Rx for a green smiley face

[gurdonark]

Yesterday morning I went to see a doctor. My check-up some weeks ago yielded a test which showed less than the usual range of x to y of element K. I visited a specialist to ascertain what, if anything, was appropriate to do in light of this puzzling bit of arithmetic. Some weeks ago I had had an initial appointment. Yesterday I had a follow-up to find out what my lab work showed.

I like the doctor. He uses a small netbook computer to keep track of everything. He is good about explaining things, even though sometimes I have to get him to repeat things for reasons that his vocabulary is medical and mine is whimsical.

The follow-up yielded a direction he wishes to pursue. I now will be scheduled for test c to examine organ z for signs of aa or bb. The likely conditions aa or bb sounded like distinct but solvable issues, and a possibility of a more disturbing condition cc sounded remote. He prescribed a medicine to bring my element K back between x and y, as I am still below x. He even looked up information about the medicine's cost on his little netbook, which literally showed, in lieu of a price, that my health plan assigns this medicine a green smiley face. A green smiley face is good, so far as I understand facial expressions of icons. We set up a follow-up visit in three weeks, once the test is done. He seemed intrigued by this matter of K and maybe aa and maybe bb, as apparently neither aa nor bb is an everyday situation.

I went back to my office later in the morning, and began working as usual. I did not get the call to cement the next little test, so I will follow up on that Friday.

After work Thursday I went to the Salvation Army to give free legal advice. This only took fifty minutes--perhaps the mild chill in the night air suppressed attendance. My last client interview was with a woman who had experienced recent challenges that reminded me that two possible, treatable conditions, aa or bb, are much less challenging than really gripping problems that folks can face.

Comments

[kayre]

How intriguing! I'm desperately curious, but glad the news is mostly good, and hope that the next round of news will be even better!

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

Thanks! It's always interesting to go into the land of doctors and lab work, and I'm intrigued, myself.

[zyzyly.livejournal.com]

Perhaps all your subsequent tests will be normal, and the doctor will shrug his shoulders and say, "I guess it's _ _".

You don't eat a lot of licorice, do you?

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

No licorice, and I keep wondering if there is some other food I do eat that has the same chemical.

We're a scan or so from knowing more, and we'll see.

[elainegrey.livejournal.com]

I'm glad it was a green smiley face on a price list; i couldn't help but think of Mr Yuk. Admittedly, he does not have a smile, but is "smiley" in the sense of an abstracted facial expression. I suppose your green meant "go."

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

I think green meant go, which did not make the medicine free, but did work out to about half off.

I used to hate to get that Mr. Yuk face when someone hated one of my posts.

[platofish.livejournal.com]

Hopefully, the root cause is simple, and easy to treat - like you've not been eating enough bananas! (assuming 'element K' equals potassium, and you didn't just assign a random letter to the element!).

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

It's funny that you mention bananas, because I ingest them in droves, which makes me wonder, in hindsight, if it's just because I love the taste or if
I've been self-medicating all these years :).

[platofish.livejournal.com]

Could very well be the case. Our bodies are a lot smarter than our minds when it comes to working out what we should and shouldn't eat!

[gracegiver]

your vocabulary is whimsical. Very true.

And your last paragraph - really puts things in perspective, huh. Good on you for helping out like that.

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

I just do my little part, and I get a lot out of it.

[toluene.livejournal.com]

Hopefully your follow-up visit yields good news--at the very least, that you have an easily-treatable condition. I agree that your writing is also whimsical; this entry certainly is.

It makes me happy to read that you volunteer your legal skills to the community. I hope it's a good experience.

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

I favor good news and easy treatment. I wish my bachelor's were in whimsy. It's a great experience to volunteer at the Salvation Army. It takes a lot for someone to go across town at night to solve a confusing legal problem--it's like meeting with tons of courageous people.