The Merchant of Venice

Remember in your sophomore year of high school when you had to memorize a scene from a Shakespearian play? My masterpiece chosen was from The Merchant of Venice, the scene where Shylock, a Jewish Merchant, is wronged and seeks vengance claiming that his wrongs are just as important as anyone elses and he should get his wished restitution from the courts. It was a compelling arguement, although it is not right, just, or moral to demand a pound of flesh for any crime (well, I might be able to think of a couple of crimes where it could be appropriate), but he made a good arguement none-the-less. Today, I feel like Shylock.

Going through my list of other favorite IFers in Blogworld, reading about their meds, their past surgeries, struggles and some successes, I keep seeing Dr. H's name pop up. How they called him and he said....whatever he had to say. But last week I called to report my temps and heartrate (of which I record several times a day and is not convenient AT ALL), I spoke to a nurse who said she will speak with Dr. H and call me back to tell me if I should increase T3 or not. That was 6 days ago and I have not heard back from her.

Now I know that they are busy there. I can see all the bloggers that call there often regarding their issues, but aren't my concerns just as important? No, I'm not pregnant (yet) but I am a patient that is doing everything I am supposed to be doing to get pregnant...don't I deserve a returned phone call about my meds that you prescribed? Especially since you told me to call you to see if we need to adjust? I am getting frustrated in that I had this OWR, came home with little direction, and now that I am healed and ready to get a move on - I can't get a returned phone call about my thyroid meds! Hello? I'm doing all the same stuff they are doing and you can call them back, but not me! Hello!

So I called Omaha and left a message for the nurse. I'm sure she'll apologize by saying something like, "We're so busy", and I will say, "oh, that's okay". But is it? This is high emotions, high hormones, high hopes and high dreams we are talking about. This is my health, this is my family. I know you are busy, I am busy too - taking my BBT without blinking my eyes in the morning, excusing my obnoxious phone alarm when it goes off at work so I can take my temp (again).I'm busy writing down tiny little numbers into tiny little boxes on your paperwork, and I'm busy filling prescriptions for meds that will make me irritable, or stabilize me. Every day I am doing something. Every two hours I am recording something. Every minute I am praying for something. But I'll be nice on the phone - if anyone calls me back - and I'll thank them for the returned call. But know that I'm important too. My money is just as good as everyone elses, so next time, call me when you say you are going to call. Please, and Thank You So Much.

And now I'll leave you with this classic piece of literature:

"To bait fish withal: if it will feed nothing else,
it will feed my revenge. He hath disgraced me, and
hindered me half a million; laughed at my losses,
mocked at my gains, scorned my nation, thwarted my
bargains, cooled my friends, heated mine
enemies; and what's his reason? I am a Jew. Hath
not a Jew eyes? hath not a Jew hands, organs,
dimensions, senses, affections, passions? fed with
the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject
to the same diseases, healed by the same means,
warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer, as
a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed?
if you tickle us, do we not laugh? if you poison
us, do we not die? and if you wrong us, shall we not
revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will
resemble you in that. If a Jew wrong a Christian,
what is his humility? Revenge. If a Christian
wrong a Jew, what should his sufferance be by
Christian example? Why, revenge. The villany you
teach me, I will execute, and it shall go hard but I
will better the instruction." ~Shylock

Ok, so I'm really not this angry, but you get the point!