I've spent a portion of every single day this month in either a hospital room, a doctor's office, a medical lab or the pharmacy. And I have opinions on all these locations. Like, for example, my dad's doctor has the best waiting room - floor to ceiling windows on two walls. Nice n bright.
My mom's doctor hasn't changed the waiting room in 24 years - that's the last time I was there, getting my pre-marital tune-up. While I sat and waited for my mom, I looked through the magazines on the side table. The one I chose, a travel publication, was from the spring. Spring 1999.
The medical lab in the new building next to the Langley hospital is lovely. No line up, no pink walls, friendly blood suckers.
Surprisingly, there was free parking at my mom's doctor's office in BURNABY, but my dad's doctor's office in Surrey and my doctor's office in Langley (where land is plentiful and less expensive) charge $2 per visit.
Today, one of the first full days that I didn't need to go to Surrey, I stayed in Langley. And went to see my doctor. Again. I hadn't been to see this man in almost 4 years. And this month? Four times.
Today I had some moles removed from my back. During my recent physical he noted one that he didn't care for and recommended I allow him to dig it out. Today was that day. And seeing he was in the mood to cut, dig and scrape, he offered to deal with the other, far more ugly moles back there as well. Also on the agenda for the visit was the third and final installment of the injections I needed for that trip to Mexico. Parts one and two were administered during the summer. The third one was poked into my arm at 1 pm.
So, he froze 4 areas on my back with a needle filled with freezing and it felt like a very angry bee was stinging me over and over again. I stopped breathing and when he suggested I start again, I took breaths that were too big, leaving me light-headed and dizzy. I lay down on my stomach and made the mistake of looking at the tray filled with his instruments. Shiny, sharp, pokey, diggy tools. I turned my head to look at pregnancy-weight-gain-charts instead, and marveled at how well the freezing worked. I could feel the cutting and tugging sensation, but not the pain of it.
He put the parts of my body that he removed into a clear solution in a sealed container and asked me to take it over to the lab. No. That was not gross at all.
I went from the doctor's office to the school to pick up the boys, to Aldergrove to have my groin, hip and leg stretched, prodded and bent by that other doctor in my lfe.
This is my life?
This has become a full time job for me - just getting me and my folks back and forth to doctors and specialists. You hear about this happening, but until you actually live the life, you have no idea how all consuming it is.
So, it's surprising to me that my coping mechanism has been medical shows. Every evening, after I wash my face and change into my pajamas, I cuddle up in bed with a DVD player, put on the headphones and watch an episode of House. I started watching season 1 this summer with Max and Sam, and just kept on watching an episode here and there, and finally, sadly, last weekend, I finished up watching the last episode of season 3.
So, on Sunday evening I went looking for another series to get started on. I decided on Grey's Anatomy. I had no idea what I was in for, other than I've heard alot of good things about it.
So I went to Roger's and rented the entire first season of Scrubs.
I know.Good thing I'm not in charge of anything really important this month. I would so screw it up.
But, now, 9 episodes in, I'm thinking maybe Scrubs is exactly what I need. I am smiling most nights when I turn off the DVD player. And that's a good thing... going to sleep with a smile on your face.
Oh. That freezing I got earlier? Has totally worn off. In fact, I was feeling all the cutting and digging and scraping in its fullness by 7 pm. I thought maybe I could use my discomfort as a valid reason for skipping that praying-out-loud-group I joined last week. But I didn't. I went. And prayed out loud again. Twice. Because I thought of more things to pray about after I finished the first time.
Sigh. This has been an exhausting month.
December better rock.
Three things I'm thankful for:
1. My moles? They're gone. Ow.
2. Tomorrow? I'm going to work. Like a normal person.
3. ADVIL.
Shalom,
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