Doctors

Slice, And Another Slice

Back in December I visited a Dermatologist to check a red spot on my forehead. I seemed like it had been there for a long time. I’ve bumped it a few times and at least once getting my haircut it was hit with the clippers, which led to some bleeding each time. But when it became obvious it was growing pretty fast was when I got my new Real ID Drivers License back in November. In my early 2020 license the spot looks small, but by the end of November in 2024 it is very noticeable.

The results of the biopsy came in just before I went on my recent month long “vacation”, it was Basal Cell Carcinoma. Today I went back to the Dermatologist to have the rest of the cancer sliced off. Luckily he got it all off with one swipe. While I was still in the chair I asked, “What about this little cyst on the bottom of my right ear?”

Dermatologist, “Has it been there long?”
Patient, “A while, I guess.”
Dermatologist, “Lets lop it off, and biopsy it.”
Patient, “Good, I want that ear to look good because on my 70th birthday I want to pierce it.”
Dermatologist, “See you in a couple weeks and we’ll take those stitches out.”

That’s Kind of Backwards: Addendum

The optical drive I had came from an HP desktop and just looking at it it seemed like it would slide right into the spot in the Dell’s case. But I never really tried it, I just assumed. So naturally it didn’t fit. Like I mentioned previously, I can’t remember the last time I used an optical drive, so the only thing I lost was a bit of time and $3.99. Both of which are not a problem.

So right now I have a few different options: 1) Buy an official Dell external drive for $40, 2) buy an external case for the HP drive for around half that or 3) buy a random complete drive off Amazon for around the same price as that chancy case. Right now I’m going to take option four, i.e. don’t anything until I actually need an optical and worry about it then.

The Miata was used the last three days for short around town trips. On Tuesday it was sort of spring-like so I took it, top down, on the 2 mile ice cream run to soothe Donna’s sore mouth after a root canal. On Wednesday I took it to my 6-month follow up with the GP, because it was an early morning appointment the trip there was with the top up, but the way home it was down. Today was a rainy midday appointment with my dentist to get my new crowns, so top up the whole way. All three trips are reflected below.

11.6 miles.
Times Miata Driven since 01/01/22: 21

 

Really, That Long?

On Thursday morning I called around looking for a doctor to get a tetanus shoot and to establish a relationship with. I’ve got a few prescriptions that I’m going to need refills of in January and I think our old doctor in Aiken is eventually going to catch onto the whole I’m just visiting in Oregon thing.

My first call was to the Adult Medical Clinic at the local hospital. They were listed on the BCBS of Alabama website. When I called I was informed there were three doctors and only one was accepting new patients and the next available appointment was in July 2020! The nice person who answered the phone said I might try something called Cascades East, when I called them they said the waiting list is 6 months! I had them send me the forms to get on the waiting list.

In the meantime we could avail ourselves with the services of Basin Immediate Care, a walk-in clinic that takes anyone who can pay or has insurance. So guess where we spent 2-1/2 hours on Thursday afternoon getting a tetanus shot and a band aid?

This afternoon we had a shiny new 3/4 horsepower, kevlar belt drive garage door opener with two remotes and a wireless keypad installed. So much smoother and quieter that the old chain drive unit. Now it has got us thinking about replacing that old heavy wooden door. When the installer took the old unit down we looked at the date of manufacture on the sticker and it read 1995. Twenty-five years, so it had a pretty good life, but who knows how much longer it would have noisily gone about doing its job if I hadn’t accidentally killed it.

Mr. Meniere Makes A Visit

Sunday morning I woke up at 5:30. I was lying on my side facing the alarm clock and when I opened my eyes the image I saw spun quickly up and repeated and repeated and repeated…so I blinked a couple times, but it wouldn’t stop. I closed my eyes and decided that maybe if I rolled onto my back that would help. Trouble came about when I started to roll over I opened my eyes! I can only equate the visuals to what I imagine is a portion of a potent LSD trip. Once on my back the ceiling fan was scanning across my vision rapidly from left to right.

I closed my eyes and lay there for a few minutes contemplating. I knew what it was, it was the one symptom of Meniere’s Disease that I hadn’t suffered from back in September — vertigo. With experimentation I found that I could make it stop by jamming my eyeballs all the way to the right (direction everything was spinning.) I then woke Donna and told her what was happening. She wanted to know what we should do and I told her the first thing was I needed to go to the bathroom. Using a combination of eyes closed, eyes opened hard to the right and her supporting me, mission accomplished.

It was still early, so I suggested let’s go back to bed and see where we are when we next wake up. I woke up again at 7:30 and I was lying on my side facing the alarm clock. When I opened my eyes the image was perfectly still. I blinked my eyes a couple of times, normal. I closed them for a minute or so and opened back up to the return of ordinary. There hasn’t been a return of the dizziness since.

