August 11, 2009

Give me my Meds or I’ll Cough on You

Yesterday I woke up to find out that I was completely out of my allergy eye drop and nasal spray, and trust me when I tell you that I desperately needed them and now. I immediately got on the computer and plugged in my refill info at my pharmacy. I did this at 10 a.m. It said the earliest I could pick it up would be 2 p.m.

You've got to be kidding me. It takes two hours to drop an eye drop bottle in a bag?

I then realized that my nasal spray was a doctor's sample and that I hadn't yet filled that prescription. So we got in the car and went to the Rite Aid drive-through. It was noon.

"When would you like to pick this up?" the girl asked me.

"I'd like to come back in an hour," I told her. I had to go suffer through a visit to the grocery store anyway. I figured an hour was plenty of time to drop both an eye drop and a nasal spray in a bag.

I guess they're making the drugs there because the girl told me there was no way it would be ready before 2 p.m.

I drove off in a huff, possibly screeching my tires out of the drive-through aisle and called Mr. BBM to tell him how outraged I was that my clogged up head was going to have to wait another two hours for my meds.

I went into my grocery store and realized for the first time, that there was a pharmacy in the back. A polite young guy was working there and I told him I wanted to ask him a hypothetical question.

"What if I brought you a prescription for a nasal allergy spray? How long would it take you to fill it?"

"About five minutes," he said.

"Ok, what if I also need an allergy eye drop prescription. How long then?"

"About five minutes," he said, grinning ear to ear instead of scowling at me like the Rite Aid girls.

I figured I'd throw him for a loop. I have walked into Rite Aid with very sick kids, barfing sick kids and they have told me I'd have to wait a good hour for the medicine. When that happens, I usually either take the prescription elsewhere or stand there and make my children look as if they're about to barf right now. It's amazing how that works to make them move faster. Unfortunately, I don't think they were feeling very threatened by a congested Mom in the drive-through. So, I asked the grocery store pharmacy one more question. . .

"Well, what if I also have a sick kid and you actually have to mix the medicine for them. Add to that my eye drop and nasal spray. How long then?"

"About five minutes," he said, then added, "Wait! Have you been here before?"

"No, does that change things?" I asked him.

"Yeah, it would add about two minutes, but only for the first time," he said grinning so brightly I practically needed sunglasses.

Then he smiles even bigger and says, "Let me guess. . . you just came from Rite Aid right?"

"Yeah you would be correct," I told him, "but this is the last time I'll be coming from there."