CF Clinic Update, Part 1: Bone Density

On October 19th I had my quarterly CF Clinic appointment (which I realize was 2 months ago!).  The visit was considered my annual appointment, which basically translates to the appointment where the doctor orders a whole bunch of routine tests.  The annual appointment requires blood work, glucose tolerance test, and chest x-ray.  Every two years a bone density scan is ordered and this my year to have one.  The nice thing about the annual appointment is I have until the next appointment to get my test completed.  Getting the blood work is usually the most challenging because I have to be fasting and the glucose tolerance takes two hours.  The test includes having a fasting blood draw, drink a yummy sugary drink, wait two hours, have another blood draw.  I still need to do this!

I don't need a chest x-ray this time because I just had one in June with my PICC placement.  I had the bone density scan yesterday, December 17, so now I am just waiting for the results.  I had a little ordeal getting the test scheduled.  I made the appointment during my CF Clinic appointment.  The first available appointment was December 5.  I didn't mind the wait, since my next visit will not be until January.  The day before the appointment, the office called and cancelled because the tech was sick.  Really...and there is no one else to act as a substitute?  Ok, I can be flexible, even though I had to schedule so far out.  Then they told me they would not be able to reschedule me until February.  I told them that was not acceptable to have me wait nearly four months for a five minute test.  They tried to make excuses and tell me I would just have to wait.  I asked to speak to a department head. I just really feel they need to understand they are not meeting the needs of their patients.  I got a call back immediately and they just "happened" to have a cancellation for the following week.  I actually filed a complaint about the process.  I think they really need to  recognize the faults in their department and make corrects to better service the patients.