World of mine Wednesday’s Ws

What’s top of my mind:  Work matters. It seems every day The Medical Assistant comes to my office with ‘news from The Shire” as she puts it. The latest is I am not closing charts properly. When The Boss sends me a roster of patients and I see names not seen been in in a while, I send out a personal portal message stating ‘I haven’t heard from you lately, please make an appointment or tell me to close the chart’. This has a fair success rate. Folks either answer they have moved away/changed insurance/found someone else or they are contrite and promise to make an appointment right away. Works for me. Alas, Babylon! This doesn’t work for The Overlords, who sent a terse memo note, worthy of The Board of Directors Here at Spo-reflections, stating I was to use the protocol of sending out a ‘first warning letter’, wait thirty days, send out the ‘second/final warning letter’, wait seven days, and only then deactivate the patient saying so in a third letter. Patience above! The other news is we are supposed to do vitals on patients – even the ones seen on video.

Where I’ve been: The Nephrologist. I’ve had borderline low kidney functions for as long as I can remember; they’ve stayed constant, so I don’t fret about them. However, The Good Doctor felt it recently necessary for a consultation with The Good Kidney Doctor on this matter. TGKD ordered an ultra-sound of the kidneys, something they tried once but it didn’t work given all the intra-abdominal fat hiding the guttywuts. To my amazement this time it worked – and there was nothing wrong. The aorta, the renal arteries etc. were all WNL. There were no signs of lumps, bumps, or inner demons either. There was one curious finding: I have big kidneys, not worrisome large but apparently bigger than most men my age. I knew I have a bladder capacity the size of an elephant so apparently my big organs are all inside types, worse luck. This must be because I am a Cancer, a water sign.  As The Good Kidney Doctor couldn’t find any explanation for the borderline-low kidney functions (much to his disappointment) he wants to … wait for it…. do more tests! Bless him! Doctors can’t admit they don’t just know what’s going on. All docs are quacks. 

Where I’m going: another walk. Some of the co-workers are going on a 5K run/walk next Sunday and I was asked me to join. A 5K walk will feel a breeze after last week’s 10K. We will wear T-shirts with our work logo, apparently so people needing mental health assistance can walk with us and tell us their woes. 

What I’m watching:  The floors. Poor Harper. She’s regularly peeing and pooping in the house and if one isn’t careful, one is apt to step in it. One doesn’t go walking about barefoot anyway, given the risk of stepping on a scorpion. This reminds me: also watch on the Pine sol supply. We use a lot.

What I’m reading:  The new warning label for female hormones. Some of you may remember there once was a clinical trial whose results suggested women taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT) were at risk for cancer. After this hit the news, patients freaked out and doctors did too, resulting in patients having a sudden cessation of medication. Over time the findings of that study have been shown to be wrong – I won’t go into the details here – and it was OK to use HRT. However, the warning labels for such things continued to carry ‘this product could cause cancer’ warnings, despite the evidence otherwise. * The FDA finally caught up to the data viz. these products to not cause cancer per se and dropped the warning. It is hoped doctors and patients will feel more at ease to consider using such.

What I’m listening to: The Wreck of Edmund Fitzgerald.  It was 25 years ago, 11/10/1975, when ‘The Fitz’ sank. I remember that storm. It was quite a wind even in Detroit area and the next morning the bird feeder I made in Boy Scouts had blown down in the storm. I can still see the smashed thing. Then I heard on the news of the sinking.  Father was a freight freak and secretary at The Maritime Dossin Institute on Belle Isle Michigan. The sinking was big news.  I also remember the morning Father woke Brother #2 and I up to see if we wanted to go downtown to the memorial service. B#2 said yes and I sad no, for I wanted to watch cartoons .  When I hear the song’s lyrics ‘in a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed” I remember Father and B#2 were there but I missed the opportunity.  

What I’m eating:  Squash. We use meal-kits, Hello Fresh and Blue Apron, which we alternate every other week. Both have provided a lot of squash lately. They are not easy to work with. They don’t peel easily, nor do they succumb readily to chopping and cutting. They have seeds to extract which don’t leave willingly. However, when finally diced and tossed in oil with seasonings and then roasted on a pan, they are rawther tasty – much better than the bland nasty mashed rubbish squash I received at Thanksgiving time in ‘no thank you’ helpings.

Do you cook squash? What are your favorites?

Who needs a good slap: You know who. I should chang this entry to ‘what did he do this week to earn another slap’ but damned if I am going to let him be part of my blog. I suspect The Felon gets off on people angry at him, so long as they are paying him attention. Instead I will slap Someone’s bosses who are on the whole a bunch of knaves and ne’er-to-wells that make his job stressful and difficult.

On my 1-5 scale, I give bosses who don’t do their jobs four slaps.

Who gets a fist bump:  The Overlords Benefit website. I give credit where credit is due. It is time to renew benefits. Oh the pain. The Overlords sent out a series of reminders and links so I wouldn’t forget. The website was relatively straightforward on how to proceed and choose the options – much easier than when I worked in a private company whose benefits was handled by an awful website. It’s done; I can check it off the to-do list.

What I’m planning:  A pinboard. I’ve collected a series of pins, the types you insert onto your sports jacket to accessorize it a bit. It would be nice to put them on some sort of board to see them all at once to make the decision which one to pin to my label. Right now they are in a small box on the dresser and I have to rummage around looking for the one I want.

I am not sure what this pinboard will be or look like; if Spo-fans have suggestions I would be blithe to hear them.

What’s making me smile: Two legal matters:

The Supreme Court’s decision to not reconsider marriage – mine. I have been in an anxious sadness ever since The Felon was reinstated in office, knowing someone will want The Supreme Court A.K.A The Felon’s Minions to ban gay marriage again. As you know recently someone did try, a hypocrite not worth mentioning by name. This week the court said no thank you. What a relief. I feel a terrible threat has been diverted. 

and

A matter at work: Earlier this year a patient filed a complaint against me on the grounds I was senile and didn’t know what I was doing. I had to keep mum about it here. The matter has hanged over my head all this year. Recently I got word from the attorney the matter was dismissed, although the plaintiff can appeal. I am told that seldom happens, or works. This is another relief. I sleep with a lighter heart.

*In contrast, when it was found testosterone replacement doesn’t worsen a man’s chance of developing prostate cancer, the warning was removed.