I’m starting this post on Thursday, January 7. I responded to a phone call from the Kaiser Acupuncture Department, telling me to call for an appointment if I still wanted one. So I called today.
The person I got didn’t know how to book appointments so she was gone 5 minutes to get assistance from another M.A. She came back and said the next available appointment with Sophie is Friday, February 12. I told her that was Chinese New Year and to make sure Sophie was really available that day. She got rather huffy and said, “I’m looking at Sophie’s schedule right here, and it wouldn’t be here if she weren’t available!” So, okay, since this should be Session #6 with Sophie, I took it. Friday, February 12, 2021, at 1:30 p.m. We’ll see how it goes.
Thursday, January 14
I wrote the following in an email to Francis:
“It was just a year ago this week that I had my last in-person visit with you. My focus then was to try to get in to a depression group of all seniors since it wasn’t working for me to see Lisa Galen.
“Of course, none of us could have known what 2020 was going to bring! Then I found I could “attend” the Tuesday pain group online, which has been (and still is) a good option for me. The only issue is that I can’t really participate vocally since WebEx does not like my computer audio, but I can hear what everyone else says. And last week, for the first time, I could hear the music file! I’m hoping that the Acupuncture Dept will actually offer an online acupressure group that I can join.
“I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate what you are doing for the chronic pain patients (and I still consider that I am one, even though I’ve found ways to mitigate the pain). Thank you for everything.”
Then I checked my Appointments and found that my acupuncture appointment with Sophie on February 12 wasn’t there anymore! So I wrote the following to Sophie:
“A week or two ago, someone from your office called me and scheduled me for an in-person appointment with you at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, February 12, 2021. I see that appointment has been removed from my Appointments list on the kp.org website, but I have not received any text or email about it.
“Has Kaiser stopped making in-person appointments for acupuncture patients again?
“Will the Acupuncture Dept. be setting up an online acupressure group? If so, I would like to join.
“Please advise at your earliest convenience. Thank you for your help!”
Finally, I checked the Pharmacy and found I had three pain meds ready to request refills for, so I did that. I got confirmation that my order had been received “pending physician’s approval.” Now all I need is to find out that my doctor has stopped approving my pain meds!
Friday, January 15
Francis responded to my email:
“Hi Jackie,
Thank you for the feedback. Yes, 2020 was a bumpy ride for all of us but we all managed to pull through together. I’m always glad to see your steady presence in the Tuesday group.
I’ll forward your message to one of our program assistants just to make sure that you get the link to Sophie’s next Acupressure class.
Here’s to a healthy and happy 2021!
Francis”
And Sophie responded:
“Hi, Jackie,
It is a computer issue, we are aware of this problem, your appointment will be on my schedule, same time. Not to worry.
Take care,
Sophie.”
Monday, January 17
There was no email giving me the login link for the Wednesday Online Acupuncture Group. But both my in-person appointment with Sophie on February 12 and the January 20 online acupressure appointment were showing in my Appointments tab at kp.org. Sophie told me I had to contact the Chronic Pain Department for the link.
Tuesday, January 19
After our Tuesday road trip to Alameda for groceries, I called the Chronic Pain Department and (finally!) got an email with the login link for the acupressure group online. Then I got stuck in an online help chat with Network Solutions (don’t ask!) and was 2 minutes late for the 4 p.m. online Pain Group. I saw that Francis was going to have the entire one hour, so that was nice. He did the meditation then discussion on change and finally some Tai Chi arm and body movements. That was nice.
Wednesday, January 20, 1:30-3:00 p.m.
Today when I clicked on the link that Chronic Pain Department sent me in email, it went to a page that said “Session has ended.” I tried 3 times before I called Gagan in the Chronic Pain office. She said to keep trying it, which I did, with the same result. I asked if other people were there. She said, “Yes, the session is going on.” She then suggested I try the phone number and put in the passcode. Which I did, 3 times, with the same result: after I entered the passcode, a voice said, “The number you have entered is incorrect or the session has ended.” THREE freakin’ times! And then I noticed that the link they sent me (which was created by Blanca Amaya) gave the starting time for the session as 1:30 AM, not PM! I told Gagan that and asked her if Blanca could make the correction and send me a new link. At first, Gagan thought that would interrupt the session that was already going on. I said, “I don’t think it will affect the ones already in the session; they won’t need a new link–but *I* DO!” So, a few minutes later, she sent a new link with the correction made to say 1:30 PM, and I was able to access the session. By this time it was 1:58 PM.
