Waiting !

Waiting is a fact of life.  
No matter who you are, what you are doing or where you are, invariably you will at some point have to wait for something. Change, traffic lights or pedestrians are just a few of the things we all wait for.  
Waiting for tests and the inevitable results is something I get lots of practise with. At the moment, I have quite a few medical issues on the go.  Waiting on uncomfortable chairs in very bland rooms is second nature to me these days.  How do I deal with the endless hours of waiting for my name to be called ?
To start with I used to take news papers to read.   This didn’t last long as I could not get comfortable whilst trying to focus on whatever it was I was reading.   Books were a little easier to manage but I found carrying a book for department to department a little awkward.  I also found that my was called just as I was reading an exciting part of the story which I reluctantly had to put down until the next time.   Eventually I found that finding a chair in a corner and leaning against the wall with my eyes shut is the best way to handle the waiting.  It’s not exactly the most comfortable position to be in so I don’t actually fall asleep and I also found that others in the waiting area lower the noise level dramatically.  
So that’s how I deal with waiting for appointments.  

Do you have any tricks or what do you do when in waiting areas ? 
So, I’ve had the tests and now I’m waiting for results.  This is a strange situation. Some tests let you have the results or initial findings immediately, tests such as angiograms. This can help alieviate some fears they may be bounding around someone’s head.  
How do you deal with waiting for the postal results ? How long do you wait until you call the clinics and ask if the results are back yet ? 
I’m pretty good these days at waiting for these results. Sure there are times when, depending on what test I have had, I get a little frustrated with the apparent lack of process.   Quite a while ago I realised that doctors, consultants and secretaries will dictate and write the reports when they get round to it. No amount of phone calls chasing results is going to make things go any quicker.  Once I realised I’m in the time scale of whatever consultant or surgeon I am under then the waiting becomes easier. 
Telephone results are the strangest to wait for.  For example, a visit to the anticoagulant clinic results in a request to have bloods taken.   I am told that the results will be back the same day about 3pm.  If the results show I need to stop a certain drug then I will receive a phone call the same day letting me know.  If I don’t receive a phone call then everything is ok and carry on as normal.   So, what do you do in this instance ? Your waiting for a phone call that may never happen. How many of us will be stressing, looking at the phone, willing it to ring ? You try to carry on as normal, but for some reason you become hesitant, you delay in doing tasks that may move you away from your phone. Washing up is a prime example.  
Now concider this, at what point when, you haven’t received a phone call, do you start to relax, thinking that the clinic or department is now closed ? That is the one thing that gets to me.  I don’t like waiting for a phone call that may never happen.  I get cranky, annoyed and irritable ( it’s a good job Suzanne isn’t always around whilst I’m waiting lol ) 
When I learn how to deal with waiting for these results I’ll be ok, until then I’ll continue to be cranky.   
Do you have any tips for waiting for telephone results ? 

How do you cope with waiting areas ? 

Let me know your views and tips.