I am so frustrated about my upcoming eye surgery

The woman that's been taking me to my medical appointmenst sent a message through the church secretary that she and her sister both have contracted COVID. She had to take her sister to the ER because of dehydration. This almost assures me that I will have to look to someone else for transportation. I did the other woman I contacted about it in church yestdrday and asked her if she had received my email. She said she hadn't, so either it got sent to her spam folder or she is ignoring me.
Are there no taxis or public transports in your area that you could use, Deb?
 

They just drop off and don't wait. In addition, the hospital requires a "responsible" person accompany me to and from the surgery - Uber, MediCabs and the like do not qualify as such.
 
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I don't know if it is available to you, but I hired someone to pick me up from outpatient surgery. I got myself there, but gave the person's name and phone number. They actually called her to confirm. Yours is more complex as you also need a driver. I hope something/someone appears that can help you.
 
Still looking for transportation for my next surgery and follow-up appointment. Not many people are willing to be available at 5:30 am, drive 60 miles and wait 6 hours, even with a bribe of money, food and gasoline. One woman in church said to me, "If you need anything, just ask." Well I did and she said, "Well, I meant like getting groceries." I guess my definition of ANYTHING is different than hers.
 
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Still looking for transportation for my next surgery and follow-up appointment. Not many people are willing to be available at 5:30 am, drive 60 miles and wait 6 hours, even with a bribe of money, food and gasoline. One woman in church said to me, "If you need anything, just ask." Well I did and she said, "Well, I meant like getting groceries." I guess my definition of ANYTHING is different than hers.
Debs, have you tried calling your local Area on Aging? I'm not sure, but they might be able to help.

https://aging.ny.gov/programs/transportation
 
Still looking for transportation for my next surgery and follow-up appointment. Not many people are willing to be available at 5:30 am, drive 60 miles and wait 6 hours, even with a bribe of money, food and gasoline. One woman in church said to me, "If you need anything, just ask." Well I did and she said, "Well, I meant like getting groceries." I guess my definition of ANYTHING is different than hers.
Your church acquaintance obviously assumed a typical request. What you've laid out is a very big ask of anyone.

People willing to kill a whole day like that tend to be close relatives or very close friends.

Can you book a hotel near the surgical center for a night or two?
 
Hospitals here do not allow patients to be transported by anyone other than a close friend or relative. If they did, I could get the local medi-van.
Will they really know? Maybe they say that so that they won't have any legal responsibility, so you could just lie?

Could you try at your church and get two separate people to volunteer, it is asking an awful lot to expect someone to wait six hours, but maybe one early-bird type wouldn't mind taking you, and then a different person could pick up (and be willing to pretend to be a close friend or family if anyone were to actually ask).
 
I have to be where someone can keep an eye on my the night after the surgery.
Wouldn't it be nice if we could just rent a camera and point it at our bed and pay someone to monitor it, because my real life experience after surgery is that the family member who was filling the role of the person keeping an eye on me went to bed to sleep too.
 
What would happen if someone was ready to leave the hospital and there was no family or friend there to meet you? Probably nothing. The hospital isn’t going to insist on keeping you. If you don’t tell them you’re leaving in a cab/Uber/etc, how would they know.
 
@debodun For crying out loud! Remember when you still had the other house and complained long and loud about whatever was the current crisis? Remember when no matter what possible solution was suggested, there was a reason why you "couldn't" do that? Remember those occasions?

You finally bought a new house, sold the old one, and improved your accommodations immensely.

Well...Do yourself a favor now and stop living in the world of insurmountable problems and start living in the world of possibilities.

A credit card would open up that world. Even a debit card would be a big improvement. As far as can be seen, you have all kinds of excuses for not having either a credit card or a debit card. Yup. Excuses. Not valid reasons. Excuses.

You certainly do have a way of resisting any sort of change whatsoever, even when it has obvious benefits for you and costs you nothing.

We're now into the 23rd year of the 21st century. Join it.
 
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And how is having a credit card going to help me with transportation? I've already said the hospital won't allow anything but a trusted friend or close family member to act in that capacity.
 
And how is having a credit card going to help me with transportation? I've already said the hospital won't allow anything but a trusted friend or close family member to act in that capacity.
I doubt it was worded "trusted friend or close family member." I've been in hospital situations too many times, unfortunately. Sounds like advice, not a demand.
 
First of all, ask to speak to a patient rep at the hospital and ask for help, then use the credit/debit card to resolve the transpo and/or overnight accommodations. Like an overnight caregiver, for instance:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Use your noodle. You won't be the first person to ask for help. It's out there, but it isn't going to come to you without knowing you need help or what kind of help you need.
 
you will have a case manager assigned to your surgery. Get with her and she will help you resolve these issues. Also get a credit card not a debit card. You can dispute credit card charges if needed to but a debit card takes money out of your account and takes longer to resolve issues.
 


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