Musing, blogging, reflecting, affirming, complaining, documenting
A quick visit to the doc today to get my stitches removed and for another pleasant exchange with Dr. Erickson.
Assessment: Looking good. No signs of infection. Keep bandaged for another couple of days and then start rubbing some cream containing cocoa butter and vitamin E over them, if you want to, to help minimize scarring.
Complete cynical-healthcare-expense aside: I was glad to see that my visit was at no charge, and that Medicare wasn’t going to be charged $10 per bandage.
This is the second surgery that I’ve had that has been with just a local anesthesia. The first one was 38 years ago, about which I wrote this 50-word story:
Mind if we watch?
At 29, I got a vasectomy. With my legs in stirrups and my junk hanging through a hole, the surgeon asked if a med school class could observe the procedure. To my surprise, I heard my Valium-induced euphoric response: “Sure, why not? Y’all pop some popcorn and sit up front.”
Last Wednesday, I had surgery to remove mucoid cysts on 2 of my fingers — also with just a local anesthesia but with no med school students watching.
The most interesting thing that happened while the prep team was reading all of the disclosures to me that have to made before surgery (e.g., “All surgeries involve some kind of risk.”) was this disclosure: “Dr. Erickson [my surgeon] is a business partner of — and has financial interest in — this center.”
About 45 minutes before being wheeled into the OR, I had a Valium and 4 (quite) painful numbing injections — 2 in the palm of my left hand and one into each finger that was going to be sliced open.
In the very cold OR, with a drape between me and my hand so as not to see the operation, along with the doctor there were several people in the room — 4, I think.
I chatted with the doctors and nurses the whole way through. Here are snippets of some of the conversations:
Doc (pinching my middle finger to make sure it’s completely numb): Can you feel this?
Me: Actually yes, just a little.
Doc: OK, let’s put a little more numbing medicine in that one. How about this index finger?
Me: No, I don’t feel anything on that one.
Doc: Good. We’ll start on this one while the numbing on the other one is progressing.
Nurse (scrubbing my lower arm and entire hand including all of my fingers): We are just going to get you good and clean to avoid any chance of infections.
Me: Thank you.
Doc: I’m putting a rubber cover over your nearby finger for protection.
Me: Thank you.
Doc: OK, we are finishing up on this finger. I’m going to stitch it up and then we’ll start on your other one.
Me: I appreciate the play-by-play as you are operating. It’s very helpful and comforting.
Me: Do you have a preference for the days you work in the office seeing patients as opposed to the days that you’re here doing surgery?
Doc: I like a mix of both, really. I enjoy spending time with patients figuring out what’s causing their pain, and I enjoy surgeries, too. This is my favorite kind of surgery, though, where the patient is awake and we can have a conversation.
Me: My husband and I are getting to the age where some of our doctors are retiring, like Dr. Edwards where you work. I saw him 18 years ago to look at my finger, and now he’s retired.
Doc: And his son is working with us now!
Nurse (I think his name was Peter): And his son is very good, too.
Me: Dr. Wyker did my knee replacement and my husband’s hip replacement. He’s probably getting ready to retire, too.
Nurse: I used to work in Dr. Wyker’s office! Good guy.
Me: He’s probably been on a few vacations in the Caribbean off of our joint-replacement money alone.
Me: Where is your favorite place to vacation?
Doc: There is a ranch in Wyoming that my family likes to go, generally once every other year.
Me (sort of joking): A dude ranch?
Doc: Well yes, it is a dude ranch. We like to ride horses, it’s peaceful and quiet there, and I like to sit on the porch and read — and just relax.
Doc: What’s been your favorite vacation so far in your life?
Me: Two come to mind: 1) For my 50th birthday I went to 3 places in the book 1000 Places to See Before You Die. They included The Blue Mountains of Sydney, 7 Spirit Bay in The Outback, and Heron Island on the Great Barrier Reef, and 2) this past August, my husband and I did a Safari at the Sabi Sabi™ private game reserve in South Africa. It was as incredible as everyone says they are.
Doc: What do you do to fill your days in retirement?
Me: I read a lot. I read 102 book in 2022, and I’m close to 30 so far in 2025. Also, I spend at least 8 hours a day on the computer — a lot of that time writing. I was a writer and editor for a living, and I still write something every day. I write three 50-word stories around a theme every Wednesday, keep a sentence-a-day diary, and blog about observations I make during my day. In fact you’ll probably be in my blog one day this week.
Doc: Ha! That’s great. About how many people, would you say, read your blog?
Me: 4.
(Laughter all around.)
Me: I’m sorta joking, but it’s not a lot. You aren’t going to go viral or anything.
(Chuckles all around.)
Me: My husband and I also occasionally take walks downtown, take 5 or 6 pictures each, and then sit on our front porch with a cocktail (or two) and write haikus about them. Real renaissance men.
Doc (and others listening in the room): That’s neat.
Doc: We’re finishing up now. I’ll stitch up this second finger, and then we’ll get you out of here and into the recovery room.
Me: Thank you. All of you have been great, and I appreciate each one of you.
All-in-all, it was a great experience. I was only in the recovery room for 15 to 20 minutes and then wheeled out to the car in a wheelchair, which was required because I had had a Valium. Bob drove us home. I get these bandage monstrosities removed in 5 days, so Monday 3/31/25.
