Report of 31 Aug 2010
Hello from the U.S. -
Life has been frenetic - with work, shopping, packing, throwing, etc. But it's all good. The patients, in particular, have offered a variety of cases.
Mr. X, the cancer patient, has died. It happened a lot quicker than I anticipated, and I wanted to go to the funeral, but there were no details as of the end of last week. I liked his spirit, especially being feisty enough to pull a shotgun at people. One of my beloved cousins has a daughter who was diagnosed with leukemia when she was 3 (some years ago), and the family went from Coorg to Bangalore for treatment; when I talked (from the U.S.) to my cousin there, he gave me an update, and then said remorsefully about his daughter, T, "She does not behave, she gets angry when the nurses and doctors come in to draw blood, and hits and kicks and bites." I was delighted, and said so: this is exactly the spirit we want our cancer patients to have, instead of rolling over and letting the diagnosis take over. Thankfully, knock on wood, T's cancer is in remission. And her spirit sails on.
There was another patient, a young student from a prestigious engineering school, who brought 2 pages of typed asthma symptoms. Her mother came with her, extolled the virtues of her singing, tennis playing, very bright daughter, and they offered an exhaustive account of these symptoms. It was annoying; more so because I did not feel well, had had some surprising news from home, and was not up to listening to some treatise. The mother also stated that the daughter had enough credits to be at a higher level than she was; I understood none of this, as I did not go to undergraduate college in the U.S., except that the info was said to draw some ooh's and aah's, which were provided (right along with the thought of "Why the **** do I need to know this?"). Lung and ENT evaluations were already set up and I suggested a psychiatry eval for the patient's anxiety; thanfully, the pair did not balk at it.
Some fine times last week: I got together with Cindy Belloli and a bunch of her female friends for dinner. It was a great time, with some luscious finger foods, and all of us ate and talked and laughed. Faith discussions at the Nortons' place wound up, and we were privileged to have Traci join us. I have enjoyed these discussions, and have asked all the questions I wanted to. As I looked around, I noticed that all the Mormons gathered were extremely nice-looking: all this clean living sure manifests on the outside, doesn't it. Theresa Jefferson and I had lunch on Thursday as she took a break at work, and that was as lovely as always; Theresa's perspective, sense of humor, love of life and family are all inspirational and fun. We talked endlessly, or as much as we could fit in 45 minutes. Kris, Gabe, Isabella and Rosalia made time in their busy schedule to have me over for pizza, and I revelled in their company. I love, *love* these folks and enjoyed my time there. On Saturday, Colleen and I met up with several St. V colleagues for a Beatles concert; it took us 2 hours to go about 7 miles to the venue, but the show was outstanding and Sister Rosie, who just turned 80, and I danced to "Twist and Shout." Deb Rasper, the St. V Mercy CEO, again put on a terrific time - with a potluck meal and tix to this event. Carolyn Scanlan and I met for dinner on Sunday, and it was wonderful to catch up with this friend and share her sense of humor and ebullient spirit. I have always been impressed by her ministering skills, and she is the reason I started going to church for a time. Colleen and I managed to talk for a bit, and it was lovely to sit in their beautiful backyard and gab; she also helped me shop, which I always appreciate. Sid and I met for a wrap-up session yesterday and it was nice to talk and listen to his remarkable perspective. I got to talk to Hema, who operates Friends of the Banyan for us in the U.S., and it is like talking to a sister - loads of affection, and good humor, and the best of wishes. Yesterday, there was a gorgeous Debbie-Weaver-made cake at Alexandria, which I had 2 pieces of, and plenty of farewell hugs. I chatted with Dr. Love this morning, and he was kind to address my umpteen medical and faith questions. Today, I have had a wonderful lunch with Elwood colleagues, and got loaded down with beautiful gifts to take home. Lots of memories.
Boot Camp wrapped up last week, and stayed clean. It was an exemplary workout, and I enjoyed it immensely. I appreciated even more that it stayed clean.
Naren and Navin have been up to some merriment at home, and their father has been stretched a bit to handle both. It really is time for me to go, isn't it - to handle things as a couple, and as parents, to hug and love and talk and laugh. I was 100 times worse as a teenager, so will try to discuss these young folks' shenanigans with that perspective - but don't bet on it. :)
Unw -
R
Life has been frenetic - with work, shopping, packing, throwing, etc. But it's all good. The patients, in particular, have offered a variety of cases.
