I Think This Will Work. I HOPE This Will Work.

You may or may not remember that not that long ago, the doctor that I had been seeing for about 10 years decided to become part of MDVIP.

I did some research based on the information she gave to me, and there was no way I could afford it. And to be honest, it bothers me on principle. I get it from her standpoint, because it supposedly gives doctors more control over their patient loads, and their time, along with being able to know their patients better, and lots of other stuff. My doctor has a young child, so I could appreciate that she wanted to feel more in control of her life and her schedule. 

And there are plenty of things that are pluses for the patient too, but it's yet another example of people who can afford things having access to better care than most people in the country. I don't blame those who can afford it for signing up, but like I said, even if I could afford it, I would not be likely to enroll, because that kind of thing just goes against what I think it should be.

But that is another topic altogether. For this post, I wanted to talk about how hard it is to find another doctor that you feel in sync with after so many years. Sadly in this area, a lot of doctors, nurse practitioners, etc. have had to stop taking new patients because they are already overloaded. So that's the first thing. 

Also in this area, because there are so many teaching hospitals, there are tons of residents who are building their skills and experience. Which is actually a plus, because you can feel that you are not just helping them learn, but they are generally very thorough because they are learning and don't want to miss anything. The only problem there is that in 2-3 years, they move on and you are starting over again.

So when my doctor left for MDVIP, I first thought I would just "sign up" with another one in that practice who was taking new patients. The problem was, that doctor and I did not click at all. He was an old-school type, and not interested in answering questions, because the only important thing to know was that he was in charge.

I finally found another doctor somewhere else. She is/was lovely. Very personable, willing to discuss things and answer questions, and spent time explaining things to me. But except for my annual checkups, I never go to see her; instead, it was always a different nurse practitioner, some wonderful, some not so much, but it seemed that there was no real continuity. And when you have my medical background, continuity means you can save at least 20 minutes each time you meet a new healthcare provider because you don't have to do the Litany of Medical Issues.

So a kind of perfect storm of things happened recently. You may recall that I had a respiratory infection, and the particular nurse practitioner that I saw the day they had me go to the office was less than helpful, and seemed to think that I was just looking for drugs.  About a week prior to that happening, I got an e-mail from my original doctor's practice saying that four new nurse practitioners had joined the practice and were accepting new patients. 

Now, excepting the old-school guy in the practice (who I think has since retired), anytime I had to see someone else there (which was infrequent), they were clearly of the same overall philosophy and vibe as my doctor. And I have no problem seeing a nurse practitioner, if there can be continuity - meaning no repetition of the Litany each visit. So I made an appointment to "sign up" with one of the new people, and had an appointment scheduled for yesterday. I was a bit nervous as to how things would go.

Well. It was such a good experience! The nurse practitioner who is now my "doctor of record" was just wonderful. She was so kind, so personable, and extremely proactive and ready to discuss things. I was thinking on my way home that I had the same initial feeling after my first visit with her as I had years ago after my first visit with my original doctor. 

So, I'm feeling that I may be in a pretty good place again. I hope so. 

Now, if I could just get The Tim to sign up with someone there. His doctor he had seen for three years was one of the residents who has since moved on. He was "assigned" to another resident who was already booked for 1 1/2 years as far as appointments were concerned. So he didn't make an appointment, and now has not been to the doctor for going on three years. This concerns me. He is overall very healthy, but he's not getting younger, and he had a couple of issues before that need to be watched. Every time I bring it up, he says, "I'm OK don't worry about it." And I know if I bug him too much, he'll dig in and it will be worse. I considered making an appointment for him, but he would likely cancel it. So I have to think on that some more.

Hopefully before too long, both of us will be set. But in the meantime, I'm kind of relieved, feeling that I might have that part of my medical care resolved.

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We have no real plans for the weekend. Sunday is the Odunde Festival, so it's not worth trying to leave the neighborhood and then try to get back into it later. I'm guessing that a lot will depend on the weather. If it's a decent day on Saturday, I'm planning to try and fit in a nice long walk. Regardless, I have plenty to keep me busy at home, so it's not a problem. The Phillies are playing the Mets in London, so I'll probably watch those games to see what happens (Go Phils!). 

I hope your weekend is a good one, I'll see you next week.

A Quiet Weekend

Why does Monday mean you have to go back to work?  Sigh.  I know the answer, but still ...

How was your weekend?  Ours, as you might expect, was quiet.  I'm grateful that I did not have anything I absolutely had to do, and could just feel, and be, and do whatever.  We are all still having a rough time, so it was nice to stay put and be together.