I’ve given up caffeine as the doctor suggested, so was it the small coffee in the morning and the 20oz. Dr. Pepper in the evening on Saturday? Was it the 300 mile road trip, more than half of it with the top down that brought it on? The pizza in Milledgeville? The glass of wine with dinner? Not getting a lot of sleep two nights before? Watching the synchronized drones of the Olympic’s Closing Ceremony?

I Guess I Better Get Used To It

Not My HeadRemember in our last episode where I complained that the caffeine-free Diet Dr. Pepper tasted different? Well, I’m going to try and get used to it.

The first time the ENT treated my wonky hearing for was inflammation. The steroids he gave me (twice) fixed it, but not permanently. The next possibility was callousing on the nerve instead of just inflammation and to find that we needed an MRI. A couple weeks ago, I laid on a table and had a nice young woman blast me with loud noises and magnetic rays.

My head scans came back normal, so the doctor came to the conclusion that I have a form of Meniere’s Disease. It’s a “form of” because I do have the on again off again hearing issues, but I don’t have any of the vertigo (thank goodness.)

I was given a few dietary things to avoid which might reduce my symptoms: alcohol and excessive sodium. Oh, and caffeine too. So as soon as I run out of the current stock of Dr. Pepper it will be replenished with the caffeine free stuff. Same goes for the Dunkin Donuts coffee. The sodium is another story, that stuff is stuck in everything. We really don’t use salt much, so the first thing will be to cut out the frozen microwave dinners that I have for lunch every day. After that, I got no idea. I don’t consider one glass of wine a night excessive, so that’s staying.

Mother Would Be So Proud II

On Friday I did something that my mother would routinely tell me to do after I did some sort of stupid thing or another while growing up – I had my head examined.

Remember the earache steroid episode from back in June/July? Well, after the doctor ordered the second round of steroids to clear hearing issue he also scheduled an MRI. Two weeks after finishing the steroids and a week before the MRI my hearing is fine so I think I’ll just call off the scan. But I waited another 6 days, until the day before, to call and cancel.

Wouldn’t you know it, but on the way home from work on the Friday the MRI was scheduled for the left ear acts up again. Not only that, it sort of sounds like the right ear going a little wonky too. Naturally by the time I get home and call on a Friday everyone has gone home for the weekend.

I called the imaging place on Monday and ask if I can reinstate the MRI appointment that I had cancelled on Thursday. The nice lady said that she’d be happy to reschedule me. But – uh oh – it looks like the Southside Imaging Center’s MRI machine was down for maintenance. I asked, “Well when will it fixed?” “November,” she says. “You can have the scan done at the hospital,” she says, “They have an MRI machine.” “Great,” I say. “Let’s see when I can get you in…” “How about September 1st?” It is now the third week of July. “Wow,” I say, “If that is as soon as I can get in, I’ll take it.”

The left ear has been good and bad, off and on ever since. The last few days it has seemed fine, so does that mean the MRI won’t see anything up with the auditory nerve? But more importantly will they be able to locate the source inside the brain that causes me to do those stupid things or anothers?

Here is Part 1 of Mother Would Be So Proud from 2006.

Can I Hear You Now?

My original follow-up with the ENT was scheduled for today, Wednesday, in downtown Augusta. I put in for a 1/2 day vacation because the appointment was at 1:15 and figured Donna and I could make a day of it in the big city, lunch then doctor, maybe see a movie matinee afterwards.

Last week the office called and said, the doctor has a surgery scheduled, could I do Thursday at the Evans office. Reluctantly I agreed because I wanted to get this done. I picked the last appointment of the day, 3:15, so Donna could pick me up from work at 2:30 and I’d take an hour of “lost time.” I cancelled the half day vacation. For this appointment, after the doctor we’d hunt up some different place to eat dinner over that way, because we’d probably never purposely say to ourselves, “Let’s drive over to Evans to eat out on a work night.”

Yesterday afternoon the ENT office called and said that we now have a conflict with Thursday appointment, could I call and change it. I called them back fully expecting to tell them forget the f&*^ing follow-up, my initial complaint has been solved to my satisfaction. But was stunned into silence when the girl asked if I could come to the downtown office today, Wednesday, at say…1:15?1 I asked if they had a later in the day appointment and got one at 3:20 PM so I could just that same hour of excused time.

Well, they tested my hearing again today. I think I am cured, the garbled bass is gone, so the steroids fixed me, but if you look at numbers and compare the two dates, today’s test doesn’t look that much better. And they didn’t test the same frequencies, so much for my planned apples to apples chart. 3khz was added and they dropped the 12khz which is probably where I had the greatest gains. I’m not happy with the chart, but I’m happy with the results of the medicine.