Mr. Bum Leg !

Ottawa Boy
Ok. I twisted my ankle , and then proceeded to walk on it to and from work for a couple of days. (a twenty minute walk each way).
Got my two day weekend off , and lay down , and guess what ? Couldn't get back up again !
Two days later I'm thinking I can't go to work like this , whats wrong , it was working before I got my weekened ?
Painfully struggle into some dirty clothing and limp across the street to the medical clinic. About 20 minutes.
Thats right , 20 minutes of painful limping with not merely a few "Ow !" 's just to get across the street.

19-1990 St-Laurent, Ottawa, Ontario K1G1A4 , 613 731 4770 AIM Health Group Elmvale Medical Center (Yeah , this is going to be another rant about bad service )

So I get in there, wait my usual half hour or hour to see the doctor. She looks at my ankle. First words out of her mouth. "Where are your crutches ?"
"What crutches ? " I innocently ask.
She seemed to think that was pretty funny.
Long and short of it, get some crutches, keep your weight off that foot.
Back to the receptionist. I know I'm not going to make it to work today , and I know they're going to demand a doctors note. Receptionist reports to me "10 dollars" for the note. No problem. Lay down my credit card.
"We only take cash. "
Oh oh.
I limp down to the far end of the shopping mall (no crutches) hit the bank machine, limp back , give the little vampire her money. "I'll see if I have change for a twenty. "
Luckily , the doctor in back did. It only comes out of the bank machine in twenties up here, by the way.
"Thank you. " I tell her politely , tucking away my hard won doctors note thats gonna get me a few days off work , hopefully with pay the way my company works.
"Here's a coupon for a 7% discount on any medical supplies you might need. " she said, handing it over. The interesting part was that she didn't just hand it over, she actually sat there and filled out a fair amount of paper work before handing it over. Name address, the whole nine yards.
"Thanks again. " I said, tucking it in the pocket I use for stuff I'm gonna toss in the nearest trash can next time I pass one. " The doc said you would tell me where I could get some crutches ?"
"I have no idea , ask at the pharmacy next door. "
A little annoyed, I left. Now that I write this blog entry , I realize that she probably should have pointed to me the map on the back of that seven percent coupon, but that didn't actually occur to me until much later.
Hit the pharmacy. Was about to ask around when low and behold , guess what I spotted hidden away behind a rack of walking canes ? The last two pairs of crutches in the store, it seemed. Limp limp limp .. before someone else gets there first. Only $40 , not too bad, I would have paid more, but then again I was in a lot of pain.
Pay up , take off the wrapping , begin the slow crippled man walk back home across the street. I wasn't any faster, but it was a lot less painful I had to admit.
Oh , crutches hurt your underarms like crazy , you'll find yourself wanting to get rid of them as quick as possible and walk normal.
Normally , I avoid the phone , I never answer it, it's in my wifes name even. But today I was expecting a call back from my boss asking why I had called in sick. No one is more happy to answer the phone than a man with a hard earned sick note in his pocket who plans on showing up for work in a day or two limping around in crutches.
Ring ring !
It wasn't the boss. It was a medical student who wanted me to help him out with something. Survey , sales, charity , I didn't know. I didn't know for two reasons. One, he'd asked for me by name, personally , despite the phone being in my wifes name. And two , the only medical estabishment I'd given out my phone number to in the last two years was the clinic across the street I'd just finished visiting. Oh , and three, because I promptly hung up on him. Why ? Because it was pretty obvious that the Clinic had sold my phone number to advertisers and now every tom dick and harry would be phoning up trying to sell me something.
I think the most insulting part was that it had only been two hours between my visit and that first sales call. It was the efficiancy of it all that just burned me.