Report of 12 June '05
Hello from the libraire on a wet Sunday (perfect place to be) -
Hope all are well, and enjoying the summer. As a colleage at St. V grimaced at the heat (about 90 deg), he told me it must be cooler than India; yes, it is - about 15 deg cooler.
Work is good. I have extremely nice coworkers and that makes a heck of a difference. When I am busy, I have no time to mope. And I was pretty busy this week. Several patients were nice, too - such as the lady who came in for follow-up after her hand tumor was removed. She continues to have some pain, but asked for the lowest dose of the pain med. She was widowed last year, then proceeded to lose her entire in-law family, has a 20 yo son ready to leave for Iraq leaving his wife and 4 yo and 2 yo behind, and is attempting to make a go of her nursing career. As I questioned her on her smoking (3 cigs/day) and told her she ought to quit, I said out loud that w/ her life, the cigarettes were probably helpful. She seemed very grateful for that comment. The letters "R" and "N" are among the most respected in the alphabet for me, and I told her whenever she decided to seek work a bit of a distance away from her home, I'd write a letter for her. At this, she burst into tears. I am not sure how much a letter from *me* ("Lunatic doctor serving the poor free in India endorses this candidate") is going to help, but perhaps she appreciated the gesture.
The gay patient came back. She returns weekly, prompting a tirade about Medicaid abuse from my competent medical assistant. This time, she thought she had been poisoned, as she had got sick after a fast-food sandwich she had them re-do. Oh my. Her son has gonorrhea, as it turns out, and I told him during his visit that he needed to be extremely honest w/ his doctor on his practices - 3 of us had looked at the rash all over his body and couldn't agree on what it was. As I looked at his test result later, I cussed using strong profanity and the nurse manager, a very competent and compassionate lady, seemed surprised. I told her that I cannot do what I do for a living w/o cussing. Scott does not like this habit, but is gracious about it, even telling the kids, "Hey, when you're 42, you can say what you want, but not now."
My car's battery died and kind Jim Hillman jumped it for me. It went into the shop for extensive repairs, all of which I cheerfully allow as I love this automobile. This necessitated Colleen driving me places and when I picked up the car, she and I got pizza and sat outside, eating and gabbing. It was great. I am also truly impressed w/ the repair shop - Firestone on Rangeline - and w/ its female manager.
I was privileged to eat dinner this week w/ Louise Hass, the former St. V librarian. The restaurant we ate at was very expensive, but had great food. We sat outside in the balmy breeze and talked endlessly. Both of us have lost close family members and spoke of the experience. This unloading to one who is aware, down to the atom, of bereavement is very therapeutic and I felt the vice of grief easing its grip on me. We talked of several other things also and it was a memorable evening - a lovely breeze, great company, good food.
Saturday was spent w/ Scott's mother, aunt and uncle down at their farms. It was a nice day to be down there, and we talked, ate and laughed - all the while sitting outside enjoying the beautiful weather. It was fabulous and rejuvenating! Driving through rural Indiana had been a bit creepy, w/ my dark skin, etc., and as I tried to make light of the experience, my in-laws told me not to ignore my instinct. Scott and boys are w/ my parents in Mdu this weekend, and though the 3 Weiss men appear to have forgotten 1/2 the things I sent for my parents - carefully labelled and packed, everyone likes gifts from overseas - they must have had a good time. How spectacular it is to get along w/ each other's family.
Today, I saw "Sisterhood of the Traveling pants" which was good. We leave soon to eat dinner w/ the Janis and I look forward to it.
As much as I bemoan the presence of jerks in the world (Louise told me of an attorney who had been unpleasant during the trial, but also of several nice folks), I think we would never know what nice people are if we didn't also have the jerks around.
Best to all of you -
Hope all are well, and enjoying the summer. As a colleage at St. V grimaced at the heat (about 90 deg), he told me it must be cooler than India; yes, it is - about 15 deg cooler.
Work is good. I have extremely nice coworkers and that makes a heck of a difference. When I am busy, I have no time to mope. And I was pretty busy this week. Several patients were nice, too - such as the lady who came in for follow-up after her hand tumor was removed. She continues to have some pain, but asked for the lowest dose of the pain med. She was widowed last year, then proceeded to lose her entire in-law family, has a 20 yo son ready to leave for Iraq leaving his wife and 4 yo and 2 yo behind, and is attempting to make a go of her nursing career. As I questioned her on her smoking (3 cigs/day) and told her she ought to quit, I said out loud that w/ her life, the cigarettes were probably helpful. She seemed very grateful for that comment. The letters "R" and "N" are among the most respected in the alphabet for me, and I told her whenever she decided to seek work a bit of a distance away from her home, I'd write a letter for her. At this, she burst into tears. I am not sure how much a letter from *me* ("Lunatic doctor serving the poor free in India endorses this candidate") is going to help, but perhaps she appreciated the gesture.
The gay patient came back. She returns weekly, prompting a tirade about Medicaid abuse from my competent medical assistant. This time, she thought she had been poisoned, as she had got sick after a fast-food sandwich she had them re-do. Oh my. Her son has gonorrhea, as it turns out, and I told him during his visit that he needed to be extremely honest w/ his doctor on his practices - 3 of us had looked at the rash all over his body and couldn't agree on what it was. As I looked at his test result later, I cussed using strong profanity and the nurse manager, a very competent and compassionate lady, seemed surprised. I told her that I cannot do what I do for a living w/o cussing. Scott does not like this habit, but is gracious about it, even telling the kids, "Hey, when you're 42, you can say what you want, but not now."
My car's battery died and kind Jim Hillman jumped it for me. It went into the shop for extensive repairs, all of which I cheerfully allow as I love this automobile. This necessitated Colleen driving me places and when I picked up the car, she and I got pizza and sat outside, eating and gabbing. It was great. I am also truly impressed w/ the repair shop - Firestone on Rangeline - and w/ its female manager.
I was privileged to eat dinner this week w/ Louise Hass, the former St. V librarian. The restaurant we ate at was very expensive, but had great food. We sat outside in the balmy breeze and talked endlessly. Both of us have lost close family members and spoke of the experience. This unloading to one who is aware, down to the atom, of bereavement is very therapeutic and I felt the vice of grief easing its grip on me. We talked of several other things also and it was a memorable evening - a lovely breeze, great company, good food.
Saturday was spent w/ Scott's mother, aunt and uncle down at their farms. It was a nice day to be down there, and we talked, ate and laughed - all the while sitting outside enjoying the beautiful weather. It was fabulous and rejuvenating! Driving through rural Indiana had been a bit creepy, w/ my dark skin, etc., and as I tried to make light of the experience, my in-laws told me not to ignore my instinct. Scott and boys are w/ my parents in Mdu this weekend, and though the 3 Weiss men appear to have forgotten 1/2 the things I sent for my parents - carefully labelled and packed, everyone likes gifts from overseas - they must have had a good time. How spectacular it is to get along w/ each other's family.
Today, I saw "Sisterhood of the Traveling pants" which was good. We leave soon to eat dinner w/ the Janis and I look forward to it.
As much as I bemoan the presence of jerks in the world (Louise told me of an attorney who had been unpleasant during the trial, but also of several nice folks), I think we would never know what nice people are if we didn't also have the jerks around.
Best to all of you -
posted by Renu Weiss at
1:53 PM
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