Okay so Safeway makes a mistake and gives me 90 atorvastatin rather than 30 as usual. I think YIPPEE!! mostly because this means I don’t have to refill the prescription for another 3 months. Being a good little sheep of a person (most of the time) I take the medicationevery single night as I am supposed to.
So all is well, at least for me. The complication comes because the last fill (for 90 pills, again, instead of just 30) was the last of that prescription–so once they ran out and I called Safeway to refill again–about a week ago–Safeway had to call my clinic for a authorization.
My clinic authorized the refill but sent me this message through the patient portal:
“We received a refill request for your Lipitor. We refilled this, but based on the dates, it appears this may not be a medication you are taking consistently. This is one that does need to be taken regularly to help lower your cholesterol and reduce your risk for cardiovascular disease and stroke, heart attack, and other complications.
We would like to check your lipids. This will be a fasting lab, so you will need to go in the morning before you eat anything. I will fax these orders to St Charles for you to go at your convenience.
If you have any other questions, let me know.
I left you a message for call back to discuss this. If you prefer to communicate through mychart, that’s fine with me.
My reply:
“I take it every single night. The last time it was refilled somehow Safeway gave me NINETY pills instead of just THIRTY. I have been taking it every night before I go to bed.
I don’t feel that I should be punished for Safeway’s mistake.”
Their reply:
That makes sense. You are in no way being punished for this–I am curious as to what I said that has made you feel like that. That was not my intent AT ALL.
We would still like to check your fasting lipids, just to see where you are at.
Thanks for letting us know,
My (hopefully final) reply:
I don’t like going to St Charles for much of anything mostly because of the need to take a minimum of 2 buses there and at least 1 bus back (if I want to go anywhere else, it’s an additional bus).
The sentence above is mostly what I was referring to when I mentioned being ‘punished.’
I cannot do this until either late Monday or sometime on Tuesday, I hope that is okay. Monday I have my water aerobics in the morning and then I see Steve Baker at Bridges in the afternoon (I could go to St Charles after seeing Steve).
This is hilarious as well as retarded!!
Yes, boys and gerbils, my clinic is now on my case for not taking my atorvastatin every day as I am supposed to which I am doing and have been doing. Without even discussing the situation with me, they are sending me to the hospital so my lipids can be tested.
Fine and dandy! Can you tell I am not thrilled? I have done NOTHING wrong, in fact I have taken my atorvastatin more regularly than I’ve taken any other medication that I take (and I take a lot!) but now I am getting ‘punished’ for not taking it simply because Safeway made a mistake when filling the prescription!