September 2 - “Triple Threat”

My turn. Yesterday was my day for a doctor’s appointment. Weird thing though. It was set for 7:30 a.m.  kinda early, right? No problem for me, of course, but Chris was definitely out of her comfort zone to be getting out of bed while it was still dark outside. It was worth it, though. The drive to the office was down the sea wall, and the view of the sunrise over the Gulf was amazing. I took some pictures, but they never do justice to the real thing. Just … gorgeous. 

We arrived at the doc’s office before… well … everybody. The parking lot was eerily empty. We even sat in the car for a few minutes until someone else showed up. And inside was just as quiet. In fact, we had to go to a different check in window. The residents were all at the hospital, so we had to wait a while for them to get back. They finally called us back, and the resident came in. 

She was very nice and thorough as well. I really liked the “real doctor,” though. He used words like “you’re part of the family now,” and “you can call me any time.”  So … what is the verdict?

There is a triple threat involved here. It doesn’t look like anything is broken, so that’s good. The next steps, though are kind of involved. Here’s Chris’ commentary that she sent to April:

“Can I just say: I really like Dr. Hagedorn!

There is a triple threat: inflamed sac around the hip area (referral for injection), issues from the thoracic back surgery in 2020 (referral back to Dr. Patterson in 1-4 weeks), AND wants him to see Dr. Worsham in vascular ASAP for “plaque build up in the aorta and kidneys”. He looked at the CT scan from 2020 and saw the plaque build up in several places and is concerned there may not be adequate blood flow to the right leg (right leg is weak plus Kelley says it feels “heavy”).

I really appreciated him looking at the CT scan!”

So … in the order of most serious, I might have plaque buildup in my aorta that is causing blood flow to my leg to be sluggish which results in the heaviness I feel. Hence … vascular. OR … the ruptured disc in my back is having a residual effect on my hip. Hence … neurology. OR … there is inflammation in the bursa sac around the hip that can be relieved with a shot into the hip. Hence … the orthopedic shot specialist. OR … it’s just a simple case of arthritis that is best dealt with through medication. Hence … the notification of my PCP. OR … this is a precursor to complete breakdown of the cartilage eventually resulting in bone on bone. Hence … “welcome to the orthopedic surgery family. Call me whenever you need to.”

And … Chris is already threatening me with that ridiculous diet she is on. I think we should go to Shrimp n Stuff and order some fried popcorn shrimp and talk about this …

On the way home we stopped by the ENT office. One of my hearing aids “threw a shoe,” so to speak. The protective plastic end piece came off and disappeared somewhere in our bathroom. They replaced it. They also checked to make sure the piece hadn’t fallen into the abyss that should be brain matter. Thanks for that …

We stuck around for a few minutes because Noa had an appointment at the same place. Just said hi and let them run. And it was too early for shrimp, so we went by Randall’s to pick up a prescription. While there we stumbled upon a Blue Bell sale. $3.49. We are trying out strawberry lemonade and butter crunch. Gotta get it in while I can. 

Matthew‬ ‭7:12 says, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”

Father, thank you for the beginning of answers. Give me the patience to wait and trust the process. Amen.