However, it was a lovely weekend, weather-wise, and though I couldn't find it in myself to go out into the garden other than to water the clematis I planted a couple of weeks ago (and which seems to be happy, which is a nice thing), it was nice to have the windows open, and to take Hamlet for walks that didn't completely exhaust both of us from heat and/or humidity.  That really helped overall.

Did you participate on Saturday in World Wide Knit In Public Day?  I really didn't do anything in public this weekend, but it looked like a lot of my Instagram friends were enjoying the event, and I hope it made others at least smile, if not think that maybe they might want to learn.  Having said that, I did do a lot of knitting and also some cross-stitching, which was good because it kept my mind occupied, and I felt like I was doing something useful.

Besides that, it was also a big weekend here in Philadelphia for other reasons.  Yesterday especially, when at one side of town there was the Pride Parade, and on our side of town, was the Odunde Festival.  So people were everywhere, celebrating and having fun, and being lucky with the weather for a change.  In the morning when I took Hamlet for his walk, we walked along the main route of the Festival, where the vendors and food tents were setting up.  Hamlet thought it was great, because nearly every person spoke to and/or petted him and made a fuss.  I think he would have happily spent the day there, just soaking up attention.  I love seeing the colorful things for sale, and even though I am a vegetarian, the smells of the grills still say summertime to me.

Here are a few photos - that I did not take, but were published in the newspaper, etc. - showing the events and crowds.

From the Parade:

Gritty, the mascot of the Philadelphia Flyers (who is both ridiculous AND awesome), attended:

 From the Festival (this is seriously right around the corner from our house):

This morning, it's rainy and cool, and so very quiet in the neighborhood, it's almost impossible to think that all of this was just yesterday.

But I'm glad it was a good day for so many people, because life should be about enjoying yourself, instead of only about work and worry.  Sometimes you just have to swallow hard and keep going, but that's the way it works.  And for everyone at these events, seeing their happiness and joy makes you feel that maybe the world has something going for it after all.

*****

Finally, I want to thank each and every person who read my last post about our sweet Jack, and also those who wrote such heartfelt and lovely comments.  Most of you are people I have never met, or probably never will meet, but just the same, your thoughts and prayers made a huge difference for me.  For those whose e-mail addresses I had, I am pretty sure I responded (I hope I did!), and if I dont' have your e-mail address to respond, please know that I appreciate that you took the time to write something.  I generally don't respond in the comments, because a) I completely forget to do that, and b) a lot of the time - as in this case - I am not quite ready to revisit the post anytime soon.  Nonetheless, thanks to all of you, from us and from Jack.  xoxoxo

Odunde Sunday and [Finally] Some Knitting!

Are you melting?  I'm not so far, but I have no delusions about it as the day goes on.  We got out in the garden early today to clean up, so we could be out when it was still bearable.  And it worked, it was about 71 degrees and there was a tiny cool breeze.  We have both since come inside, showered, and eaten breakfast and currently it's 88 degrees, with the high expected to be between 93 and 95 degrees.

Which means that it's also a nice day but extremely hot for the Odunde Festival, which is today.  It's really fabulous, but between the temperature and the crowds (easily 1/2 million people in our neighborhood!), we'll be staying put, sitting in front of the fan.  Of course we'll still be tempted by the smells coming through the windows of all the yummy food being grilled ...

I realized the other day that I never did an official FO post for my Mojito Socks, and we can't have that, being that you a) kept hearing about them while they were in progress, and b) I love them so much!

Project:  Mojito Socks

Pattern:  Classic Socks for the Family (my go-to basic sock pattern)

Yarn:  West Yorkshire Spinners 4-ply, colorway Mojito (ordered from The Woolly Thistle)

Needles:  Size 1 US

Modifications:  I made the leg longer, because I like my socks a little higher above the ankle

Comments:  How I love these socks and this yarn!  I came across it shortly before we were headed to Puerto Rico in April, and knew that it had to come with us on our trip, and that it would make great socks.  I enjoyed knitting the socks, because the yarn is very nice to knit with, and loved watching the stripes show up.  And though I did not make any special efforts to get them to match, they actually come pretty close!  I can also recommend The Woolly Thistle, both for prices and for fast shipping.  Everything about this pair makes me happy, and they will always remind me of a wonderful trip as well.  I cannot wait to open my Box o' Socks in 2018 and see them waiting for me!

That's it for now.  I hope you have a lovely Sunday, and if you are also getting blasted by the heat, I hope you can stay cool.  And of course, Happy African New Year!  :-)