so I saw my PCP on Monday as scheduled, and an exam confirmed no external hemorrhoid or fissure, so she gave me a referral to a specialist and said that if they didn't call me by Friday to schedule an appointment, I should call them

so now, Friday afternoon, having not received a peep, I give them a call and. they have not received the referral

called my doctor's office, got the answering machine, have left a polite message explaining the situation, and now it's just.

if I hear anything back at all before Monday I will be so very pleasantly surprised

My PCP did recommend me a gentle laxative that does seem to be effective at easing the symptoms, so the situation is not as bad as it could be, but also. not knowing is the worst part, y'know?

good news: I did actually get a call on my way home from work from the doctor's office

bad news: the typical referral turnaround is actually like two weeks because of the amount of paperwork required

good news: the person who called me is very kindly marking my case as a more urgent one to tend to

If nothing else at least your PCP clearly doesn’t think it’s something that needs handling urgently