Good news from one of my M.D’s

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good news, health, maintenance, medical, postaday2013

Good news on the health front. My gynecologist Dr. Wool, who I like a lot, grabbed me as soon as he saw me in the waiting room to let me know that all the lab results from my procedure, almost two weeks, came back benign. He also said that he wanted to take a look and see attitude regarding my hormone levels, he wants to see how my body is going to respond now that all the polyps have been removed. I said wonderful, let’s see what Mother Nature has to say and what she has in store for me for the next three months. I really like Doctor Wool, he likes to talk and he doesn’t rush you at all. He is also very easy to talk to, a great bedside manner and I feel very relaxed with him. I find myself telling him all about my past medical issues and he doesn’t brush me off, he actually listens with interest. Moreover when he comes into the room, he knows why I am there and doesn’t waste ten minutes reading my chart. In my opinion that is a huge plus, I have been to tons of doctors and there is nothing more disheartening than sitting there waiting for your doctor to reacquaint himself with you. If I were a doctor, I would read my patient’s history before they came into the room so that they would feel reassured that I know what is going on with their medical issues. You would think that this would be an obvious way to treat your patients, but it is a rarity in our medical reality. I am very happy with Doctor Wool and especially in the field of gynecology, that is a huge deal.

Health maintenance part 2

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maintenance, medical issues, out-patient care, postaday2013

This morning it was my turn to present myself to the hospital for an out-patient procedure. I have been having issues with symptoms that have to do with being peri-menopause lately and today’s procedure was part one of the solution, excising polyps and next week, part two will be medicinal, that would be progestin shots every three months. The polyps have been sent to the lab to make sure that they don’t harbor any funny business, but my doctor told my hubby that he was 99% sure that there weren’t any suspicious cells so that reassured me. Next week I will get hopefully, because never count your chickens before they are hatched, very good news and a regimen that will get my insane hormones under control. With all that, I will share a picture and say good night.

Gardenkeeping in the backyard

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blogging, Gardening, maintenance, pictures, postaday2013, weeding

I don’t think that gardenkeeping is a word, but what I did today outside in the backyard, I would say qualifies as housekeeping if I had done it inside, so why not call it gardenkeeping, since I did it outside in the backyard?

A good part of gardening is the maintenance which encompasses weeding, pruning, transplanting, dividing and shaping. New plantings make up only a small percentage of the overall seasonal work of gardening. I personally like everything about gardening, except for leaves; I know that it needs to be done and it gets done but I don’t really like it, especially when it seems that the wind always blows stronger when you are raking and bagging those leaves.

So here are a few pictures of what I did and the difference it makes when the garden is spruced up a bit.

One of my favorite doctors

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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.