Tears of gratitude

I can't imagine a harder week than this last week. I'm glad tommorrow is the start of a new one.

Because of the holidays we were unable to replenish our supply of prescriptions. Last Monday morning I spent 2 1/2 hours on the phone talking with the suppliers. Our treatment protocol involves 5 different sources. We have a temporary address so it's a bit more complicated. Mistakes were made, shipments were late, insurance didn't come through, and addresses were wrong. In addition, I lost the use of both of my credit cards. (long story). Colin's test strips for his blood sugar meter went from 20 dollars to 120 dollars for the second time in a year. More phone calls. More decisions. New samples have to be mailed to the lab in Texas when I thought they had archived the previous ones. I sent in tests for a home we're considering renting and heard on Friday that I made a crucial mistake. I followed the directions carefully. It said nothing about clear tape instead of masking tape. It had taken hours to do. Friday morning I opened our new nebulizer. It felt like Christmas. It wouldn't work. I called the pharmacy. The customer service representative told me what I already knew. No refunds. It's possible to get a replacement but it will take a month. I knew this because the first one I bought didn't work and we're still waiting on that one. She asked me what I needed it for. I told her. She took the time to listen and ask questions and then she let me cry. She told me about her experience the night before. She was driving to a new doctor for chronic pain. She got lost. She went 30 miles out of her way before turning around. She was charged 500 dollars for the visit when she thought it would be 200 dollars. She said she cried all of the way home. "And so," she said, "I understand how you feel." I cried again. This time out of gratitude.