Standing at the Trailhead of Winter

Yesterday I called the neurologist to ask about the MRI. When an actual person answered the phone, I was a bit stunned as every time I called before I had to leave a message then wait for a call back, which more often than not didn't happen. So to have a live human being answer the phone kind of threw me. I recovered quickly and asked when I might hear what the MRI showed. The woman put me on hold. About a minute later she returned and informed me she needed to call the hospital where I had the MRI completed to have the results sent to the neurologist. I'm calling BS. When I left the hospital, I was told the results would be sent to my doctor within 48 hours. My guess is the results were sent. My doctor hadn't looked at them. My call sparked a CYA response. An appointment to discuss the results was set up for next week, which is suspect to me since the first time I called to set up the initial appointment I had to wait two weeks to get in. Now, I have to wait to start PT be...

Last week I had an MRI to check my lower spine to see exactly what is going on. I haven't heard anything yet, which I figured was going to be the case as the office that I am working with doesn't seem to care all that much about letting its patients know what was found from the tests that have been completed. I was told in the ER that this particular office is bad about responding to its patients. That was most definitely an understatement. When I called to make the initial appointment, no one returned my call. After a couple of days, I called again and pretty much said I'm not impressed with their professionalism. That got a call-back within a couple of hours. The same thing happened when trying to get the MRI scheduled. I called three times, asking about when I would have the MRI. It was only on the third attempt, when I again said the professionalism of this office leaves a lot to be desired, that I received a call-back within a couple of hours. So now, a week after the ...

The vet called early this morning to check on Sunny. I hadn't even gotten out of bed yet since all three of the boys hadn't awakened at their usual time of six-ish, which is what I use as my alarm clock. We were all still snoozing when my phone rang. I was surprised to see it was nearly 7 am. He asked if there was any improvement. When we had gotten up around 4:30 to go outside, Sunny was noticeably limping, but he managed the steps and even jumped onto the couch, which is what he does when doesn't want to return to his crate. We agreed I'd watch him closely through the rest of the weekend and see where things are on Monday. So far today, Sunny has done a lot of sleeping, far more than he usually does. That tells me he's in pain and the rest is what he needs. He did spend several hours outside while I did yard work, mostly just laying on the back porch or in the garage, so he did have some activity today. Just very subdued activity. So subdued the downtime for me is...

With just five days until the BTUSFMS group leaves out of Yorktown, I'm thinking I'm as ready to go as I can be. I've been getting the small stuff righted around--last minute things like razors (I can't do hairy legs), pomade for the new locks (work a dab in and tousle the hair for that just got out of bed messy look), and a small bottle of suntan lotion to carry in the handlebar bag (even though I slathered on the lotion just before I left out on my long ride a couple of days ago, my shoulders still got burned and still sting four days later). Apparently I need to reapply the lotion periodically while out. Now that the little things are out of the way, I feel like I'm twiddling my thumbs. What now? Having spent so much time and energy on getting ready, I'm flummoxed as to what to do now. A couple of things that come to mind on this hot, 90 degree plus day: drink a Stella, hang out on the deck and read, load all my stuff into the SUV and sit and wait there (co...

My days this week have been foggy; I know I worked, and I know I spent time with my boys just like I always do, but distraction was ever present. A colleague came to my door Tuesday as I gazed at my binders, trying to figure out which one I needed for class. He said hello, and his greeting registered, but several seconds passed before realization of my rudeness kicked in and I looked up to say hello. I apologized for being impolite, to which he laughed and said no problem. That's how the entire week has been: going through the motions while being somewhere else. I visited Mom yesterday. Last Saturday when I left the hospital, she was responsive, able to identify each of her six children, able to answer questions. Yesterday, she was a little slower in answering the questions, taking quite a long time to process the information before responding. In addition to her processing of information having been affected, so has her short term memory. It is gone. I was sitting next to her fo...