What do you mean there's no such thing as a dermatological emergency?

I have eczema on my hands. Bad. They get so dry and cracked that they are painful. I had several guests for dinner on Tuesday night for the first night of Hannukah and did a lot of cooking. Which means a lot of handwashing. The condition of my hands started deteriorating as soon as the weather got cold, but by the time I got dinner on the table Tuesday, they were downright horrible. My dad saw them and really pushed me about going to see a dermatologist. And he was right. So yesterday I called to make an appointment. Now, the problem with my dermatologist is that he is always booking MONTHS ahead. When I called, I was told he was booking in August. Freaking AUGUST?!?!?! I asked the secretary if there was ANY way to get in sooner. I told her my hands were so cracked and painful that I was unable to bathe my 3 year old and had to ask my husband to do it. (That was Tuesday night - just before my father really started leaning on me to go in and get seen.) Apparently this tugged the heartstrings of the secretary, 2 nurses and the doc because I got a call yesterday that they had a "cancellation" for today at 11 AM. So at 10:15 today, Thea and I packed up a coloring book, markers and a juice cup, and went off to the doctor's office. It's the first time I have been in to see this doc in 6 years. The last time I went in for treatment of my hands, I saw a different dermatologist that I really didn't like (condescending and generally stupid). We stopped on the way for a snack for Thea and a cup of coffee for Mommy and got to the office at about 10:50. I did the requisite paperwork. And we waited....... And waited....... And waited........ We FINALLY got called in to the exam room at 12:50 and the doc came into the room just after 1:00 Can you imagine? Two hours behind schedule! Thea was an absolute ANGEL the entire time. We read books. We colored. We drew pictures that we took a photos of with my sidekick and emailed them off to Grandma, Grandpa and Daddy. Once in the exam room, Mommy stole a rubber glove and blew it up into a balloon for Thea to play with. Despite the unbearable wait, Thea didn't whimper or cry. She didn't have a tantrum. She did not even complain. Not even once. She was SO good. After seeing the doc and getting a shot of steroids (that has made my left arm feel like it had a tetnus shot) and a prescription, we finally left and met my dad for lunch (at 1:40). We stopped at CVS on the way home and filled the prescription. I let her pic out a nail polish and did her fingers and toes as soon as we got home. She certainly deserved a reward for her outrageously good behavior today that made her Mommy SO proud. What an amazing child I have!