Yesterday’s cloudy start soon gave way to fair weather, but during the night it collapsed and today has little chance of reprieve.
Heavy rain was something we didn’t especially need for our journey to Albany this afternoon.
Albany is the capital of New York, and it’s as close to “the big city” as we care to get. We try to avoid going there but I was urged to see a neurologist because of my eye problems which led to a brain scan…
The ophthalmic neurologist seemed unimpressed by the scan which my rheumatologist calls “abnormal”.
One really has the feeling of being used as one is constantly referred on to other physicians.
However, as there is a history of Alzheimer’s in my family, I decided to accept a consult from a regular neuro….
After all this I think I must draw a line.
Yesterday, as I mentioned, I had my annual physical.
What a joke. It verged on being insulting.
The doctor sat atop her curled up legs, reading questions from a list on her laptop.
“No, no, no,” I kept replying until we came to hearing:
“Lately I have to clear my ears all the time as sound seems to become muffled.”
“Oh. I’ll take a look” said the doc.
She finished her little questionnaire and came to listen to my lungs and heart, then sat back down having already forgotten about the ears.
She had an after thought: “Do you ever have swelling?”
“My knees sometimes” I wiggled my bad right foot and she surveyed it from a distance, as one might something rather unsavory but did not comment.
“Is there anything we can do for you?” she then asked.
I shrugged: “Not unless you can cure arthritis”
“Maybe there will be a cure one day and maybe they will find a way of preventing old age.”
“That would not do!” I said, meaning it. I would like to have said a few other things, but what would be the point? It is fairly obvious that old people are not of great interest to her. She looks at me as if she can’t quite figure me out.
There is a sign at the reception desk which says that foul language will not be tolerated. At times it so tempts the evil Carolyn who lurks inside.
Grant was waiting in the car and was surprised to see me back so soon. “What did she say about your eye?” he inquired.
“She didn’t notice.” My five-minute physical!
It’s just a year ago that I had my hospital interlude with grandma. In retrospect it was quite funny though I wasn’t laughing at the time.
(I wrote about it as: THE VOICE on 20th September 21)
It is good to know that in serious situations, proper care is available.
The cats have had lunch and are settled into their long siesta, snoring their heads off.
Rain has let off for the time being, so perhaps we won’t get wet after all.
As always, the camera will go with us .
Perhaps I’ll even get shots of scenic Albany.
But I won’t hold my breath.
The inter-speciality referrals are tedious. When I was an EMT, we called it ‘being in the system’. Once they get their hooks into you, you are passed around like a parcel in the old parlour game. And that even applies to the NHS, where it is free of charge. I am never sure if it is just ‘buck-passing’, or if they rotate the patients around their friends for the fun of it. In your case with private medicine in America, it is undoubtedly for ‘mutual profit’.
Best wishes, Pete.
Carry on taking the tablets, but more importantly, the pictures!
Yes but the chauffeur actually did not moan!
Continue taking the tablets but, more importantly, continue taking the pictures!
Your annual physical … really, that is it? I would definitely not feel satisfied after something like that (let me also not use foul language). I would rather just enjoy your pictures (and hope things were better with your visit to Albany).