Pandora’s Box

Yesterday’s visit to the medical center was tantamount to opening Pandora’s Box.

That simple blood pressure check, turned into a photo session, calls to the office of my primary doctor, allergy medication, discussions as to whether or not I’d be allowed to take a 2nd dose of Moderna, a new telephone, a 5:30 call from a doctor who is not my primary, and an appointment to return in two weeks for a second blood pressure check.

Whew!

Just before leaving the house, I took my pressure, to make sure there’d be no hiccups.

Color me pleased with myself, stroking myself on the back for a job well done, when I registered 124/49.

The drive to the medical center was easy peasy, and I was called in to see Nurse 1 right away.

Color me shocked when I registered a 155/64.

“That can’t be right”, said I.

She took a second read, which came out as 156.

A third read, went all the way up to 166.

“There must be something wrong with your equipment, because it was 124 when I took it just before I headed this way.”

“Let’s try having you come back in two weeks for a recheck”, says she.

I agree and, as she begins to uncuff me, then notices a big red raised welt forming halfway around the circumference of my arm.

“Oh, that’s from my first shot of Moderna.”, says I.

“When was your shot?” asks she.

“Star Wars Day”.

“When did it start looking like that?”

“Three days ago”, said I.

Next thing I know she’s on the phone calling her Charge Nurse, who comes in and begins taking pictures of my injection site.

Charge Nurse gets on the phone and tries to schedule for me to drive over, see my primary, at another location.

When Charge Nurse is unable to get me scheduled in, I say “It’s interesting to see that even you guys have the same difficulty I have scheduling with my primary. I’m constantly telling myself to not get sick, because she’s usually booked up three months in advance.”

“That’s probably because, now that everything is opening up, people are scheduling again”, said Nurse 1

“Oh no. Getting an appointment with her was like that long before the pandemic”.

“She must be a good doctor”.

“She is. Plus, she’s female and, if her other patients are anything like me, they don’t want a male doctor. I myself won’t have a male doctor, because I’ve got PTSD from things male doctors have said and done”.

Unable to get me in to see my primary, Charge nurse tells me to head to the pharmacy, pick up ice packs and Neosporin to treat the area, Benadryl to handle what she calls “an allergic reaction”, and make myself available at 5:30 to take a call from a doctor who will sub for my primary … a male doctor, but I guess a phone visit is safe.

After she leaves, I suddenly remember the answer button my phone doesn’t work, so I say to Nurse 1 “Oh no. I have no means by which to take the doctor’s 5:30 call”.

“Do you have another number?”

“No. I’ll have to give in and buy another phone”.

“There’s a Verizon Store down the street in the Walmart shopping center”, she says.

So next item to come out of Pandora’s Box was a visit to the cellphone store where I end up with a costly new phone, after telling the guy my phone should not be breaking down so soon — it’s barely three years old.

“Verizon recommends a new phone every year”, says he.

“LOL. I bet they do, at $700 a pop”, says I.

“And the price is only going to go up”, says he.

Later that afternoon …. right on cue, the doctor calls. He’s looking at the photos Charge Nurse sent him, asking me questions.

His advice is yes on ice packs, no on Benadryl, take Loratadine instead.

He asks me to take my pressure while he’s on the phone.

I’d checked it when I got back from the medical center. It registered at 144/61, which elevation I attributed to dealing with a morning of stuff coming out of Pandora’s Box.

With doc on the phone, it jumps to 159/57.

I’m beginning to think the problem is White Coat Syndrome — I get around, or hear from medical professionals, and my blood pressure elevates.

The day ended with the lid on Pandora’s Box remaining open because, doc’s advice was to wait and see if the area is better a week before my 2nd dose. If it’s not, a telephone visit with the primary is to determine yea or nay on the second dose.

I don’t really care because, if you will recall, I was hesitant about getting vaccinated in the first place.

Needing a little libation after a day of a simple blood pressure check becoming a cause celebre, I walked to the drugstore.

A price hike from $4.99 to $6.39 over night.