The Joy of Old Friends
October 5, 2016
….and the trauma
of a doctor’s visit. Today I had both those pleasures. I had an afternoon
appointment with a gastroenterologist to get to the cause of my ongoing GI
problems. Yes, I was nervous about it. The doctor is an old friend who has
treated me previously; we have friends in common, and he reminded me that he
treated my oldest child and diagnosed his Crohn’s disease. So the appointment
should have been a piece of cake, and in many ways it was because I felt at
ease to talk with him. But there is no easy solution—he recommended a two-week
trial period of lactose restriction, ordered blood work, and told me to come
back in three weeks. A step in the right direction.
During his exam, I
panicked because I was on a narrow table and was sure I was going to fall off—in
fact I thought I was falling. He and the nurse kept assuring me they had me,
but I wasn’t convinced. Realized that my fear of falling is strong, and I have
to get over it if I’m to be fully mobile again. Kind and gentle as he was, the experience
made me feel wrung out and exhausted.
And the no dairy
news was not good for me. I used to live on cottage cheese, still eat a lot of it
and yogurt and cheese. I had prepared an appetizer array for my guests but
realized I couldn’t eat any of it—pimiento cheese, roast salmon with herbed
cream cheese, assorted veggies which aren’t yet on my “can’t have” list but the
doctor warned against them
I’ve known Bill
and Sharon well over forty years, and they came to see my new digs tonight. We
had a wonderful visit—lots of laughter. We talked about their kids, my kids,
our Chicago trip. They had brought a cold supper—a Mediterranean salad with
roasted vegetables and salmon. But we ate so much appetizers, we weren’t hungry—I
tasted the eggplant and squash but passed on the tomato and mozzarella. They
left, repeating how pleased they were for me, how impressed with my cottage.
It’s a nice night
to be cozy in the cottage, and I’m ready to tuck myself in. Sweet dreams, everyone.
2 comments:
I'm very pleased that you are so happy with your cottage. Leone, my daughter, has been encouraging me to buy a little beach house down in Port Isabel for the winter months which are very hard on me. I've demurred as I am very comfortable in my house here although I realize it is too large. Yet, I like the space around me and now have a caregiver who takes care of the house and other things for me. Still, living alone, in such a large empty house, loneliness does creep in at times.
Thanks, Randy. I am really comfortabl--no room to get lonely. come see if you g to the Grill sometimes.
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