I’m almost 73 years old and live with multiple medical complexities. Once you discover measures can be found to enhance and even possibly sustain life, any delays receiving those measures can create tremendous added stress and anxiety. I even have spoken to many individuals who, like me, are coping with long wait times for appointments or corrective procedures to maintain them secure.
In January, I unexpectedly lost consciousness while exercising. While hospitalized for 3 days, test after test was administered to search out the cause. When no test could explain why I passed out, I used to be sent home wearing a heart monitor for a month. After 30 days, it took one other three weeks to give you the chance to satisfy with the nurse practitioner (NP) only to learn that the medical field still didn’t have a proof for my lack of consciousness a couple of months prior. The NP informed me that a loop monitor would need to be implanted within the chest to watch my heart continually.
I left the appointment discouraged as I waited for a call to schedule the procedure. Every week passed, and no scheduler contacted me. One other week went by and still no call from the office to schedule the implantation. Anxiously and frustrated, I called the office. To my dismay and shock, I learned the scheduler never contacted me since the referral had never been received by the department. Uncovering this error, the office hurried to correct the error on their end. Three weeks later, I went in for the implantation of the loop monitor.
While relieved now, all those days stuck within the waiting game left me wretched with fear: hoping to not pass out again; hoping if I do, I might be lucky to not have injuries; and hoping for an answer to make my life safer again.
So why am I addressing this issue? There are lots of patients whose lives are “on-hold” as they wait for needed health measures. The unease brought on by waiting for these calls and/or bookings for tests, surgeries, or results that appear to take too long leave us as patients in a dreaded limbo: attempting to live every day with the added anxiety as to when the decision might come and what the final result could also be.
Are you an individual, like me, who finds themselves on this worrisome waiting pattern? Are you hoping that a correction is found to assist your life improve, but now facing prolonged periods of time attempting to connect with specialists, schedule appointments, move on with life? Waiting is taxing, nevertheless it is something we cannot appear to avoid. We now have to attend…
So what will we do during this time? I suppose if you happen to give it some thought, none of us know what might come next. What I even have tried to give attention to is that despite the pain, discomfort, and the unknown ahead, that is my life without delay. And I’m only guaranteed the current. For many who are like me, we must proceed to work through the hard times of unease and anxiety and check out to search out some peace and gratefulness. It is tough to be patient, but I don’t want to live in fear, anger, and with no hope.
May you discover peace in life as you’re waiting together with your life on hold…
