Today’s blog
Lynn Murphy Mark
On Doctors
Living at our house is an experience in interacting with medical professionals of various kinds. I suppose we are at that age where stuff happens, often without any notice at all. Both of our bodies have been around for over 70 years. Sometimes we are good about self-care and sometimes it falls by the wayside and we pay the price. Just being honest here. The older I get the more maintenance this temple needs, and more attention needs to be paid to getting repairs in a timely fashion. It sounds like I’m writing about a car. There’s not much difference between car care and body care and I can say I pay much more attention to the state of my Prius than to the state of my own self.
Near the end of last year Jan was having significant heart problems. Her BJC cardiologist had given up on her, or so it seemed. He was one of few words and even fewer actions so Jan quit his practice. The Universe provided a new cardiologist, someone who gives second opinions without trying to lure the patient into her practice. We went to see her and when we left her office, we had a plan that made sense and a referral to an electrophysiologist.
I may be retired, but you can’t take away 46 years of experience as a nurse interacting with hundreds of physicians. I’ve met all kinds – mean, devoted, uncaring, thorough, snippy, kind – you name it, I’ve seen it. I have put myself in the hands of both male and female doctors and I admit that I tend to gravitate to women practitioners. I did have a man who was my primary care doc for a really long time and I hated moving away from his practice when I left for Santa Fe. He was a good guy.
Back to Jan’s new cardiologist. We were in her office for at least 45 minutes while she examined Jan. She listened carefully to our concerns and answered every one of them. We did not feel rushed or talked down to. Her explanations were very clear as she presented what she thought was the next plan for the care of Jan’s condition. I’ve told several people that she may well be the best doctor that I have ever encountered, and that’s saying something.
The referral she made was to a man who was equally as kind and attentive and very clear as to what he thought was the right treatment for her errant heart rate. The plan involved the real possibility that she might need a pacemaker. On the day of that procedure, our minister came to pray with Jan. She happened to arrive at the same time the doctor did, so she waited until he was through with his explanation and his answers to our questions. She was impressed with his whole demeanor. So was I. Another star added to the crown.
Tomorrow Jan will undergo chest surgery to remove a small malignancy. She is able to do so because the heart condition has improved significantly. She met the chest surgeon and came away with the same positive feelings towards him as towards the heart specialists. That’s three impressive doctors in a row.
I have my own little story too. On Monday I met a new dentist. I won’t say how long it had been since I last sat in a dental chair, but it’s been a minute or two. Not that I’m afraid of dentists – I’ve had extensive dental work done in my lifetime. But I was not looking forward to going to the dentist at all. When I met her – never had a lady dentist before – she was friendly and welcoming. She started with a review of my overall health, something no dentist has ever done. In the hour and a half that I was with her (!) I learned more about dental health than I’ve learned in 60+ years of dentistry. Her office staff was equally friendly and accommodating. If anyone needs a dentist, I recommend her and she is taking new patients.
Being in the care of these professional practitioners is a great comfort to Jan and to me. Tomorrow I will spend a long day waiting to get news of how Jan did during the surgery. But I will be waiting with a peaceful heart, knowing that she is literally in good hands.