SNAFUS All Day

I feel like I was running into huge blocks all day long. Frustration abounded. Snafus all around! Issues? Cancer, broken liquid oxygen container, small Levi's, gas leaking from the car, major road work right where I needed to go, Mother's Day book not on sale anymore and Starbucks.

It was a long day.

Broken release button

Last Thursday, my oxygen supplier was here on their normal every other week routine to fill up the large holder from which I fill the portable backpack for rehab and yard work. I noticed something was wrong when we wheeled it in that evening. The entire top was loose. It was then that I spotted a screw that was to keep the cover in place and the plastic was broken around it to leave the screw totally up and exposed. No problem except it was inside the area where I fill the portable for the backpack. The end of the portable was metal. The screw was metal. If I were to hit the bottom and the screw together, it could cause a spark. That, plus very flammable liquid oxygen, could be a disaster. Very dangerous. Also, the entire top was cracked and broken including a piece that removes the portable after filling. It was a mess.

So, I tried to phone Apria before I left in the morning. I waited on hold for 20 minutes. I finally just left.

I went into town to buy a Mother's Day card and a Starbucks gift card for mom. When approaching Starbucks, a woman saw me and ran to the door to get in line ahead of me. She had a large complicated order. I just wanted a gift card. I took a deep breath. Finally, got it, returned to the car and noticed a pool of liquid near the back of the car. Smelled like gas. Yikes! Inside the car smelled like gas. I headed over the pass with all the windows down.

When we bought Michael's Levi's on the weekend, we thought he had lost enough weight to go down a size. Wrong. We bought three shirts to got with the cranberry and light turquoise 501s so I just wanted to replace them with the correct size. NONE AVAILABLE. I searched for some help and finally found someone who suggested that I order the correct size to be delivered to my house. Perfect! They should arrive in 3-5 days. Back to the car, there was a bit of gas. Off to the bookstore.

Maeve Binchy's latest for mom was on sale when we were at Barnes and Noble last week. Nope. Sorry. Buy one get one half price. I put it back. Back to the car. No gas drips.

On the way to the rehab class, I had to swing by a framing store to pick up a painting that mom had matted. The entire 4-lane street was reduced to one lane. It was a mess. Parked, ran in, grabbed it and off to rehab.

While eating lunch in the car, I phone the local doctor to see if they had sent the biopsy slides to my university hospital. They wanted the FAX number so I promised to phone them back with the information after I got home from rehab.

Then I phone Apria again. The woman argued with me that my normal delivery was this Thursday. No, for the past eight years, it has been every two weeks. It was just refilled last Thursday. No, she argued, it showed that they were coming again Thursday. I told her the problem with the broken container, she said she would fill out the form. Nothing else. I asked for a new container to be delivered during my normal refill schedule. I said to her that I didn't have confidence that: 1. they would not come on Thursday and 2. they would bring a new container with them in two weeks. I was right on both counts.

No gas smell. After rehab class, the car seemed just fine. I went by the local organic market for a few things for tonight then home. I phoned the FAX number to my local doctor so they could send my biopsy slides. I will phone the university's dermatology department today to try to get an appointment to finally have the cancer removed.

Exposed metal screw

Then the phone rang. It was a robo call from Apria with a message that they would be at my home for my normal delivery on Thursday. NOOOOOOO! It was from the main headquarters! I had a number! Someone might listen to me! I quickly returned the call and spilled my guts to my new friend Adam.

He got it. He told me he would return my call. Within minutes, he did. He changed my files to reflect the every two week delivery and contacted my local branch to arrange a new liquid oxygen container to be delivered this Thursday. He said it was too dangerous to wait another week.

The other news is that when Michael got home, he tore apart the trunk to access the gas tank and found that one of the something for the something had moved and the overflow was what was leaking...I really didn't understand it other than it was fixed. He drove it to work this morning just to be sure it is fine.

And did I mention that the Giant's lost last night?