Squish. Squish.

That's the sound I heard with the first footsteps I took in the office on a recent Monday morning.  After a weekend of home remodeling projects, I was eager to go to work Monday knowing there wouldn't be sawdust and paint trays lying around. 

As I turned off the security alarm, I saw water. Lots of water. We had a pipe leak. My first phone calls were to my family and husband.  "Bring a wet-vac and boots."  

So there we were with a full day of patients scheduled, trying to figure out what to do next. 

Luckily, just the back door area and the exam and X-ray rooms were affected.  We had a functioning front office and adjusting rooms. So in between patients and during lunch we spent the day ripping up carpet and taking pictures for the insurance adjuster.  

I was able to refer the X-rays I needed to take to a nearby hospital radiology center for a couple days while the dehumidifiers did their job.  As the week progressed, I politely said to each patient, "please excuse our mess, we had a plumbing leak."  Most smile with a appreciative grin, those that are business owners sympathize.  

Lesson learned in all this mess? Be prepared!  

We quickly realized our reaction would be more important than the actual event itself.  The experience taught us to have all the phone numbers and related information handy - especially when you call your insurance company.

No big surprise, I was also reminded that being extra polite makes people want to help you faster.  The plumber responded to our emergency immediately despite his full schedule and a local carpet store agreed to work through the weekend to help us out.  

If there is a silver lining in all this mess, the plumber scheduled as a new patient the following day. I guess you really never know when you'll meet a prospective patient!