Hurry Up and Wait

I was suppose to have knee surgery this past Thurs. Somehow I missed the instructions that I had to have approval by my heart doctor before I could have the surgery. So when I was made aware of this in late Dec., I began calling the heart doctor's office. "He is not in this week, but will be back on Tuesday, call then." So I did. Same answer except "call back Wed." I did. "Oh, he is not in today, but we will get back with you about your surgery tomorrow." I finally heard late in the afternoon on Wed. that I could not have the procedure until I had tests run by the heart doctor. Wed. evening the heart doc actually called me. He said that my 40% blockage in one artery could now be 70% or 75% in 2 years and that I couldn't risk it. He would get me in the first of next week to have tests run. Just call his office in the morning (Thursday, the day my knee surgery was scheduled). So I did. But they couldn't get me in until February. When I relayed what the doc had said it didn't seem to matter. The lady making the appointment pushed for me to have it on the 9th, but I had a conflict at school. She said I needed to get in so that I could have the knee surgery. I replied, nicely, that since this was the day of the surgery that I was already missing, it no longer was an emergency. So now I see the heart doc for tests Feb. 19 and go in for the follow-up visit Feb. 27. Had I begun the process to get into the heart doc on the actual day in Dec. that they scheduled my knee surgery I would still be waiting for Feb. 19. Glad my knee surgery can wait.