2001-06-09 - 21:09 MDT

THE WONDERING JEW

Back To Normal ?

The usual post trip practicalities had to be taken care of, boring stuff like doing a huge load of backlogged laundry plus the stuff from our trip. Going after the mail and getting it started for delivery to our apartment again.

If we had it to do over again, it would of course be done differently. When Heather set up her appointment at Mayo, she told them of her worry about her kidneys and so she was set up to have a urological observation, blood tests and x-rays etc.

Consequently when those things showed up normal, she put it up to the urologist that the main purpose of her trip was to try to find out what is wrong and what to do about it and if it wasn't her kidneys, could he refer her to another Mayo doctor. Which he did. Days were passing before she finally got in to see an internist, who had her x-rayed and some tests run that hadn't been run before. Gee, this lady was about the most competent doctor I have ever seen. Her taking of Heather's medical history and physical examination took well over an hour.

Those x-rays showed up a thing or two than none of her HMO x-rays did (a matter of depth setting). She wanted to do more testing on Heather, but unfortunately we had to leave the next morning. The doctor gave Heather some instructions to follow, eating habits, etc. and will write a letter to our doctor at the HMO suggesting what investigation they should follow.

Had we known how to do it, everything would have been arranged before we made the scene and all the testing could have been done in the time we had to spend there. As it was, we just ran out of time.

If the HMO doesn't help her -- it will be a matter of saving up our pennies to go to Mayo again.

Whatever good thing I ever read about the Mayo Clinic seemed to me to be doubled in spades. I think while we were there we saw people from all over the world in the various waiting areas. It was especially interesting to me just how many people were respectfully and kindly handled in such a short a amount of time.

I took along Bill Bryson's "Made In America," to read. I had read quite sometime ago his, "Mother Tongue," and was thoroughly interested in the new one (to me). I picked up his, "In A Sunburned Country," at least I think the title is rightly said -- it is in the glove compartment to help me pass the time "Outback" while Heather is in shopping.

While there in Minneapolis I picked up "The Doctors Mayo," by Helen Clapesattle with a forword by the CEO of the Mayo Foundation - August 1987. I hear that her 1969 book - now in its fourth printing is about the most definitive work about the good doctors.

As well, I picked up all the free pamphlets which dealt with one aspect or another of Mayo history. So I expect to do some delving into the Mayo way of doctoring that built the town of Rochester, Minnesota to the metropolis it is now.

Heather has been reassured about several things, also that she will be taken care of here. She has more confidence in the HMO doctors than she did before -- although I think the Mayo doctors could teach the HMO doctors a thing or two about adequate communication between doctors and patients, as well as other things.

Tomorrow we go out to eat in celebration of oldest son's birthday -- his 57th, and a good time is expected to be had.

So, little by little we expect to slide Back To Normal ? . . . . .

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