Doctor “M” … continued

In my last entry you met Dr. M. He is the ER doc that I worked with for many years. I showed you the nice and caring side of him and now I’d like to pay tribute to his expertise.

I have a dear friend who I will call Alice. She is in her early 50’s and exudes good health. She is very petite, does not drink or smoke and is very careful to stay away from fast foods and sweets. In other words Alice is the last person that you would peg as having a serious health problem.

Recently Alice went to her Dr. complaining of a lingering sore throat and a cold. He must have been concerned with her breathing because he didn’t think that her primary problem was a cold and he ordered an EKG, a chest xray and some blood work. Her EKG was a little “off” so he sent her on to the ER for additional tests and this is where we meet Dr. M. again.

He has over 31 years as an ER doctor and his instincts are finely honed. When all the additional tests on Alice came back negative he still felt something was not right and he ordered another EKG and compared it to one that she had 3 years ago. “Oh, no” he told Alice “this is not right. I’m going to admit you to observation with a cardiac consult” …and with that decision he almost certainly saved her life.

My friend Alice had severe heart blockages and the cardiologist was able to insert three stents …small mesh tubes that restore blood flow through blocked arteries. “You were a ticking time bomb” the cardio doc told her “Thank goodness that Dr. M. used caution as well as expertise.”

So now you see why I sing his praises. Thanks Moose !

　

　

A KINDNESS REMEMBERED…

 

This is a picture of one of the ER docs that I used to work with. I retired in 2001 after working with him for more than 15 years. “Moose” (as we irreverently and affectionately called him) was/is a good Dr. and he really keeps the ER moving.

In September of 1990 my husband of 32 years passed away. I dreaded going back to work but was glad to see that Dr. M. was on duty the day that I returned. It was one of the longest days of my life but I found comfort in the hustle and bustle of things that I was used to doing. If I concentrated on each task as it came up I found that I could get through without crying; but, it was very taxing and I was exhausted when my shift finally ended.

It was a very strange feeling to approach my empty house and tears were streaming down my face as I unlocked the door. Giving in to my exhaustion I headed for the bedroom and that’s when I noticed that the light was blinking on my answering machine. I was so tired I almost didn’t listen to it but I did ... and here’s what it said:

“Hi, Ginnie, this is Moose. I knew you’d be walking into an empty house and just wanted you to know that you’re not alone. We love you and are here for you. See you in the morning.”
I have never forgotten how much that simple message meant to me.

(I wrote and posted this in 2009 but I repeat it here because I wanted you to “meet” Dr. M. Now, almost 24 years later, I once again have good reason to pay tribute to him …and I do so in my next blog entry … Stay tuned !)

My April “Christmas gift” …

Each year my children ask me what I want for Christmas so this year I decided to actually tell them. Since they are all in the building business I asked if they could replace the old deck on the side of my house. I would provide all the materials if they would be the labor !

Needless to say this was a win/win situation all around and here is how it went:

If you look carefully you will see three workers. My son-in-law on the left, my oldest son on the right and my younger son in the white cap between them peeking over the deck from the rear. And my daughter got in the act too … clean-up being her part.

With all of them working it took just about two days and here is the result.

This is the best Christmas gift that I’ve ever received but I do have one problem. I have to wait 6 months for the wood to “cure” before I can stain it ! (Some people are never satisfied.)  

 

Shakin' it up...

I don’t know about the rest of you guys but I find that I have less and less of an appetite the older I get. Living alone just exacerbates the situation. I know that I need to keep up my strength but it took a loving daughter to get me on the right track.

She introduced me to this Protein Shake and now it is my breakfast of choice every morning. It was obvious that I didn’t have the will power to eat right consistently and this is an easy way for me to get the essential vitamins and nutrients that I had been missing.

My daughter was careful to choose just the right combination of ingredients for me. She knew that I was on a restricted diet that did not include soy, milk, whites (such as white potatoes, white rice etc.) and that also cut way back on sugars. The 4 items that you see in the picture are the ones she chose and they work well for me.

Here is my recipe. I take the juice of one orange, ½ large banana and one tablespoon each of the Vegan Rice Protein, the Aloe Vera juice, the Flax Oil and the Source of Life Liquid and combine them all in my blender. I then add about ½ cup of unsweetened Silk Almond milk and 4 ice cubes. When it’s all mixed together this is what I get:

 

I have to admit that it took me a few tries to get used to the flavor but now it is part of my morning routine and I look forward to it.

I owe my daughter a lot for doing all the research and thought I would show my thanks by featuring the Protein shake in this cute glass that promotes the business that she and her husband have in Stanfordville, New York. If you are ever in the vicinity searching for antiques or used items drop in to Bowen Barn and tell them “Ginnie sent me.” 

The “F” word…

As some of you know from reading my blog I spent many years as a secretary in our local emergency room. (The picture shows me in 1979 with one of the nurses and Dr. Jacques.) Most of the time I was fulfilling the orders of the harried staff … ordering labs, xrays, calls to specialists, etc. Since our ER was often overloaded it was a challenge to keep ahead of it all and I thrived on it.

I was older than most of the nurses and even many of the doctors; however, this didn’t seem to matter. I was good at what I did and they appreciated that. Over the years I took on kind of a mother figure there. They knew that I was of the generation that finds the “F” word shocking and they rarely used it in my presence. I appreciated their consideration. I was also sure that they would never hear that word from my lips. I will never forget the day that this came to an end !

The nurses did very well with the ER Docs but as soon as a staff Dr. showed up the whole atmosphere would change. These doctors were very demanding and expected the nurses to drop everything (no matter what was going on with the other ER patients) and to be at their beck and call.

This particular day it was exceptionally busy. All 18 rooms were full, 3 staff doctors had arrived at the same time and none of the ordered lab results had come back. When I called the lab they explained that a technician was out sick and they were doing the best they could.

I relayed this info but the staff doctors wouldn’t accept it. They had the poor nurses almost in tears and I couldn’t believe the words that were being yelled at them, the patient charts that were being banged down and the overall disruption of the ER.

Of course this ultimately came down upon my head, the messenger of the bad news. I knew that none of the patients were critical and could see no reason for all the turmoil. I was completely fed up and had as much as I could take so I stood up and yelled …“Everyone just F_ _king shut up.”

This brought on absolute dead silence and it seemed to stay that way forever until a nurse broke the ice by saying, in a timid voice: “Oooh, that’s just as if my mother said that.” That did it. We all broke up laughing, the staff doctors stormed off and we went back to business as usual.