softener. Laundry is now a full day event to get these towels, sheets, and blankets feeling comfy and cozy.

Then I get some news that I’m not overly happy about. Kim goes into the clinic today to play catch up on paperwork and notices that I have a patient coming in on Monday morning as well. She calls me to see if I know this or not. Of course I don’t. Seems like the "dippy" (and I use the term lightly as this is almost a compliment) receptionist at the clinic has booked me an appointment on Monday afternoon at 2:00 PM.

She never even called me to let me know... uggggh. I could strangle this woman sometimes... she is bossy, arrogant and makes more than her fair share of mistakes. She messed up the phone system at the clinic and now the phone there doesn't make a ring that everyone can hear.I wonder how many patients have not been able to get through... grrrrr.Anyway... thank God Kim was in the clinic yesterday and noticed this.

I already had my day all scheduled. Originally, I had an appointment with my personal trainer at the gym for 10AM until 11:00AM.. a full hour of workouts and sweating. I was then going to rush over to the clinic and see my Homeopath at 12:00 - 12:30 for a color therapy treatment, then 12:30 - 1:00 for my Chiropractor adjustment, then1:00 - 2:00pm with Kim for massage therapy... all at the same clinic. I was going to be there all sweaty and tired. How could I give a treatment at 2:00pm? How fair would that have been to the patient to have a sweaty practitioner working on them? YUK!!!!I would have been there alright... but I wouldn't have had all my supplies with me (oils, sheets, blanket, pillows, music and CD player, etc., etc., etc. What a dipstick!!! Sometimes I could throttle her for not thinking.

Friday she told a patient that the doctor wasn't in yet... and he was in the back in his office doing paperwork. She's messed up my appointments for myself on numerous occasions. I'm so sick of getting calls that I've missed an appointment when she wrote it into the wrong week...ugggh.

So I called my trainer and left a message on her cell phone to cancel my appointment. Now I will go to the clinic first thing in the morning and Kim will help me set up my room... move the massage table in there, get the bed all set up, and do whatever needs to be done to make my first case study down outside of fellow students, friends or family a pleasant and wonderful experience for the patient.I'm reading my notes and studying like crazy... rehearsing what I'll say, etc. etc.

I'm nervous. I want to give this patient the best and make her feel wonderful. Not just is this a case study for me at school... but a real patient of the clinic, so this is the real thing... not just practicing and learning... but actually trying to help someone that needs it.