Report of 22 May '05
Phew, I am whipped! Nice kind of fatigue, tho' - work-related, after hordes of patients, one of whom got so either moved or scared by what I said she cried.
The work here is nice, as are the folks I work with. A memorable patient from last week was a lady who came in complaining of dry mouth, needing to drink water often and urinating more than usual. I had my suspicion and, of course, w/ the machine to check blood glucose (glucometer) right on hand (I like working in an affluent country as a break), the diagnosis of diabetes was easily confirmed. The patient was devastated and I roped in all the resources we had: health educators, nurses, nurse managers, the contact person at the hospital where I was sending her to get admitted. I reassured her that her condition was very treatable, and that we would stand by her to take care of her as long as she needed.
A young woman came in for an employment physical and said she was a sophomore at IU. This is rare in my patient population - for folks to be in college, no offence intended, it's simply a fact - and I went about my visit commending her for being in school. She got to the part where she stated she was sexually active, that her partner did not use a condom and that stopped me. In the same matter-of-fact tone that I'd used for the previously incarcerated man who used cocaine, I enlightened the young lady that she was exhibiting some very dangerous behaviors, that she was bright and attractive, that it'd be a waste of a mind and a life if she contracted HIV, and I hoped she'd change her mind about condom use. I told her *I'd* be upset if she got a deadly disease, heck w/ anyone else. She told me the lack of condom use was an aberration; perhaps she will think about this conversation more as time goes on - in the throes of passion? Unlikely, but one can hope. I had the same conversation w/ another young woman today and she cried. I apologised for causing tears, but she said she needed to hear the msg.
The boys and I had dinner last week w/ Cindy and Kurt Smith and their pretty daughters, Jocelyn and Rachel - our former neighbors. We got to see Cindy's Dad as well and that was nice. The food was delicious - pork chops and mac-n-cheese (easily one of the boys' favorite foods ever) - and all of us pigged out. It was wonderful to be in the home of friends who care so much about us they take menu requests.
On Thursday, we rented a car (so easy here!) and drove in blinding rain to Brecksville, Ohio. My friend Carrie Cassidy had arranged for us to speak there and we did. It was extremely uplifting to see a friend after 22 years and realise that she had married a wonderful man. Rex did several things to accommodate the time Carrie and I had together, including taking our boys to lunch at their daughters' elementary school - the boys had a blast there! We spoke to the Brecksville Kiwanis and were approached after the talk by the Key Club members, who are teenagers. The talk appeared to inspire the young people and they had several suggestions for support: it was wonderful!!! Folks who write off teenagers as a breed are so depriving themselves. We enjoyed hanging out w/ the young folks immensely. We stayed w/ Rex's mother, Midge, and she was neat to spend the evening talking with. I also spoke at Carrie's church and that was fun, too.
I was supposed to speak at a high school in Indianapolis and that has not worked out for various reasons. I am sorry, esp after the experience in Brecksville. A friend who heard my talk said the high school was missing out, also, and that was an understated compliment.
We returned to Indy and piled into Colleen Taber's car w/ her and their son, Christopher, and trundled to Ann Arbor, Michigan. We stayed w/ Ann Taber, Colleen's mother-in-law, and that was a blast. All of us went canoeing - a memorable first for the boys and totally good fun for all! We had dinner Sat night w/ Kasha and Laura Newcomb, mother and sister of Matt, Scott's colleague in Bangalore. Kasha's perspective on life and her son were such a treat that we spent much of the evening laughing, and talking some more. The meal was delicious and the Newcombs' house and yard very beautiful. We were pleased that Laura joined us for the entire evening. I also got to speak to Bill Newcomb, Matt's Dad, on the phone and that was fun, too.
Morris Taber, Ann's husband, returned from a church conference just for that evening and it was nice to meet him. (A and M Taber had been in e-touch w/ me prior to this.) The Tabers do magnificent social work in Zimbabwe, Africa. We spoke at the Tabers' church yesterday and met all kinds of nice folks whom we'll stay in touch with. In fact, several folks we met at other talks have been emailing and that is the highlight of these events for me: to be in touch w/ those who are interested in the work and wish us well. We had a lovely time in Ann Arbor, thanks to Ann Taber, and the drive back to Indy was therapeutic too: I drove Mark Taber's new Outback, a treat for me since I am an avid auto fan, and got to gab w/ Colleen the whole way. Colleen is one of the most intelligent young women we have ever met and is able to put any situation into simple words and solutions. I think her young students are very fortunate to learn German from her.
Some spectacular news came my way last week. A patient at the Banyan, Ms. P, who'd come to us w/ a pelvis broken under mysterious circumstances, had complained constantly of pain even after she'd been cleared by orthopedics to walk. She had an abscess in her groin and I sent her to OB, but the pus remained. I finally had suggested an eval by the orthopedic surgeon who'd evaluated my nephew w/ cerebral palsy. In my absence, he'd examined Ms. P, found an infection in her bones ("osteomyelitis") and drained it surgically. Ms. P is now pain-free and walking about, ready to go home. This news has energized me for many days and will continue to do so. I am sorry to disappoint those who thought the "spectacular news" was about funding. "I measure success one patient at a time" - a straight lift from Morgan Stanley Dean Witter (if that is indeed their name now).
Hanging out w/ the boys has been fun, tho' they came perilously close to damaging a closet door at the home of Midge Cassidy in Brecksville. They got yelled at for that, said they were not having a fun vacn when I yelled (like I enjoyed the frequent fights, loo overflow and dryer-crayon episodes :) ) and I asked them how this situation could be win-win for all. After a couple of weird suggestions, they came up w/ "We could be good?" Einsteins of the world, unite. We have resolved to try and get along companionably for the remainder of the boys' stay here, i.e., until 1 June. I am not yet thinking of their solo flight to India.
