Don't you hate the game of phone tag?

After Dennis' day of not being able to communicate, I called the Struthers's Nurse Line to see if we could find a new medication to deal with his drooling issue. He had talked to a nurse at the clinic, but she could not understand him. I called when I returned home from work, but, naturally, they were done with work, too. Consequently, I left a message, on his behalf, and asked them to return my call.

They returned my call at 9:00, when I was working. It is also when they are working. It is, as well, the time when I am unavailable to take phone calls. It is the same time they are unavailable to take phone calls. Therefore, we play this new age game called "phone tag."

When I am at work, I am lucky if I remember to eat my lunch. I am having a great day if I remember to drop our mail off in the mail bucket at work. I do not have time to think about my home life. Yet, everyone expects me to do both. I am supposed to make appointments, between 9 and 5, for dentists, cat care, Dennis care, oil changes, nurse line calls, and blah, blah, blah. At the same time I am supposed to do my job.

Okay, everyone that works goes through this experience. We all work the same hours, and we all are busy when we are working. We all play phone tag and, I suspect, we all hate the game. I am not used to being a care-giver. Care-givers, be it parents, boomers taking care of parents, animal lovers or whatever, all have to be available 24-7. My only question is why is 24-7 communication always between 8 and 5? Please, I need answers to how to be every thing to everyone, all of the time, and especially between 8 and 5. And, what are the rules of phone tag?????

Until Tomorrow,
Ann and Dennis
Living with Shy-Drager, Multiple System Atrophy and phone tag games