Merely the relating of the story of honest struggle and of prayerful strength of character of those who walk the narrow path is in itself prayer for others. (Hope it's not too corny! It's hearfelt.) Cheers and happy new year, in all things!
Nice story. I don't mean that in a bad way. Just keep forward progress always including your perspective. I had a dear friend die of cancer at 42. Still think of her today. So here's to kicking your cancer to the curb and having it washed away.
I can relate to how you feel. I survived a very bad widow maker type heart attack in 2021. It certainly put me through some changes. One of my running jokes is that now my wife has to dye her hair twice to get the gray out. Be that as it may, below is my take on when you know you have become a professional patient (hope you enjoy the humor) along with some rather interesting comments I got from medical personnel. I am certainly a lot more relaxed about life than I used to be.
All the best...Chuck Sarahan
You Know When You Are a Professional Patient When
• You understand and can thoroughly explain your medical insurance to your medical professional’s back office.
• You know enough to ask if a doctor is “in network” before letting him/her see you.
• You have learned the differences between a selfstanding ER facility and one attached to the hospital.
• You have learned who is a good stick and who you hope is off tomorrow.
• You know when the various shift changes of the hospital employed doctors, nurses, and support staff are supposed to occur.
• You know what day you want to be admitted to get the best food of the week.
• You don’t bother to read the menu because you have had everything off of it.
• Like a restaurant, you know what not to order from dining services to save your gastro intestinal system distress.
• Your family members get the employee discount in the hospital cafeteria.
• You have learned what the colors of the hospital sox really mean (hint: red/yellow = real problems).
• When you see a color of hospital sox, you know if you already have one in your collection.
• You know the difference in TV offerings available to patients between hospitals in the same corporate family.
• You have learned where the best rooms are and know enough to inquire about their availability.
• The floor nurse looks at you and says: “Haven’t I seen you here before?” or “Welcome back.”
On the flip side, you know it was a close call when (all true conversations I had):
• On a follow up visit, the doctor states: “You look good. I was wondering how much abuse your body was going to take.”
• When in the ER on subsequent run, the doctor states: “You look better. The last time I saw you, you looked really sick.”
• When in the ER, when seeing you again on a subsequent run the doctor states: “You made it (acting surprised).”
• When in cardio rehab, you ask if the nurse looked at your chart and you get the following reply: “Yes. Keep doing what you are doing. (In the beginning), you had one foot in the grave.”
Merely the relating of the story of honest struggle and of prayerful strength of character of those who walk the narrow path is in itself prayer for others. (Hope it's not too corny! It's hearfelt.) Cheers and happy new year, in all things!
Thank you!
<3 sending you so much love Francine. what a year.
Francine,
Nice story. I don't mean that in a bad way. Just keep forward progress always including your perspective. I had a dear friend die of cancer at 42. Still think of her today. So here's to kicking your cancer to the curb and having it washed away.
I can relate to how you feel. I survived a very bad widow maker type heart attack in 2021. It certainly put me through some changes. One of my running jokes is that now my wife has to dye her hair twice to get the gray out. Be that as it may, below is my take on when you know you have become a professional patient (hope you enjoy the humor) along with some rather interesting comments I got from medical personnel. I am certainly a lot more relaxed about life than I used to be.
All the best...Chuck Sarahan
You Know When You Are a Professional Patient When
• You understand and can thoroughly explain your medical insurance to your medical professional’s back office.
• You know enough to ask if a doctor is “in network” before letting him/her see you.
• You have learned the differences between a selfstanding ER facility and one attached to the hospital.
• You have learned who is a good stick and who you hope is off tomorrow.
• You know when the various shift changes of the hospital employed doctors, nurses, and support staff are supposed to occur.
• You know what day you want to be admitted to get the best food of the week.
• You don’t bother to read the menu because you have had everything off of it.
• Like a restaurant, you know what not to order from dining services to save your gastro intestinal system distress.
• Your family members get the employee discount in the hospital cafeteria.
• You have learned what the colors of the hospital sox really mean (hint: red/yellow = real problems).
• When you see a color of hospital sox, you know if you already have one in your collection.
• You know the difference in TV offerings available to patients between hospitals in the same corporate family.
• You have learned where the best rooms are and know enough to inquire about their availability.
• The floor nurse looks at you and says: “Haven’t I seen you here before?” or “Welcome back.”
On the flip side, you know it was a close call when (all true conversations I had):
• On a follow up visit, the doctor states: “You look good. I was wondering how much abuse your body was going to take.”
• When in the ER on subsequent run, the doctor states: “You look better. The last time I saw you, you looked really sick.”
• When in the ER, when seeing you again on a subsequent run the doctor states: “You made it (acting surprised).”
• When in cardio rehab, you ask if the nurse looked at your chart and you get the following reply: “Yes. Keep doing what you are doing. (In the beginning), you had one foot in the grave.”
Thanks, Francine, for sharing. Brings back awful memories, but that is a part of life, after all. Here is to an awesome 2024! Tom
Thank you Tom. I am sorry if I reminded you of your tragic loss. Let’s all hope to enjoy what’s coming in the future.