Factors 3

Isolation, Independence, Identity

Hole-in-the-Wall

         The surface looks smooth, pristine even,
          As if nothing had ever happened.
         But damage had been done:
         A jagged hole laid open,
         A visible throbbing reminder
         That nothing can stay the same
          Forever.

The Un-Numb

   The dentist asked if I wanted the numb needle for a small filling, in the area at the junction of crown and tooth.  I thought he should know so I said probably not.  The procedure was uncomfortable, not to mention painful.  "Next time, " he said, "we'll go for numbness, because I don't like to see people in pain. I'm not a masochist."  "No," I told him.  "You mean sadist. The masochist is the one in the chair."

Life / File Anagram

    I was at the medical office today, for routine visit, though a few years overdue.  The intake nurse, updating my records, asked the usual questions, including,  "You have an allergy to penicillin, and Zoloft?"  Yes, to penicillin.  But, no, I have never taken or even been prescribed Zoloft.   Whose file  is this anyway?

50 Years Ago

Charles Anthony Madigan    January 20, 1966

--ists

  I learn something new, if not every day, at least frequently.  Not long ago, I was introduced to the term "Hospitalist" when one came to visit me after my knee surgery, then I learned about "Intensivist,"  from billing, I seem to recall.  The latest is "Electrophysiologist."  Their expertise lies in the aspects of cathether ablations of heart rhythm disorders, and implant pacemakers, defibrillators, and implantable loop recorders.

Rigid? Or rigged?

     It was the first time I accompanied the patient to the neurology appointment. The doctor conducted several exercises for strength and flexibility, I'm supposing.  "Squeeze my hand as hard as you can.   Extend your arms and don't let me push them down."  Then the doctor tried to flex his leg when bent, and said his muscles were so rigid it was like lifting concrete.  He tried it twice, with the same result.  The doctor concluded the visit by deferring any diagnosis to the ultimate specialist at the Movement Disorder facility.
    At today's visit to the primary doctor, when asked, I mentioned the neurologist's comment on the muscle rigidity in the legs.  The primary doctor performed the same movements, but with complete ease.  He seemed a little baffled.  At home, I attempted the same movements with similar ease of results.  I asked the patient what he thought about the extreme differences in flexibility.
    My Occam's razor has sliced through to conclude that when one's hearing aid batteries are weak, the word "Relax" can be heard as "Resist."