One of my favorite doctors

Tags

doctors, maintenance, postaday2013, rheumatoid arthritis, routine visits

I haven’t seen my rheumatologist in a year. It wasn’t by design, normally I see him every three months and I never mind. Doctor Kay is the head of the Rheumatology department at UMASS Memorial Center Hospital and I feel very lucky to be under his care. We unfortunately have missed our scheduled visits throughout 2012 due to his overseas conferences and my untimely car trouble and even Hurricane Sandy, so I was happy to at long last to see him. Being on prednisone everyday for the past five years means that having my blood monitored in a timely manner is very important, that was weighing on my mind lately, which explains why I was so relieved by this visit.

Have you ever had a doctor who looks forward to seeing you and shows it? It doesn’t matter if he sees me alone, with my hubby or with my baby boy, Doctor Kay always compliments me on how young I look and how great I look, it puts a big smile on my face. Moreover, he is a francophile. Some of his cancellations during 2012 were because he had to attend conferences in Paris and in Nice, France. He adores France, its food and its language, so he speaks French with me while he takes his notes and he examines my joints. My son came with me to Doctor Kay’s to help with the driving because his office is over an hour away and I get tired so easily that driving back home can get a little sketchy. One of the first things that Doctor Kay said to the baby boy aside from saying “what a pleasure to meet you” was “how great is it to have such a young mother?” The baby boy was happily surprised by my Doctor’s bedside manner. We all spoke about our mutual love of France and all things French. Doctor Kay had just returned from a weekend spent in Paris and in June he will be attending a conference in Nice and afterwards he will be swinging up to Aix-en-Provence.

So I need to return in four months, I’m sure that my blood work will be fine and if it isn’t, Doctor Kay’s office will be in touch, they are very good in that way. It is really nice to have a good relationship with your Doctor, it makes it easier to confide in them and tell them all about your concerns and worries no matter how trivial.

Reuse, recyle

What are your ideas for repurposing all those political yard signs after the election?

I think that all the signs would be useful in being recycled as potential insulation for new housing or for refurbishing older housing's insulation. Why not take the signs and install them in between flooring spaces, in between drywall spaces, anywhere as long as they don't end up in our landfills. That would be taking what were at times toxic items and putting them to good use for the environment. The better insulated a home, the more efficiently it can be heated and cooled and that is better for your energy bills and the energy cycle all around.