If you’re the type who enjoys watching live surgery, here is a video of what they did. Note: This is not my surgery. As the image denotes, you have to watch it over on YouTube. To do so, click the “Watch on YouTube” link in the image. It’s 4½ minutes long.
| The Michaelses | The birthday boy | The Thompsons & Stoimenoffs |
| We had dinner with our friends Sherry and Fred at Baby Kay’s Cajun Kitchen in Mesa, AZ. John and Sherry met on an ambassadorial trip in October of 2008 to Beijing, Guilin, and Shanghai. We don’t see each other #IRL often, but like this time, it’s always a great visit. | My husband’s brother, Tommy, celebrated his 75th birthday, and we flew in to attend a surprise party for him. His brother Jimmy and his wife Cindy hosted the gala, and I met a nephew for the first time who also flew in for the occasion. Bob made the birthday cake. | We met grade-school friends of my husband for lunch one day. I was Facebook friends with one of them, so it was great to meet her in person. Bob and I enjoyed a bruschetta board, which was fantastic — second only to the company we enjoyed dining al fresco at Postino’s. |
It’s the 10-year anniversary of Bob making some kind of heart-shaped food on Valentine’s Day each year. He might have done it before 2015, but that’s the year I came into the picture and started documenting them.
Ta-da! The 2025 masterpieces: a Ghirardelli Caramel Walnut Turtle brownie cake and some Cherry Jell-O!
Creations over the years:
Happy Valentine’s Day to my thoughtful and talented husband! ❤
I got my Invisalign braces off this week—2 months ahead of schedule—and I couldn’t be more thrilled.
At the end of the appointment, the folks at Zaytoun Orthodontics handed me celebration gifts! And they’re some of the last things you’d expect to get from an orthodontist:
True story: Squee! Juicy Fruit gum is one of my all-time favorite guilty pleasures, and I never buy it myself, so it was an extra special treat. Yes, of course it’s gone already because the shot of flavor only lasts for about 5 seconds per stick.
Some people might call me a Pollyanna, but I’m a little bit obsessed with—and determined to recognize—implicit affirmations in my life.
Two of them happened today, which I might only have noticed because I’m always on the lookout for them:
Me: Every day for the last 2-3 months.
Her: Do you want to meet in person for coffee or the beverage of your choice in the afternoon on Feb. 11? I will be next door [to the Red Hat building] for a doctor’s appointment.
Me: Yes! And I will be getting whatever [Sir Walter Raleigh‘s] coffee is that comes with a scoop of vanilla ice cream in it!
Her: I think they also serve liquor; that’s why I said “a beverage of your choice.”
Me: You know me too well even though we’ve never met in person.
Me: Good morning! Oh, I do like the idea of a vetted retirement happy hour for my retirement!
Her: You’re not still cruising on May 7, are you?
Me: No, we’re back on 04/27.
Her: You and Bob can start planning your Derby attire.
Me: Perfect. Maybe we’ll pick up some outfits in the Mediterranean.
Writing prompt: Start with “It’s all perfectly clear now.”
It’s all perfectly clear now that I will have a successful career. With a 41-year career behind me, even if things go south in my remaining 8 months of working, that won’t change.
It’s all perfectly clear now that I will be “lucky in love.” I’ve been married to two smart, ambitious, self-sufficient, loving, companionable, honorable, and easy-to-love people. In each case, we’ve had shared values around work, religion, and finances. During my time here, I’ve been lucky to find not one, but two, people who were emotionally, physically, and financially healthy. And I’m grateful.
It’s all perfectly clear now how I’ll handle the deaths of my parents. It’s a great source of comfort to know that they had a good life, that the end was quick and peaceful for both of them, that I stepped up to the plate when I was needed, and that I won’t spend my entire old age tending to theirs.
What’s perfectly clear to you now?
I got my Invisalign braces on September 30, 2021, and the estimated time to wear them was 6 months. I remember being glad that they’d probably be off at the end of March, because I didn’t really want to be wearing them on our late-April cruise. No one wants to be slowed down by braces at the all-you-can-eat buffet.
Today, I’m putting in “Tray #9,” which is actually my last tray, and which I’ll wear for two weeks. I have an appointment next week to measure me for my retainers. I’m overly excited to be finishing up 2 months ahead of schedule.
Last night, Tupperware’s and Pampered Chef’s ears may have been burning.
Tupperware’s zoodler is quite the gadget—looking like something between a meat grinder and some kind of hand gun.
And Pampered Chef’s corer is usually coring apples in their ads, but Bob uses ours most often on cucumbers to get rid of the seeds, and then often fills the gaping holes with something festive—tonight’s fest being radishes.
These made delicious sides with our stuffed bell peppers entrée.
We’re both fans of meal planning and realize we’re lucky that both of us like knowing what’s in store for the coming week’s meals.
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A few people who know this about us have shared this cartoon with us, and we know that some people find the idea of doing this suffocating—much like the lady depicted here.
In March of 2021, I received a book, The Liar’s Dictionary, in the U.S. mail from a friend who had read it, thought I’d like it, and suggested I pass it along once I was done with it to someone I thought would like it.
Yesterday, I received this book in the mail with a return address of Indoo.com, with no note in the package, and no inscription in the book:
I’d love to know who sent it to me so I can say a proper thank you. In the meantime, it’s next in my queue, and thank you!
