Doctor Day

We've got a doctor's appointment today.  Mother is probably already up and getting ready for the 1:15 p.m. appointment.  On past occasions, she has called me early in the morning to make sure what time the appointment is.  When I tell her, she then tells me she is almost ready.

I tell her there's no need to hurry cuz she's still got at six hours. 

What is it about doctors' appointments that so enchants senior citizens?  If anyone has the answer, I'd like to know cuz I've never liked doctor's appointments.  Actually, I don't mind Mother's appointments because nobody's poking or pinching me to see if I'm still alive.

My job is to drive her to the doctor's office and to listen.  My job is also to keep my mouth shut while listening.  When the doctor is asking her if her brain is still working, he does not want to hear that information coming from me.  And, when she looks my direction for help on a question, he shields the view, saying, "Never mind her; I want to know from you." 

I learned long ago to keep my mouth shut in the doctor's office when accompanying my mother.  I also learned a couple of years ago NOT to share with him information about medical stuff that I've read on the Internet.  He doesn't like that.  He made that clear to me. 

He said I wasn't as bad, however, as the guy who brought a whole book's worth of stuff  that he had copied off the Internet and told him (the doctor) to read it.  Dr. Lawrence didn't like that at all. And, he didn't read his assignment.

Mother performs very well in the doctor's office.  If she were to receive grades on how well she answers the questions, I'm sure she'd average A-plus.   He usually asks her the same questions---what day of the week it is, who's the President, what month it is, etc. When she answers most of them correctly, he figures her brain is still working, and she gets a kick out of that.

She's concerned about the new nurse today.  Nurse Marian quietly retired a couple of weeks ago cuz her husband Mike is retiring from teaching.  So, today we'll meet the new nurse.  I've heard she tells people her name and then tells them, "I'm not Marian."   The ladies at the office desk tell me she's a local. 

"You probably had her in school," Kathy said to me yesterday.  I guess I'll know that when I see her today. 

As for Mother, she hopes that "New Nurse Not Marian" will be skilled at poking her for that monthly Pro-Time test which tells how thick or thin her blood is.  Sometimes those needles can get a little rough, and Mother lets the nurses know.

If all goes well, as it has been doing so for the past several months, we'll set an appointment time for next month, wheel on out of the doctor's office, do some errands and go get a celebratory bite to eat.  I think we'll stick with Trinity at the Edgewater cuz ya know what? 

It's raining again today, and while we try to move up a notch on the 130-year moisture records, we'll enjoy watching the water come down from the sky enhanced by the scenic view of the big puddle of water called Lake Pend Oreille. 

Even an open gate with me standing far away from it this morning could not entice my horses to put their footsies into the mud outside their respective barn doors.  They were content to let me stand in the pouring rain,  coercing them for at least five minutes.  Finally somebody's stomach growled, reminding them that green grass was waiting beyond that mud and that gate.

The weather experts say it's going to stop in a couple of days.  I don't know if I believe them.  I never thought I'd say it, but I'm actually looking forward to the doctor's appointment----almost as much as my mother.  After all, it will make one more rainy day pass by a little better.