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| This year's tulips! Happy Spring! |
You know one sure sign that you're old? Your week revolves around doctors' appointments.
This week we have three:
Tomorrow I see my urologist.
I haven't seen him since my prostate seed implant back in 2013 and my two surgeries (plus a catheterization) for my kidney stones. This appointment is a followup for my kidney stone passing a few weeks ago. When I was in the emergency room the doctor told me I had more kidney stones waiting to fall. Great! Just what I need, that hanging over my head.
I'm not looking forward to this appointment for several reasons. One being I had a blowout with one of his assistants while arranging my appointment. She was being very authoritative and dismissive of me and treating me like a child. I blasted her back. Told her to talk to me like an adult. I don't like these confrontations but sometimes you just have to stand up for yourself or else people will walk all over you. At this time of my life I just don't put up with that crap.
And another thing, no invasive procedures like that cystoscope. A small camera that is on the end of a pen sized instrument that they insert up your penis to have a look inside your bladder. About eight years ago a doctor at the VA insisted that I have that procedure and I turned him down, which he didn't like. He called another doctor in to pressure me but I still turned then down. He said 'You could have bladder cancer' because there was blood in my urine. I told him that the blood in my urine was right before I passed my kidney stone. He didn't want to hear it. I thought this procedure was unnecessary. Ever since my brother had the tissue of his penis damaged by a careless catheterization I am very careful about getting this very invasive procedure. The only reason I had it the last time was to keep additional kidney stones from falling down until I had my surgery to blast them to pieces. Then, after I turned down this procedure I heard a report that 41 veterans were infected with the HIV virus contacted from dirty instruments doing a cystoscope. See what I mean? My first major surgery back in 1959 (hernia) the hospital almost killed me when I contacted a staph infection.
So I have that appointment with my urologist tomorrow afternoon.
Thursday I have a followup appointment with my VA primary care doctor to go over the results of my labs that I took last week. I'm always nervous about my labs, checking my PSA score to make sure my prostate cancer hasn't return. Three years since I had my radio active seed impacts. My PSA score has been .1 which is good! If it goes up I'm not having any more procedures but hopefully it doesn't go up and I have a few more years to wreck havoc.
Also on Thursday we visit Bill's eye doctor for a followup of his cataract surgery. We're putting drops in Bill's eyes everyday to speed up the healing process. So far Bill says he doesn't see any change in his vision. Hopefully, when the healing is done he will see an improvement.
In the meantime, today is a glorious spring day. Enjoy!
