Just got a suggestion from a friend that made sense, at least in some cases. He said, "BW, call the hospital to see if they have a patient advocate person who might can find a person to support you. You could pay them if necessary--worth a try. Good luck to you!"
I completely forgot about patient advocates and hospital social workers as a source of help.
And Linda, it is absurd that it took three people to upset their schedules to get you through a procedure!!