Sophie was just finishing up the first part of her presentation about the benefits of acupressure and was getting ready to demonstrate the acupressure points. So that took about 40 minutes, then she opened up the session for Q&A, which was done totally in the chat. No one else spoke and no one else had their video on. Not exactly the kind of “group community” I had envisioned, but it was something.
Now we wait to find out if my in-person acupuncture is really going to take place!
Monday, January 25
Got voicemail from Physical Medicine telling me they needed to reschedule my appointment. The date/time is now for Wednesday, February 17, at 2:30 p.m. I see that day is the third Wednesday of the month, so I’m wondering if they are not going to have the online acupressure group that day. That’s also the first day of Lent, when I am tentatively thinking of trying to go Carnivore again.
Tuesday, January 26
Online Pain Group. Julie Whitehead had the Meditation and Discussion on Pacing & Prioritizing. Francis was unable to connect with audio. Said he had a new computer and couldn’t get it to connect. I understand that! I’ve never been able to connect my microphone to WebEx!
Tuesday, February 2
Angela Anderson had the entire session today. The topic was Self-care and Compassion, followed by group discussion for the last half hour, with everyone’s microphone turned on. Everyone except me, of course, since my computer audio cannot connect with WebEx. At the end, Angela announced that today would be her last time with the Tuesday Pain Group because she was moving to a “TelePsychiatric” position at the San Leandro medical facility. That certainly triggered a lot of mixed feelings! Given my unsatisfactory experience with having Lisa Galen for “therapy.” She was also a LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker) who, first of all, had a limit of 6 sessions (which I didn’t know at the time. I assumed, quite incorrectly, that once I connected with an individual therapist, it would be ongoing for as long as I needed–like it was with Francis.). I had just completed (in January to March of 2019) a 10-session group on Depression, which was based on CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy). I understood/understand the concept and I liked it, but felt I needed an individual therapist who could take it from there and address my specific individual issues. That didn’t happen with Lisa Galen! After a couple of sessions with her, she figured CBT (or whatever she had in mind) wasn’t going to work and decided I should get on medication. My last session with her was a phone appointment in January 2020. My last in-person session with Francis was in January 2020. I started with the online Tuesday Pain Group in June 2020, and it has replaced my initial request (to Lisa Galen) for a space in a Depression Group for Seniors which was held at the San Leandro facility before the pandemic. But I digress.
Tuesday, February 9
Julie and Francis had today’s Pain Group online and it was SO much better than Angela Anderson! Well, duh, they are professionals in Pain Psychology and Pain Physical Therapy. I wish I had had someone like Dr. Julie Whitehead for my individual therapist! As it was, Francis just sort of became my personal therapist during the times I had physical therapy sessions with him in 2018 to January 2020. Ah, but that was another lifetime!
Tuesday, February 16
Julie and Francis had the Pain Group online again. It was a good session.
Wednesday, February 17, 2:30 p.m.
This is the date/time that Physical Medicine/Pain Clinic rescheduled my in-person appointment with Sophie Tu. And it actually happened! I did check my cell phone voicemail, which had a message from the Acupuncture Department telling patients to reschedule if they have any COVID symptoms. And then a text message with a link to check in online. The link in the text message went to an insecure page, so I went to kp.org and checked in online there. When I got to Union City, I went through the usual check in (answering questions, getting temperature taken, and getting hand sanitizer) before entering the building.
The entire building is so sterile now, so devoid of the usual life of a Kaiser facility. The Acupuncture Department had a totally renovated waiting room, with five individual chairs spaced 6 feet apart (instead of the two-person seats that they had before). There was no one else in the waiting area.
A Medical Assistant took me back to Sophie’s treatment room and finished checking me in there. I took off my jacket, t-shirt, and mask, and climbed up onto the treatment table with my head in the “donut hole.” Sophie came in and we talked, but we never saw each other’s face. She told me she like my fashion mask (with the hearts on it). We talked about getting the vaccine and she said to get scheduled as soon as possible, to not wait for Kaiser, who is only taking those age 75 and above. She also said that they are now resuming in-person group acupuncture with appropriate protocols in place.
Since I had indicated that I was having some lower back pain, Sophie stuck needles in my lower back (so I had to pull down my pants below my fat belly!). The music played softly and the heat lamp was on so it was so relaxing! I didn’t think I went to sleep, but the session seemed awfully short, so I must have. When the Medical Assistant came back to check me out, she also scheduled my in-person group acupuncture and my next individual appointment with Sophie.
Today is also the beginning of Lent, during which time (46 calendar days) I would like to eat a mostly carnivore diet to see what happens.