Mr. X, the cancer patient, has died. It happened a lot quicker than I anticipated, and I wanted to go to the funeral, but there were no details as of the end of last week. I liked his spirit, especially being feisty enough to pull a shotgun at people. One of my beloved cousins has a daughter who was diagnosed with leukemia when she was 3 (some years ago), and the family went from Coorg to Bangalore for treatment; when I talked (from the U.S.) to my cousin there, he gave me an update, and then said remorsefully about his daughter, T, "She does not behave, she gets angry when the nurses and doctors come in to draw blood, and hits and kicks and bites." I was delighted, and said so: this is exactly the spirit we want our cancer patients to have, instead of rolling over and letting the diagnosis take over. Thankfully, knock on wood, T's cancer is in remission. And her spirit sails on.
There was another patient, a young student from a prestigious engineering school, who brought 2 pages of typed asthma symptoms. Her mother came with her, extolled the virtues of her singing, tennis playing, very bright daughter, and they offered an exhaustive account of these symptoms. It was annoying; more so because I did not feel well, had had some surprising news from home, and was not up to listening to some treatise. The mother also stated that the daughter had enough credits to be at a higher level than she was; I understood none of this, as I did not go to undergraduate college in the U.S., except that the info was said to draw some ooh's and aah's, which were provided (right along with the thought of "Why the **** do I need to know this?"). Lung and ENT evaluations were already set up and I suggested a psychiatry eval for the patient's anxiety; thanfully, the pair did not balk at it.
Some fine times last week: I got together with Cindy Belloli and a bunch of her female friends for dinner. It was a great time, with some luscious finger foods, and all of us ate and talked and laughed. Faith discussions at the Nortons' place wound up, and we were privileged to have Traci join us. I have enjoyed these discussions, and have asked all the questions I wanted to. As I looked around, I noticed that all the Mormons gathered were extremely nice-looking: all this clean living sure manifests on the outside, doesn't it. Theresa Jefferson and I had lunch on Thursday as she took a break at work, and that was as lovely as always; Theresa's perspective, sense of humor, love of life and family are all inspirational and fun. We talked endlessly, or as much as we could fit in 45 minutes. Kris, Gabe, Isabella and Rosalia made time in their busy schedule to have me over for pizza, and I revelled in their company. I love, *love* these folks and enjoyed my time there. On Saturday, Colleen and I met up with several St. V colleagues for a Beatles concert; it took us 2 hours to go about 7 miles to the venue, but the show was outstanding and Sister Rosie, who just turned 80, and I danced to "Twist and Shout." Deb Rasper, the St. V Mercy CEO, again put on a terrific time - with a potluck meal and tix to this event. Carolyn Scanlan and I met for dinner on Sunday, and it was wonderful to catch up with this friend and share her sense of humor and ebullient spirit. I have always been impressed by her ministering skills, and she is the reason I started going to church for a time. Colleen and I managed to talk for a bit, and it was lovely to sit in their beautiful backyard and gab; she also helped me shop, which I always appreciate. Sid and I met for a wrap-up session yesterday and it was nice to talk and listen to his remarkable perspective. I got to talk to Hema, who operates Friends of the Banyan for us in the U.S., and it is like talking to a sister - loads of affection, and good humor, and the best of wishes. Yesterday, there was a gorgeous Debbie-Weaver-made cake at Alexandria, which I had 2 pieces of, and plenty of farewell hugs. I chatted with Dr. Love this morning, and he was kind to address my umpteen medical and faith questions. Today, I have had a wonderful lunch with Elwood colleagues, and got loaded down with beautiful gifts to take home. Lots of memories.
Boot Camp wrapped up last week, and stayed clean. It was an exemplary workout, and I enjoyed it immensely. I appreciated even more that it stayed clean.
Naren and Navin have been up to some merriment at home, and their father has been stretched a bit to handle both. It really is time for me to go, isn't it - to handle things as a couple, and as parents, to hug and love and talk and laugh. I was 100 times worse as a teenager, so will try to discuss these young folks' shenanigans with that perspective - but don't bet on it. :)
Unw -
R
posted by Renu Weiss at
8:37 AM
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