What have I been doing this week?

Monday brought the big move to the new office, which required a little co-ordination and entailed the entire contents of my office sitting out in the walkway until the office I was moving into had been cleared. Something like musical offices! However, I am now comfortably installed into my own office at long last. The only thing now is that instead of just turning my chair in the direction of my boss to discuss some work related matter, I now get summoned to leave my office and go to his office for said discussions which is a little irritating especially when I am busy with something!

On Tuesday was the big visit to see the clinic doctor. Needless to say we didn't go and pick up a number for the queue at 4am! Bradley and I ambled along at our own pace and after parking at the same safe parking garage and walking the short distance to get to the clinic, it was about 8am. It didn't seem too busy at the entrance but the number I got at reception for our 'psyche' clinic was 25. A sea of faces turned to stare at us as we approached along the corridor and we quickly found seats. The doc only began seeing patients at about 8.20am and the long wait began. As one patient came out of the consulting room he would call the next number and generally it was moving along.

After one hour of waiting, Bradley was getting a 'little impatient'. Some of the patients took a little longer with the doc and that time really dragged. The baby clinic was situated just down the corridor from us and one baby seemed able to cry continuously for what seemed like two hours. Another little tot kept his mom busy by running up and down the corridor with her chasing after him. Some of the motherly patients reached out to him but he was wary of them. He liked Bradley though turning back to stare and smile at him before running off again.

An elderly couple arrived with two trays, one with the fixings for beverages and another tray of covered sandwiches. They set up shop down the corridor out of sight but soon reappeared, offering thick brown bread jam sandwiches and plastic cups of tea to all the patients, some of whom I assume had left home hours before to sit in the long queue. The bread was soon distributed and I accepted the last cup of tea. It wasn't too bad either although it did taste a bit plasticky! I thought it was a lovely gesture from the elderly folks though. They probably do it every day as a sort of ministry to those in need.

After three hours of waiting, our number was up. In the interim I had wandered back to the main reception desk looking for Bradley's immunisation card which I had left at reception for the attendant to make up a file. As I was looking for the gentleman, he directed me back to the sisters room and it turned out that she had the card and was looking to reschedule us to come again another day as Bradley was a first time patient and the doctor was busy (there are usually two doctors) and had too many patients. I begged her to leave me in as I didn't want Bradley to miss another day of school and I had already been the previous Thursday to make a booking. She thought about it and then thrust my card at me telling me to go and get a file made. This was the same file that should have been made about an hour and a half previously but at the government clinic you can't get irritated - it doesn't go down well with the staff! At the reception, the attendant was snappy about making a file as he was inundated with patients and painstakingly slow at his work. I joked with him and even dared to make a suggestion that he prepunch all the files and forms to avoid having to punch everything individually every time to place into files.

At 11am, Bradley and I entered the elderly doctor's consulting room. I handed him the psychologists report that I had prepared when Bradley was still in preschool (kindergarten) as well as the letter from his teacher. He observed Bradley who was fidgeting a lot after three hours of waiting, asked me questions and wrote his prescription - 3 tablets a day! That would cost an absolute fortune if I was buying it but the government will supply for free. The medication will unfortunately only be ready for collection next Thursday when the 3rd school term breaks but he will be on medication for the 4th term and we will definitely see a different Bradley. I'm very positive about that. Unfortunately he will have to stay on the medication permanently while at school from now on because as the level and amount of work increase so does his concentration decrease proportionately. But I will monitor the dosage accordingly and decide how many tablets he requires in a day, obviously with feedback from his teacher.

I'm just relieved that I have managed to start moving towards some sort of solution because I have been beating my head against a brick wall for most of this year to try and get Brad to show interest in his work. I really don't know why I didn't go this route sooner but the year seems to have simply flown. Better late than not at all I suppose.

Brad horsing about as he likes to do! He a great joker.