Finally! A Doctor Visit With Good News!

Since late last year we have been seeing too many doctors. It started with a GI doctor, then a cardiologist, then a urologist, then a general visit, then physical medicine, dental, then an ENT - and those were just for my husband. And after all of them there were more tests, new prescriptions with awful side effects, and more follow ups. It seemed like we were making weekly trips to the outpatient center. Luckily things were tolerable and nothing horrible ensued. But it really puts things in to perspective and limits our lifestyle - especially since the pandemic. And for two months I have been dealing with plantar fasciitis which has been a very slow going process. That means no more morning walks for a while, ice packs, foot exercises, splints and new walking shoes. Between my husband’s dizzy spells caused by medications and my foot hurting it’s been a real drag. Yesterday both my husband and I had our routine six month eye appointments. Last year at this time I had cataract surgery in July on one eye and the other was done in August. I was keeping my fingers crossed that nothing more would surface this time around. We both have glaucoma that is controlled with eye drops and I have some weird retinal thing. The visual field test is at least less bothersome with the new virtual field test equipment. And for the first time that test was a winner. I had the best results in five years and my eye pressures were good. So both my husband and I were able to leave the office without a worry and no need for any more follow ups - except to make appointments in six months. It was  wonderful feeling! 

Too Much in One Week

The weeks fly by - and usually while doing nothing. It’s the same routine - get up, coffee, walk, breakfast,  read, dinner, tv, sleep. This week was rather busy. Monday was a virtual doctor appointment for my husband; Tuesday was a Subaru visit for a spring recall that ended up being a new battery, rear wheel ball bearings, windshield wiper blade, an estimate for front bumper damage, and to address a gas gauge issue that left us running out of gas on the Savannah freeway during rush hour. The power went out at the shop so everything was delayed and the car wash didn’t work. Good thing we got a loaner. Wednesday we had to pick up the car, the dropped off the glass bottles at the recycle bin before our walk, and then wipe down a boat load of delivered groceries in the afternoon. The best part was I finally got a bouquet of fresh flowers. Thursday the HVAC and water heater were “spring” serviced after a considerable delay. Every day I was working on two custom pet portraits that were ordered on the same day after a “drought” in business. I shirked my dusting and vacuuming duties but at least ran the robot mop. I used to say the same thing about work - when you’re busy all the time you just get used to it. But when you’re doing nothing, having to do something becomes a hassle. The last few days have been a bit melancholic too. My mom’s “estate” is still in process and I feel the loss. It’s been five months since she passed away. It feels like we are living a secluded life compared to everyone else. Some days are better than others - but this week was just a bit too much. 

The Long Commute to the Doctor Office

We moved to northern Virginia ten months ago from DC. We finally decided it was time to make appointments with new doctors in our new neighborhood. It was difficult getting to the offices in DC when we lived there. It would be even worse if we tried to keep going. So the eye doctor is about a block away. That was our first appointment. My husband needs to have cataract surgery which requires a pre op physical. We made appointments with the new internist, but not in time for his surgery. So he needed to see someone this month just for the pre op exam. Yesterday we visited the same office we will be going to routinely, but with another doctor who was available. If the eye doctor was one block away, this office is literally across the street. In fact, our building is essentially next to this office building. We needed to arrive by 1:15 and left the house at 1:10. Since the office is on the other side of the building you can’t see our house from the sixth floor on that side. But when we were walking out, you can see our house through the door. It’s the best commute we have ever experienced and very handy at this point in our lives. The dentist is literally one block in the other direction. Let’s just hope we end up liking all the new faces. One thing is for sure - getting there is just so easy. 

There’s Something in My Eye

My eyes have been feeling a bit dry lately. Sometimes it’s even difficult to just open them in the morning. With a fan blowing on me all night it probably makes them even more dry. Since both my husband and I have eye pressure problems, we both take the same prescription eye drops. What that means is even more visits to the eye doctor. This morning it felt like something was in my eye and I couldn’t get it out. So I put in a couple of drops of Visine. It felt better, but got gritty again. It so happens we had another eye doctor appointment scheduled today. Luckily the pressures have gone down, but our doctor said my eyes are really very dry. So much so that it was like sandpaper on the eye that was bothering me today. So to get me back to somewhat normal, she said to start taking eye drops/tears four times a day for two weeks, and then cut back to twice a day. Between those drops and the prescription drops I’ll be taking a lot of drops. So we stopped at the CVS on the way home and got a two bottle Visine deal. The bottle I had at home was dated 2015 and the sample bottle I got from the office a long time ago was also long overdue. It seems to have been the year of cataract surgery in my family - my sister just had one eye done, and two cousins earlier this year. My husband may be the next one up. It’s just something else to think about. Now we have to schedule another visit in three months. 

Two Sore Arms, Medicare Screen, and More Appointments

It’s a week for doctor appointments. Monday was the eye doctor, and today was my annual check up. Both visits were in DC because we haven’t switched up our doctors yet since we moved to Virginia two months ago. And it’s a pain to get there - you need to leave at least an hour beforehand just in case of traffic or other disasters. We took our usual route down Independence Avenue, passed by our old house and went to Eastern Market to the office. Then we wandered through the streets we walked about for so many years. Because this was my first official Medicare visit, it took FOREVER going through another full interview process. Today I needed a pneumonia vaccine, was given a script for shingles - which requires two injections at a pharmacy, needed another new prescription while trying to eliminate another, thinking about routine screenings - colonoscopies, mammograms, maybe surgery, cardiology checks, and other visits... then on to a cursory physical exam while still fully clothed, then blood work. This time she had to stick me in each arm because she forget she needed a second tube. I wasn’t happy. After two hours I was glad to get out of there. Now I need to take a deep breath and search for doctors closer to home. When we walked back to the car we thought it was stolen - but then realized we were on the wrong street. The neighborhood just isn’t what it used to be in more ways than one. 

MedStar Prompt Care

For the last three weeks my right knee has not been right. The first two weeks I hobbled along hoping it would go away. It didn’t. Then I started taking aspirin two times per day for another week. It didn’t help much. The pain is now in both my knee and my hip. So I called my doctor’s office to see if I could get in. Forget it. They recommended that we go to the Prompt Care service across the street. So we walked in and took our place in line at this urgent care clinic. Having never used it we didn’t realize you could book a time on line, but also once you are there, you can leave and they will text you thirty minutes before your appointment. So we went back home and waited to get notified. We did, and there was going to be a thirty minute delay. So we could at least plan accordingly. When we got back to the clinic, the place was packed with patients. I was called back to the exam room within a few minutes, but ended up waiting another forty five minutes. The staff acted like they didn’t want to be there, but the nurse practitioner was on point. The exam took all of five minutes and I left with a referral to see a sports medicine physician - who was there - but was booked for the day. So we made an appointment for Friday at his Chevy Chase location to take the next step. Now I have a bandage wrapped on my knee, waiting for an inflammatory drug to arrive from Express Scripts, keeping my leg elevated, and stopping our 2 1/2 mile walks every day. Both my husband and I were health care practitioners - he a surgeon and me a nurse. Things have changed since we both retired. It’s times like this when we miss our dear colleagues and friends. That’s when you want to see a friendly face and be taken care of like we always did.