I love my doctor

Tags

cancer, doctors, postaday2016

Today I had another follow up visit with my oncologist Dr. Mullally, I am so lucky to have him as my doctor. The first thing he did was come in, give me a big bear hug and tell me congratulations. He was thrilled with the results of the endoscopic biopsies, negative and that my treatments proved successful. I have had more than my share of doctors and he is a singular figure in medicine where he is so caring and so affectionate, you feel like a friend cared for and important. I have never felt like that before, some of my doctors had nice bedside manners, but nothing compared to Dr. Mullally’s.

Basically for this coming year, I will be visiting with Dr. Mullally every other month, getting PET scans every three months and getting blood work when I am visiting with Dr. Mullally, my health will be kept well on track under his watchful eye.

Between my husband, our children and Dr. Mullally, I was in the best hands during my ordeal. I know how extremely lucky I am with my wonderful outcome, I am very grateful. 

Clean bill of health all around :)

Tags

doctors, postaday2014, vet's

Today was both veterinary and physician day for my husband, myself and Jack. First it was our turn and we brought Jack with us to our general practitioner’s for our well care check ups. Jack was the star of the waiting room, all of the other patients were gushing over him and he was preening, the little ham. Our doctor gave us both a clean bill of health and he told me to continue doing what I am doing and maybe a little more physical activity would be a good idea.

When it was Jack’s turn at the veterinary’s office, we were so happy to see that Jack lost two pounds and that is all thanks to our son with his strict dietary adherence with Jack and the exercise that he gives him. While Jack was getting his vitals taken, the vet assistant explained that she was going to take Jack in the back to take his blood and clip his nails. She picked up our Jack and he went happily, at least that was what his tail was saying. Minutes later we heard this crying and whimpering, I knew that Jack was crying because he is a HUGE baby, that is partly why I call him the little baby boy.

Actually before all of this, while we were in the waiting room, Jack was initially excited to be there, but as the minutes ticked by, his excitement diminished bit by bit until finally he wasn’t walking on his leash, he planted his backside on the floor and my husband was pulling lightly while Jack was being dragged towards the exam room. It was a funny video material. He was not very happy going into the room and he wasn’t thrilled after the nail clipping.

Aside from the nail clipping, the necessary vaccinations, all of which were not a big deal; however when the vet examined Jack’s ears, she found that Jack had a bacterial/yeast infection in one of his ears so he has 14 days of ointment to be applied to both of his ears.

So all in all this was a very productive and busy day. We are all more or less healthy as horses, just can’t run as fast.

Nuts and bolts of middle agedom

Tags

doctors, emergency room, postaday2013, writing

Today my hubby and I spent the day at the emergency room, not for me, for him, his back has been hurting him since Tuesday and this morning, he just couldn’t take it any more. He had never been formally diagnosed with anything related to back pain before so when his legs was feeling numb we got a little concerned so being Sunday off to the E.R we went.

He is fine, the good doctor diagnosed a herniated disc in his lower back which is aggravating his sciatic nerve, the one that runs down the lower back, through the buttocks and the legs. Unfortunately herniated discs can’t be rushed into repairing themselves so the pain will need to be managed for the next month or so, but we feel better knowing that it is something that will get better.

That is why I call it the nuts and bolts of aging, they are all getting rusted. Last year or was it two years ago, I can’t remember, I had my fun with a herniated disc in my neck and that affected my left shoulder all the way down to my left hand with numbness, weakness and pain. Now it’s my husband’s turn.

At one point we were both laying in the bed together because I was feeling tired and my back was bothering me from my own health issues so we looked like two decrepit, achy patients waiting for help. The nurses got a kick out of us and they oohed upon learning that we were approaching the 23 year mark of our marriage.

We finally got home and my hubby despite having his back all achy and pained told me to sit down and eat ice cream while he made dinner; sausage, peppers and onions. I only helped a little, I chopped the peppers. He felt that I had done too much and that I didn’t look good. So he took care of me as he always does. He is a good egg, my hubby is.

Some color to cheer me up

Tags

aging, doctors, gardens, ladies health, medical procedures, plants, postaday2013

Today was another day at the doctor’s trying to figure out why I am having certain issues that are usually associated with ladies getting older, probably nothing to be scared about, more of an annoyance than anything else really. It is always better to keep on top of these things just in case, you never know. I have had many health concerns over the years and the best thing to do is to stay ahead of anything so that it doesn’t snowball into something more complicated.

Anyhow, the procedure was relatively painless and the doctor was nice and reassuring so all I need to do is put everything out of my mind until the fourteenth when I get to go back and find out what game plan the good doctor has mapped out for me and then we shall see what we shall see.

Meanwhile, all that I ever need to do to relax my mind and ease my tension is a small walk in the back yard to see what colors are peeking out and today I was pleasantly surprised by the peonies first bloom to name just one. So bear with me through the gallery of photos of my budding roses, peonies, dianthus and whatever other color called out to me.

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.