Friday, April 19, 2013

Headstrong

I've got my annual physical coming up in a few weeks, so I went to have my blood drawn so I can have my results when I see the doc.

That's just good planning sense so the two of us can talk about any potential needed course of action.

Getting a doc to talk to you after your appointment, especially when he can't bill for it - or at least bill as much - is near impossible.

So, I went, had the vials of blood filled up and stopped by to see the person who took over my job when I left this certain establishment.

On the way back to my car, I ran into this:


Sure, the word "free" stopped me dead in my tracks piqued my interest, but honestly - do you know what it came down to?  "Ooooh....this is a blog entry!".

Sad. Sad. Sad.

First off, what crappy marketing.  This is a top 4 healthcare institution (and by top 4, I mean #4.  If they were higher than that, they'd say 'top 2'!).

Really - a dry erase board propped up in a hallway?  That'll draw 'em in.  Well, I guess - I mean, it drew me in, didn't it?

Actually, there were three folks ahead of me and honestly, the paperwork took more time to fill out than the actual examination.

I was fairly certain I was in a low / no risk category, but I was there, I'm approaching 50 and well...need I say it?  It was free.

The physician was nice. He asked all the questions he should have - especially around smoking, pain, swelling, etc.  He looked in my mouth, he felt my neck.  He didn't do so much anything with my head (oh - go on you dirty little men, you're dying to say something with that!), but the man gave me a clean bill of health - at least for my head and neck cancer stuff - and then sent me on my way.

I kind of felt bad for two of the three folks who were seen before me.  They were given paperwork to follow-up with someone at a later date.  It might end up being nothing for them, but something in the screening brought up red flags of some sorts.

Not that any cancer is great, but when it is of the head or neck - ick. Nothing good can come of it.

All I have to do is survive my physical this month and hopefully I'll be somewhat in the clear for the next 12.  But you know, at this age, things start to fall apart.  ....as we have seen with me time and time again.

Yes, the top image actually came from my results sheet. I know you were all wondering.



Song by: 10,000 Maniacs

3 comments:

anne marie in philly said...

never mind the "dirty little men", this naughty-thinking str8 woman envisioned...

seriously, good on ya for taking the extra few minutes. since we both are cancer survivors, we know that early detection is key. I feel sad for those who were told to get a follow-up exam.

PS - 50 ain't bad; now 60, OTOH...

Erik Rubright said...

I still giggle at the words "oral" and "head". To see them on a whiteboard would have had me erasing certain other words to make it... better.

David Jeffreys said...

I was healthier than a horse until I turned 50, and then I fell apart. It all started with me tripping on the curb at the local shopping center, my knee swelling up BIG, but other than an ice pack and propping it up, I ignored it. The result was a DVT (deep vein thrombosis) in my left calf, which in turn got loose and traveled to both lungs resulting in PE (pulmonary emboli). Things went downhill from there with diabetes starting . . . well you get the picture. Life has not been the same since!

David