Doctors and Important Dates

Have I mentioned recently how much I love my regular doctor? In the course of my life I’ve had good doctors and bad, technically excellent doctors who have no ability to talk in terms the patient understands, and doctors who simply don’t talk at all. And then there’s my GP.

I had a 10:00 a.m. appointment with my regular doctor yesterday to check out that rash that’s been plaguing me. What could have been a ten minute in-and-out-again appointment turned into a 40 minute thorough check-up. She spent a good amount of time just talking with me, trying to get a feel for how I was really doing. I don’t remember any doctor ever taking the time to do that before.

I learned a bit more about her as well. It turns out that before she went to med school she was a cardiac critical care nurse. It occurred to me as I left her office that she’d managed to hold onto the best of her nursing skills even as she acquired further medical training.

As things stand now, she wants to see me every three months. She suggested a few places I could check to get information about local support groups, and she ordered a few tests to check on my hormone levels (yeah, I’ve been having some “female problems” on top of everything else). I can only say again how lucky I’ve been with the doctors who have been treating me during this whole fiasco.

I’ve been in a good solid funk since yesterday. In the beginning of the week I felt almost normal, and was doing complete flights of stairs without having to stop and rest. Whatever surplus energy I was tapping into then seems to have completely dissipated now. Part of it is the illness, I’m sure. Another part of it can probably be explained by the fact that this has been a trying week. I do get yet another paracentesis tomorrow though, and I’m hoping that will pep me up a bit, both physically and mentally.

Then again, tomorrow is March 21st. That date has made me pause and reflect in recent years. Considering the events of the past year though, I’m not really sure how to feel about tomorrow. This year I’ve got more than ever before to pause and reflect about.