During all these medical treatments, I have definitely met my share of doctors and other medical professionals. It is now clear to me that doctors begin practicing when they are in diapers at the young age of 20 something and keep going until they just admitted to the geriatric ward. Last summer, while enjoying a 10 hour stay in the ER, there was a young doctor who didn't have a clue. He parked in patient parking, didn't know about the rooms in the hospital, couldn't find anything, and couldn't answer questions. It was August. I think he was just out of medical school. One of the nurses and I discussed the fact that he was such a baby. I think I have clothes older than him. Needless to say, I survived that ER experience and got admitted to a nice cushy room upstairs for a few days.
Now yesterday, I met with a doctor who, shall we say, is clearly at the other end of the spectrum. One of the benefits of Lahey is you can look up your doctor on their website and find out their subspecialties, where they went to medical school, do they teach any where and what they have written. You even get to see their picture. (So if you are trying to find a doctor, you can decide how old, male/female, etc.) Its kind of cool to find out more about them. Anyhow, one of the doctors yesterday graduated from medical school in 1953. That would mean he has been practicing medicine for 55 years. I think that kind of record is commendable. According to the nurses he still works full time as well. He also was the first doctor in I am not sure how long who met with me in his office and asked a million questions and wrote everything down, then examined me, and then wrote down tons more stuff, explained what he was sending me off for and was very reassuring. As doctor visits go, it was positive and very long - 45 minutes! Of course, he gave me the standard answer (what I expected) he doesn't think there is anything wrong but here are three REALLY FUN tests for you to get through in the next six weeks and then come back and see him for the results.
These tests - the easy ones start with don't eat or drink anything after midnight the day before, then you will swallow all kinds of weird stuff and then they will take different pictures of your insides and you will be here for hours doing that. The other test is a colonoscopy. According to the doctor, I should have had one at 40 so I am overdue so there is no avoiding it. What fun! Who dreamed these up anyway??
One interesting note is that Shere-Khan loves to sleep on my right shoulder - the opposite one from all this medical stuff. He lies on the arm of the chair and on my shoulder. Sometimes he kneads his paws into me as well. I have to keep his claws trimmed to prevent gouges. (You wonder how I can draw my cat into a story about a doctor visit?) Well, yesterday the doctor was examining me and said 'what are these marks on your shoulder?' I admitted they were from my cat. He said 'don't you know about cat scratch fever?' I trimmed his claws when I got home.
So yesterday I was at Lahey from 930-1115 and I left for lunch at the mall - quality Chinese food in the food court - and then returned for the afternoon. I never did get to the gym or for a walk but I really will today. Actually they fit in my crisping appointment at 930 before my first doctor appointment. I called them at 9 am and asked if they could fit me in after my 10 am apt. They said, can you be here at 930 and we will fit you before it? I said yes (standing in the kitchen in my bathrobe making breakfast.) So I ran around like a crazed person (not that I am normally crazed) and was out the door in ten minutes and at Lahey by 930 after eating my bagel while driving.
I survived the week of crisping. I do feel somewhat sunburned but apparently that is to be expected. They don't tell you at the beginning that basically you will burn and peel and possibly blister or worse. They just sort of say you will have skin issues in a vague sort of way. Maybe they don't want to scare off the patients??? I am not sure. Its not like we want to get out of this. Well, we dont want to have to be treated, but we really just didn't want to get cancer to begin with. Anyway, this week I will be the problem patient at the crisper. Three days this week, I need to ask them to squish me in a different times to coincide with other Lahey visits to avoid a second trip. I will politely be a difficult patient. I can always eat the sweets they have lying around while I wait to be fit in.
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