Trust all of you are well. Hope your days are good, as mine are.
The work here is nice, as are the folks I work with. A memorable patient from last week was a lady who came in complaining of dry mouth, needing to drink water often and urinating more than usual. I had my suspicion and, of course, w/ the machine to check blood glucose (glucometer) right on hand (I like working in an affluent country as a break), the diagnosis of diabetes was easily confirmed. The patient was devastated and I roped in all the resources we had: health educators, nurses, nurse managers, the contact person at the hospital where I was sending her to get admitted. I reassured her that her condition was very treatable, and that we would stand by her to take care of her as long as she needed.
A young woman came in for an employment physical and said she was a sophomore at IU. This is rare in my patient population - for folks to be in college, no offence intended, it's simply a fact - and I went about my visit commending her for being in school. She got to the part where she stated she was sexually active, that her partner did not use a condom and that stopped me. In the same matter-of-fact tone that I'd used for the previously incarcerated man who used cocaine, I enlightened the young lady that she was exhibiting some very dangerous behaviors, that she was bright and attractive, that it'd be a waste of a mind and a life if she contracted HIV, and I hoped she'd change her mind about condom use. I told her *I'd* be upset if she got a deadly disease, heck w/ anyone else. She told me the lack of condom use was an aberration; perhaps she will think about this conversation more as time goes on - in the throes of passion? Unlikely, but one can hope. I had the same conversation w/ another young woman today and she cried. I apologised for causing tears, but she said she needed to hear the msg.
The boys and I had dinner last week w/ Cindy and Kurt Smith and their pretty daughters, Jocelyn and Rachel - our former neighbors. We got to see Cindy's Dad as well and that was nice. The food was delicious - pork chops and mac-n-cheese (easily one of the boys' favorite foods ever) - and all of us pigged out. It was wonderful to be in the home of friends who care so much about us they take menu requests.
On Thursday, we rented a car (so easy here!) and drove in blinding rain to Brecksville, Ohio. My friend Carrie Cassidy had arranged for us to speak there and we did. It was extremely uplifting to see a friend after 22 years and realise that she had married a wonderful man. Rex did several things to accommodate the time Carrie and I had together, including taking our boys to lunch at their daughters' elementary school - the boys had a blast there! We spoke to the Brecksville Kiwanis and were approached after the talk by the Key Club members, who are teenagers. The talk appeared to inspire the young people and they had several suggestions for support: it was wonderful!!! Folks who write off teenagers as a breed are so depriving themselves. We enjoyed hanging out w/ the young folks immensely. We stayed w/ Rex's mother, Midge, and she was neat to spend the evening talking with. I also spoke at Carrie's church and that was fun, too.
I was supposed to speak at a high school in Indianapolis and that has not worked out for various reasons. I am sorry, esp after the experience in Brecksville. A friend who heard my talk said the high school was missing out, also, and that was an understated compliment.
We returned to Indy and piled into Colleen Taber's car w/ her and their son, Christopher, and trundled to Ann Arbor, Michigan. We stayed w/ Ann Taber, Colleen's mother-in-law, and that was a blast. All of us went canoeing - a memorable first for the boys and totally good fun for all! We had dinner Sat night w/ Kasha and Laura Newcomb, mother and sister of Matt, Scott's colleague in Bangalore. Kasha's perspective on life and her son were such a treat that we spent much of the evening laughing, and talking some more. The meal was delicious and the Newcombs' house and yard very beautiful. We were pleased that Laura joined us for the entire evening. I also got to speak to Bill Newcomb, Matt's Dad, on the phone and that was fun, too.
Morris Taber, Ann's husband, returned from a church conference just for that evening and it was nice to meet him. (A and M Taber had been in e-touch w/ me prior to this.) The Tabers do magnificent social work in Zimbabwe, Africa. We spoke at the Tabers' church yesterday and met all kinds of nice folks whom we'll stay in touch with. In fact, several folks we met at other talks have been emailing and that is the highlight of these events for me: to be in touch w/ those who are interested in the work and wish us well. We had a lovely time in Ann Arbor, thanks to Ann Taber, and the drive back to Indy was therapeutic too: I drove Mark Taber's new Outback, a treat for me since I am an avid auto fan, and got to gab w/ Colleen the whole way. Colleen is one of the most intelligent young women we have ever met and is able to put any situation into simple words and solutions. I think her young students are very fortunate to learn German from her.
Some spectacular news came my way last week. A patient at the Banyan, Ms. P, who'd come to us w/ a pelvis broken under mysterious circumstances, had complained constantly of pain even after she'd been cleared by orthopedics to walk. She had an abscess in her groin and I sent her to OB, but the pus remained. I finally had suggested an eval by the orthopedic surgeon who'd evaluated my nephew w/ cerebral palsy. In my absence, he'd examined Ms. P, found an infection in her bones ("osteomyelitis") and drained it surgically. Ms. P is now pain-free and walking about, ready to go home. This news has energized me for many days and will continue to do so. I am sorry to disappoint those who thought the "spectacular news" was about funding. "I measure success one patient at a time" - a straight lift from Morgan Stanley Dean Witter (if that is indeed their name now).
Hanging out w/ the boys has been fun, tho' they came perilously close to damaging a closet door at the home of Midge Cassidy in Brecksville. They got yelled at for that, said they were not having a fun vacn when I yelled (like I enjoyed the frequent fights, loo overflow and dryer-crayon episodes :) ) and I asked them how this situation could be win-win for all. After a couple of weird suggestions, they came up w/ "We could be good?" Einsteins of the world, unite. We have resolved to try and get along companionably for the remainder of the boys' stay here, i.e., until 1 June. I am not yet thinking of their solo flight to India.
Trust all of you are well. Hope your days are good, as mine are.
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