Communication!!!!

I feel like crying.  Today was going so well!  The kids did really well at the park, and they even learned how to fly kites!  I was in a great mood, all was well.

Then I get a call from the doctor's office.  I've been waiting for over a month now to get the results of my autism testing.  They told me when I finished the testing that it would take about a month, and then the psychologist would type up the resulting diagnosis and email it to me.  If I wanted to discuss it, I could make an appointment then.

So, I've been manically checking my email several times a day, waiting for this email.  Granted, they said about a month, and it's only been 5 days over, but still!  Nothing there.  I was going to call and check with the office first thing Monday morning, but I decided that would be obnoxious, and then the kids are out of school for Spring Break, so I didn't want to waste time away from them.  So I've been stewing in anticipation.

Alright, so, they call me today, and I'm at the park with the kids, actually getting ready to leave.  It's windy outside, so I know I won't be able to hear the phone, so I want til I get in the car to check the message and call them back.  The message I get tells me I need to call back and schedule an appointment to discuss my results!  Ugh, WHAT!?  I've been waiting on an email; what's this appointment nonsense??

I try calling the office back immediately, and several times over the next 20 minutes on my way home, and after I get home.  No answer.  So I finally listen to the recording, and it tells me to leave a message, because the office manager is not in the office after 3pm.  Uuuhhh, she CALLED me at 3:20 -- why would you call someone and leave them a message to call you back, if you KNOW that you're not going to answer the phone because it's after hours!?!?!  So I left a fairly tacky message expressing my frustration with 1) not getting the email I had been expecting, 2) not knowing why I needed an appointment, and 3) with getting a message asking me to call back when no one is going to answer.

Interestingly enough, the office manager called me back about 3 minutes after I left the message.  So, apparently, she IS in the office, and has just been ignoring my repeated phone calls.  She tells me that it depends on the results of the testing as to whether or not they will email the results or schedule an appointment, and that the doctor wants to meet with me.  Doesn't have an appointment open until next week. Seriously?!?  You tell me I'll get results in about a month, then want me to be ok with it really being 6 weeks because you decided NOT to email me?  So I schedule for Tuesday, but let her know that I'm really frustrated and upset about it because I've been checking for this email.  She never really apologizes, but that's probably for the best, because I wouldn't have believed her anyway.

We hang up, then she calls me back like 2 minutes later; tells me she talked to the doctor, and he's ok with just sending me an email if I want that, or I can keep the appointment and discuss it with him then.  Really?  After I just freaked out about not getting an email and having to make an appointment, you want to offer me a choice?  So I tell her to go ahead and ask him to email it to me, and I'll keep the appointment for Tuesday in case I have any questions for him.  If not, I'll call and cancel it.

Now I'm stuck, still waiting on an email, when I know they have the results already.  Maddening!  Expectations, people!  If they prefer to see what the results are before emailing, then tell me that!  Don't just say "email," then change it to "well, it just depends."  UUGGHH!!  Now I'll be staring at the email screen, refreshing it to see if I've gotten anything yet.  With my luck, he'll wait until tomorrow or Friday to decide to email it.  Makes me want to just go to the office and ask them to print it and hand it to me.