Update On Brandy’s Condition

I haven’t posted an update on Brandy’s condition so far. I tried, but I got so frustrated all over again thinking about the two receptionists at the vet, Lorraine and Sheila, as well as Dr C, who happens to be Lorraine’s son, that I jumbled the words and stuttered badly on the keyboard, so I deleted the post. Now several days later, I’ve calmed down a bit, although still upset, I think I can get this update published.

The short version is that Brandy has vitamin B12 deficiency and bacterial overgrowth, which has been causing the diarrhea. She’s put on amoxicillin and B12 supplement. If you are bored and want to read the long version, the rest of this entry is me ranting in painstakingly minute detail about certain people, mentioned above, at the vet’s office.

Last Friday, I received a phone call from Dr. C, instead of my vet Dr. L, about the blood test results. He said Dr. L asked him to give me a call, and said Brandy’s pancreatic level was normal as with everything else except her B12 level, which was low; the course of her treatment would be to give her B12 supplement and treat her with amoxicillin twice a day for 30 days; I could pick up amoxicillin and Pet-tabs, which is a multivitamin for dogs. I asked if I couldn’t just buy B12 supplement at a drug store, and he replied that I could certainly do that. Now my mistake at that point was to assume that he would have offered to call in the prescription for me at my local pharmacy IF amoxicillin was NOT a medication only available at veterinary facilities. Because Dr. L had offered to call in prescriptions for me twice already this year, I assumed amoxicillin was something not available at pharmacies.

The next day, SATURDAY mind you, I left home around 9:45am to pick up amoxicillin at the vet, which is usually about 40-45 minute drive. But after driving for 15 minutes or so on Long Island Expressway, the traffic came to a complete halt. Fortunately, I was right next to an exit, and I took the exit along with everybody else who was lucky enough to not have passed this exit. I drove on the service road at 0.00314 mile per hour and found out LIE was closed for 3 subsequent exits because of a tractor trailer crash. I finally got back on the LIE and flew to the vet’s office.

I told Sheila that I was there to pick up amoxicillin. For whom? she asked. Brandy, I answered. Last name? she asked. Kimn, K-I-M-N, I answered. Sheila opened a cabinet and started looking for it. Then she said quite contemptuously, Did you call it in? You HAVE to call it in first. It’s not here. You can’t just walk in and… I interrupted quite irritably, No, I didn’t call it in. Dr. C called ME yesterday. Flustered, Sheila proceeded to take out a basket from the cabinet and went through it. She took another basket out and went through it. She typed in my name on the computer apparently looking to verify my story. She went through the baskets again. She got up and walked to the back room, came back out, started the search again. She went to the back room again, came back out, searched for it again. Lorraine interfered and she walked to the back room, came back out, typed my information again on the computer. Lorraine and Sheila whispered this and that to each other. And Lorraine started going through the baskets again, when she grabbed a pill bottle and handed it to Sheila. Sheila said, Oh, I was looking for an envelope, not a bottle! Lorraine answered, Clavamox is in the envelope, not amoxicillin.

Increasingly irritated and impatient, yet relieved that I was getting the thing I drove all the way there for, I proceeded to pay and asked, so amoxicillin is not something that can be called in to a pharmacy? Lorraine answered sheepishly, We can call it in. But they look different. If you get it from a pharmacy, they don’t look the same.

(WARNING! The following paragraph not appropriate for children. Parental guidance strongly advised.)

With that, I turned around very quickly and got the fuck out of that place before I start yelling obscenities and end up getting banned from there. I mean, IT LOOKS DIFFERENT? FOR REAL? BIG! FUCKING! DEAL! WHY THE FUCK WOULD I GIVE A FUCKING SHIT ABOUT WHAT THE FUCK IT FUCKING LOOKS LIKE?!?! WHY THE FUCK DID I FUCKING HAVE TO DRIVE ALL THE FUCKING WAY THERE???? I WASTED THREE FUCKING HOURS THAT FUCKING DAY BECAUSE THE FUCKING CRASH WAS STILL BEING INVESTIGATED WHICH CAUSED THE FUCKING RUBBERNECKERS SO BREAK-FUCKING-HAPPY THAT MADE THE FUCKING TRAFFIC TO SLOW THE FUCK DOWN ON MY WAY BACK HOME AS WELL. AND HAVE YOU BEEN PAYING ATTENTION TO THE FUCKING PRICE OF FUCKING GAS THESE FUCKING DAYS? IT FUCKING COST ME TWENTY FUCKING BUCKS ROUND FUCKING TRIP! AND I COULD HAVE PICKED THIS FUCKING THING UP AT MY PHARMACY HALF A FUCKING MILE AWAY FROM ME?