As a single mom with a full-time job, keeping up with homework and dinner is challenge enough – add doctor and dentist appointments into the mix and it’s enough to make me beg for “Calgon to take me away.” No matter how many calendars I keep – on my phone, in my computer, notes on the mirror – I still forget important appointments. If I don’t receive a reminder, it’s a crap shoot as to whether I’ll remember the right appointment on the right day.

For me, phone calls are better than nothing, but text messages are my preferred method of contact when possible. A text message can be read even during a meeting or at a soccer game without interrupting whatever I’m currently doing. I can also easily go into my calendar and instantly set a reminder or alert on my phone to make sure that even if tomorrow’s craziness erases the meeting from my mind, I have a back-up plan in place.

When I’ve requested text message reminders my doctor’s office has told me that they just don’t do that – and don’t even know how they would set up something like that. Not only do I feel embarrassed when I miss an appointment, but I also get charged a missed appointment fee that usually wasn’t in my budget for that month.  I wish there was a simple solution that met both my needs and the needs of my doctor.