Report of 27 July 2010
Hello from the world of Xanax and Hydrocodone -
As soon as patients say they *must* have these meds, it is a red flag to me. And then, as Scott's mother and aunt said to me, the ones who really need them won't get them.
There have been other patients who are much more reasonable. One of our rare younger patients, who is 20, came in after skateboarding and falling. He had an impressive bruise on his left hip and thigh, and could barely walk, so I sent him for an xray and there are no bones broken. The same patient had come in 2 years ago for a wrist sprain after skateboarding. As the nurse said, this young man apparently cannot see the connection; when I asked him about it, i.e., the plethora of falls and skateboarding, he said he did not mind, that he just loved the sport. To each his own, yes? I had another patient who had had a fall after "crowd-surfing" at a concert; he was 16, or so, and attractive, with long blond hair, and told me that he was crowd-surfing and "security was supposed to catch" him, but did not. This was hilarious; so security is not there to maintain law and order, they are supposed to catch those that are motivated to move along on the outstretched arms of fellow concert-goers?
One of the patients came to an appointment after shopping for groceries, pointed to the stash of groceries in her trunk (we were there to also get her bag of medicines), asked if I wanted anything; this was too sweet, and I accepted a banana. She pointed to some kind of German lunch meat, and said if she'd had bread, she'd have made me a sandwich. I was very moved by this, and as she was leaving, I gave her a hug, which I enjoyed. None of my patients here (and in India) is very wealthy, and all such gestures touch me enormously.
Some fine times last week. I got together with the doctors Diane and Patrick Healey, eminent geriatricians at St. V, for dinner. Their children and one child's friends were there as well, and the evening was full of peppy, intelligent conversation and simply scrumptuous food. We sat outside, which added to the lovely evening. My salsa class goes along fine: much depends on the person leading, and my instructor leads very well, so I found myself following the steps much to my surprise. I also enrolled in "Boot Camp," a fairly gruelling workout regimen, but very collegial and with others who will encourage the novices (I had to fall behind in a run with a body bar); it is bloody good fun. Zumba is fun, as always, and kick-boxing (or "Turbo Kick") with Stephanie rocks; she is an energetic and lively instructor, constantly moving around the room and working out near various students. I learnt about weights from a young man named Lloyd, and greatly appreciated the instruction; he and his wife are very fit, and I think I have learnt from a master.
Kris and Gabe graciously lent me the use of their home and I saw "Pulp Fiction" again, and laughed and laughed. I saw "Salt," which was the mindless, improbable fodder that summer movies are, and "The kids are all right," which was about a gay couple and their kids meeting the sperm donor; the acting there was quite first-rate.
I spoke to my Dad and there was too much static on the line for him to hear me; "shall we wind up, Renu, the vuvuzelas on the line are too much." :) The 3 Weiss men and I got to talk, also, and that was the merry fest it always is. Scott helped me through a tough day last week, simply listening as I whined and suddenly wept. Naren had been ill and that concerned me; he seems better now, and I was glad to talk to him. I told Navin that I liked Common of late (mildly replacing Russell Crowe), and he said he would download Common's music; I said, "Music? Who said anything about his music?" and Navin chuckled. It is nice to hear the men laugh on the phone, such a happy, contented sound.
Unw -
R
As soon as patients say they *must* have these meds, it is a red flag to me. And then, as Scott's mother and aunt said to me, the ones who really need them won't get them.
There have been other patients who are much more reasonable. One of our rare younger patients, who is 20, came in after skateboarding and falling. He had an impressive bruise on his left hip and thigh, and could barely walk, so I sent him for an xray and there are no bones broken. The same patient had come in 2 years ago for a wrist sprain after skateboarding. As the nurse said, this young man apparently cannot see the connection; when I asked him about it, i.e., the plethora of falls and skateboarding, he said he did not mind, that he just loved the sport. To each his own, yes? I had another patient who had had a fall after "crowd-surfing" at a concert; he was 16, or so, and attractive, with long blond hair, and told me that he was crowd-surfing and "security was supposed to catch" him, but did not. This was hilarious; so security is not there to maintain law and order, they are supposed to catch those that are motivated to move along on the outstretched arms of fellow concert-goers?
One of the patients came to an appointment after shopping for groceries, pointed to the stash of groceries in her trunk (we were there to also get her bag of medicines), asked if I wanted anything; this was too sweet, and I accepted a banana. She pointed to some kind of German lunch meat, and said if she'd had bread, she'd have made me a sandwich. I was very moved by this, and as she was leaving, I gave her a hug, which I enjoyed. None of my patients here (and in India) is very wealthy, and all such gestures touch me enormously.
Some fine times last week. I got together with the doctors Diane and Patrick Healey, eminent geriatricians at St. V, for dinner. Their children and one child's friends were there as well, and the evening was full of peppy, intelligent conversation and simply scrumptuous food. We sat outside, which added to the lovely evening. My salsa class goes along fine: much depends on the person leading, and my instructor leads very well, so I found myself following the steps much to my surprise. I also enrolled in "Boot Camp," a fairly gruelling workout regimen, but very collegial and with others who will encourage the novices (I had to fall behind in a run with a body bar); it is bloody good fun. Zumba is fun, as always, and kick-boxing (or "Turbo Kick") with Stephanie rocks; she is an energetic and lively instructor, constantly moving around the room and working out near various students. I learnt about weights from a young man named Lloyd, and greatly appreciated the instruction; he and his wife are very fit, and I think I have learnt from a master.
Kris and Gabe graciously lent me the use of their home and I saw "Pulp Fiction" again, and laughed and laughed. I saw "Salt," which was the mindless, improbable fodder that summer movies are, and "The kids are all right," which was about a gay couple and their kids meeting the sperm donor; the acting there was quite first-rate.
I spoke to my Dad and there was too much static on the line for him to hear me; "shall we wind up, Renu, the vuvuzelas on the line are too much." :) The 3 Weiss men and I got to talk, also, and that was the merry fest it always is. Scott helped me through a tough day last week, simply listening as I whined and suddenly wept. Naren had been ill and that concerned me; he seems better now, and I was glad to talk to him. I told Navin that I liked Common of late (mildly replacing Russell Crowe), and he said he would download Common's music; I said, "Music? Who said anything about his music?" and Navin chuckled. It is nice to hear the men laugh on the phone, such a happy, contented sound.
Unw -
R
posted by Renu Weiss at
11:59 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home