BLUE MONDAY

Monday! For most working people, their day begins early, getting ready and rushing out the door for their workplace. While everyone rushed to work, I slept. Retirement has its privileges. My Monday morning began around 8:45 A.M.

No need to make breakfast! There was a smoothie in the fridge leftover from yesterday. My to-do list wasn't long; however, it did take longer than expected to finish. You will see; by the end of the to-do list, my stress level was off the charts.

Let me begin! Every day, every single day, I give thanks to the internet and google search. Speaking of which, recently, my answer and comment to an online question as to what can't you give up? My response was, "Google Search!" Jokingly, google search is my crystal ball.

“Here goes!” my mind is in thought. Beginning, my first task could be accomplished online. Yes! That's why it was my first. Logging into the company's website, my choice of communication was via chat. With my question typed, the representative introduced themself. Then, it was their turn to enter question after question. Giving the correct answer, we moved on. After making my final decision, the representative confirmed. We were done. No! It wasn't over for me. Poof! The survey appeared. Quickly, my numerical answers were selected. Now, it is completely done!

Helping my daughter last Friday, my time was well spent. My son and daughter lost their dad on the 4th of August. The triple by-pass was successful or that is the story. He didn’t make it out of ICU. My heart went out to my kids. My grandkids didn’t know their grandfather. My divorce was finalized 32 years ago.

Expressing my sorrow in person and by text messages to my kids. Obviously, it has been a rough month for all of us.

Of course, things happen. Sometimes there is a reason. Other times, there is no apparent reason. What did happen, my driver's license was lost. Late Friday night, for some reason, my thoughts drifted to my driver's license. Searching everywhere, my car, my purse, retracing my steps after returning home from my daughter’s home, there was no license. That being the case, several messages were sent to my daughter. After she searched around her home, she texted back that the license wasn’t there.

On Saturday morning, with the loss of my driver’s license, my actions were proactive that being to freeze my credit reports. While two of the three credit bureaus make it easy to freeze your credit report online. Yes! It was easy-peasy! With the third, my call went through only to get a message to call back Monday.

Just another call for my Monday list, that's why my phone was tied up for forty-five minutes most of that time was spent on hold. While the conversation with the representative lasted a maximum of eight minutes from start to finish.

By this time, I needed a tall glass of ice water. Time to chill! After a brief break, there were more calls to make. It's terrible to be given the run- around, and you feel that the people aren't being completely honest and truthful.

While the phone calls were on my Monday’s list, it was the events that transpired on Friday and Saturday that prompted them.

On Friday, my son drove five hours to the mortuary to pick up his father’s remains. Naturally, he asked for his dad’s personal effects. Surprisingly, the mortuary staff claimed they didn’t have any of his dad’s personnel effects. He was advised to go to the hospital. My son messaged me, “They said they had nothing.” For all I knew, they were on their way back home.

Since he had to work Saturday, I offered to make some calls on Saturday. My mission on Saturday morning and afternoon was to locate my ex’s personal effects for my son, His dad was retired Air Force, living across the border.

Thankfully, his half-sister had been in communication by text messages. Yes! She demanded he gets his butt to the hospital. Since there isn’t a hospital on the Air Force flight training base, he went to a civilian hospital. How he got there. Clueless! After being admitted, the amount of time he spent there is unknown.

At some point, he was transported to a San Antonio hospital where surgery was performed.

On Saturday, the mortuary was closed. My first call was to the San Antonio hospital. The operator transferred me to a staff nurse, Diana. According to her, the two departments and their closest ones didn’t have anything. Then, reading from what she said was the transport report. According to the transport report, his personal effects were left behind with staff. This is extremely questionable.

Without his glasses. Cell phone and wallet with ID, he could not have been admitted into the San Antonio hospital. In fact, his sister confirmed by Facebook messenger that her brother did text her from the hospital in question.

One more call was made on Saturday that was the original hospital where all this began. The operator transferred me to Security. Sounds like a place to start, when you are looking for personal effects that have been either lost or stolen. He checked hospital records at his end. Claiming that nothing was there, my frustration level was maxing out. At the end of our conversation, he said to call back Monday and speak to the Risk Manager.

After checking several items off my list Monday, I called the first hospital. On the first ring, the operator answered. Naturally! Asking to be transferred to Risk Manager, Lisa, answered and listened to me ramble for the first two minutes. While she was sympathetic and understood the complex situation, she informed me that she would investigate. Before she hung up, I inquired, “Who should be contacted and what is the direct phone number at the San Antonio hospital?" While she didn’t have a direct phone number, she advised me to call the Patient Advocate.

After dialing the phone number for the hospital, the sound ring, ring, ring echoed in my room. No one answered. My strength is persistence. Once again, the number was dialed. Ring! Ring! Ring! No answer!

It was definitely time to google-searched for the patient advocate at the hospital. On the second ring, Sally answered. Again, the situation was explained. She promised to investigate and get back to me. After the call, I sent an email, according to Sally the email would be forwarded to her. Documentation!

My stress level was rising. Eating should have been my first priority; instead, I took a shower. After the shower, my body was feeling sickly. My symptom was nausea with a slight headache.

Nevertheless, my shrimp with spaghetti squash was in the fridge. Eating didn’t help, slowly ice water went down my throat. The nausea was still present. Needing a reminder of home cures for nausea, chamomile was the answer which was found by googling. Eating healthy is great, stress can really knock you for a loop! Resting with my chamomile, my symptoms subsided. Within hours, back to normal.