Me:*on the phone* “My doctor said she sent a prescription in, and that I should call to see when I can pick it up.”
Pharmacist Tech: “Let me check… Will Wednesday afternoon work for you?”
Me: “Well, that’s two days away, and I’m in a lot of pain. But— if that’s what you can do, it’s what you can do. I don’t suppose yelling or whining will help, right?”
Pharmacist Tech: “We’ll send a text when it’s ready.”
Me: “Thanks!”
(45 minutes later, I get the text! She expedited it for me! And because of that, I was able to sleep that night without much pain! Thanks so much, lady!)
(My friend has a very severe case of Celiac disease and cannot eat any gluten without getting incredibly ill. She’s very cautious about what she eats and always makes sure to request gluten-free when ordering food, either for delivery or in a restaurant. It’s Saturday night and we’re having game night at her house. My husband and her husband decide they really want pizza, so we call one of the few local pizza places that guarantee a gluten-free crust with no cross-contamination. When the pizzas arrive, we all start to dig in, until my friend realizes something is very wrong.)
Friend: “Ugh! This isn’t gluten-free! This is thin crust!”
Me: “Are you sure? Maybe the gluten-free is a thin crust.”
Friend’s Husband: “Here, let me taste it.” *takes a bite* “Nope, definitely not gluten-free, and there’s flour all over the bottom of it.”
Friend: “Grrr! Give me the phone. This is bull****!” *dials the restaurant* “Yes, I just had a pizza delivery to my house, and I specifically ordered a small gluten-free with bacon and mushrooms, and I can guarantee this is not gluten-free.”
(Pause.)
Friend:“Yes, I would love to speak to your manager.”
(Pause.)
Friend: “Hi, yes, I just ordered from your store and specifically ordered a small gluten-free pizza with bacon and mushrooms, and not only is this not your gluten-free crust, but it’s covered in flour.”
(Pause.)
Friend: “No, I can’t just ‘eat the pizza;’ I have Celiac disease. Do you know what that is?”
(Pause.)
Friend: “No, it’s not a fad diet. It means if I eat gluten I end up throwing up and having diarrhea for days.”
(Pause.)
Friend: “What I want you to do about it is remake the pizza correctly and have it delivered.”
(Pause.)
Friend: “Yeah, I’m sure you are busy, given that it’s Saturday night, but if you guys had done it correctly the first time this wouldn’t be an issue.”
(Pause.)
Friend: “NO, I AM NOT GIVING YOU MY CREDIT CARD NUMBER! YOU MESSED UP MY ORDER! I AM NOT PAYING FOR A SECOND PIZZA WHEN YOU’RE THE ONES THAT SCREWED UP!”
(Pause.)
Friend: “YES, IT HAS TO BE DELIVERED TONIGHT. I WOULD LIKE TO ACTUALLY EAT TONIGHT!”
(Pause.)
Friend: “Okay, let me explain what I would like from you. I do not want a voucher. I do not want a refund. I just want to be able to eat tonight. I don’t care if it’s going to take 45 minutes to get another pizza to me. Please just remake the pizza, how I ordered it, and have it delivered as soon as possible.”
(Pause.)
Friend: “Okay, great.”
Me: “Wow, so, how’d it go?”
Friend:*gives me the dirtiest look I’ve ever seen*
(When her replacement pizza arrived, the delivery guy knocked and then left it on the porch before we could grab the door. It was gluten-free… but with bacon and peppers instead of bacon and mushrooms. She ate it anyway and hasn’t ordered from there since.)
This story is part of our Celiac Awareness Day roundup!
Customer:*smiles and waves, wanders about for a bit before finding what he wants, makes eye contact with me and points at counter questioningly*
Me:*nods and indicates register* “Yes! I can take you right here are you ready? Would you like a bag?”
Customer:*indicates ear* “Deaf!”
Me:*now signing* “ASL?”
(I don’t think I will ever forget the look on his face. I have been taking ASL for over a year and a half, not for my job but for school and because I like it. He was stunned. I didn’t even think twice.)
Customer:*now also signing* “Yeah.”
(I did the rest of the transaction in ASL and he even taught me a new sign!)
(The town where I live is notorious for two things; the high crime rate and unfriendly nature of its citizens. I am riding my bike to a friend’s house when, in the middle of an intersection, the front tire goes flat and then locks in place, making it near impossible to push. After some struggling and upsetting a few motorists I make it to just outside of a local hotel in the middle of downtown.)
Me:*approaching the lady at the front desk* “Excuse me? I am really sorry. I’m not even a guest at this hotel, but can I use a phone? My bike just got a flat and I can’t even push the last few miles to get to where I need.”
Receptionist: “Of course! That always happens, your battery dies or you forget your phone, doesn’t it? Write the number down and I’ll dial out for you. It’s hot outside; would you like anything to drink?”
Me: “That is okay. Thank you so much! I really appreciate this.”
(She placed the call and I managed to get a hold of a friend with a truck to come get me. She and I chatted for a minute more about breaking down in cars in the middle of nowhere. She offered to let me hang out in the AC but I declined to make sure I didn’t miss my friend and then headed outside. Nothing big, but for me in that moment it was big and wonderful reminder that there are good people everywhere.)
(I’m dealing with severe depression and anxiety and am on medication to try to manage them. To afford my prescriptions, one just half the dose of the other, we need to dig into rent money, but without my meds I crash so hard I’ve been institutionalized, so we don’t have a choice.)
Pharmacy Tech: “I’m sorry, but the price on [Medicine] has gone up again, it used to be [very cheap price] but now it’s going to be [seven times as much].”
Me: *sighing* “All right, we’ll have to pay that.”
Pharmacy Tech: *leaning in to whisper to my husband and me* “I’m not supposed to tell you this, but go home and print out coupons from [Website] and come back. Or, if you have a smartphone, look them up on there. It should save you quite a bit of money. It infuriates us too that the prices keep going up.”
(My husband and I walk outside to put away what we’ve already purchased, and in the meantime, look up coupons on his smartphone. When we get out to our car, we see a truck parked in front of us with the hood up and a young woman messing with the battery. It is over 90 degrees outside and it’s pretty clear she doesn’t know what she’s doing.)
Husband: “Everything all right?”
Woman: “Yeah. I’ve got someone coming to help. I think the battery’s dead.”
Husband: “Do you need a jump?”
Woman: “It wouldn’t hurt.”
(While I sit in the passenger seat of our car and look up coupons, my husband tries to get the truck going. After several minutes of attempting, it’s proven that the battery is truly dead, and the woman goes inside to wait for her ride. Meanwhile, I’ve successfully found a coupon that will get me my larger dosage for 50% off, making it much more affordable. We go back inside and show it to the pharmacy tech, who enters it into the system.)
Pharmacy Tech: “All right, that’s going to be [much more affordable price].”
Pharmacist: *interjecting from behind the tech* “If you can get your doctor to write you a prescription for one and a half of the larger dose, it’ll be cheaper, too, and you can just split the pills in half.”
(My husband and I agreed that it was probably karma working for us that day. We still go to that pharmacy every time we need a medication and try to pay it forward every chance we can.)
