Dear Claudienne:

I live in Connecticut, USA. In 2011 I suffered a broken back as the result of a fall. During surgery on February 7, 2011, the doctors placed titanium, steel and plastic in my back. A battery was also implanted in my side to stimulate my spine, ease the pain and assist me in walking. The battery was implanted on November 28, 2011, and was supposed to last for 10 years. However, an X-ray done on January 20, 2017 showed that the battery was dead and would have to be replaced.

The operation to replace the battery has been scheduled for March 17 at the Bridgeport Hospital in Connecticut. If during that operation the doctor discovers that the wire in my back is damaged, he says he will have to close the incision; another surgeon will have to come and reopen the incision at a later date, remove the damaged wire, rewire my back, then install the new battery in my side.

I live alone and am now experiencing a lot of pain. My daughter, who lives in Savanna-la-Mar, wants to come to the US to help me after the operation as the doctor says I will need someone to assist me.

The doctor gave me a letter that explained to the United States embassy in Jamaica my daughter’s need for a visa to come and assist me for a few months. She took the letter to a travel agency which got her a March 17 date for an interview at the embassy.

However, since March 17 is the date scheduled for my operation, the doctor wrote another letter to the embassy explaining that I would need my daughter to assist me before that date.

On January 24, 2017 I sent my daughter a small package by express mail that contained a gold ring and the second letter from my doctor. I was told that the package would reach my daughter in three days.

However, the Customs Department at the Central Sorting Office in Kingston opened the package and requested the invoice for the ring. I quickly sent them the invoice and I was told that the package would be sent on to Savanna-la-Mar immediately.

Up to now (Friday February 10), my daughter has not received the package.

She urgently needs to get the letter so that the travel agency can ask the US embassy for an earlier interview date.

I have made several calls to the Central Sorting Office, but despite their assurances the package has not yet reached Savanna-la-Mar.

My pain is intense and I cannot sleep on a bed. I sleep in a “lift chair”. Pressing a button on the chair lifts it to a position that enables me to stand or lie down and sleep on it.

The doctor says that after the operation I will need someone to assist me both at the hospital and at home. I will also have to use a walker to help me move around.

I would appreciate your help to find out why the post office has not yet sent the package to Savanna-la-Mar.

DC

Dear DC:

On Monday February 13, We spoke with your daughter on Wednesday and she said she had received the package.We wish you all the best.

On Monday February 13, Tell Claudienne contacted the office of the Postmaster General at South Camp Road. We gave the Public Relations Department the tracking number for your package. The PR department has informed us that after the Customs Department got the voucher and cleared the package, it should have been sent immediately to another section of the post office to be dispatched. Apparently there was a misunderstanding that resulted in the package not being dispatched to Savanna-la-Mar. After the PR department intervened, we were assured that the package was being prepared for dispatch to Savanna-la-Mar on Tuesday, February 14, and that your daughter could collect it at the local post office on Wednesday, February 15.

We spoke with your daughter on Wednesday and she said she had received the package.

We wish you all the best.

Have a problem with a store, utility, or company? Telephone 936-9346 or write to: Tell Claudienne c/o Sunday Finance, Jamaica Observer, 40-42 1/2 Beechwood Avenue, Kingston 5; or e-mail: edwardsc@jamaicaobserver.com. Please include a contact phone number.