Carry On, Nurse

 

Is it National Nurse Day?  Well, it should be.   Because I have a story.

So far, 2024 has been a crapper of a year for me.   Some reasons I will explain here eventually.  Others maybe not until the legal events associated are in my rear view mirror.   But here's one I would like to share.

About ten days ago, I started with a bizarr-o ailment.   I would lie my head down in bed and proceed to start coughing incessantly.  A dry hack and a resulting wheeze that sounded like little people were living in my throat.  Lift my head up.  It would go away.   Put my head down and it would keep me up all night.  

Now, I have a very close childhood friend who had a long and successful career as a hospital nurse.   I was on the phone with her and she could hear it in my voice.

"Go get that checked out, please."

I promised I would.

"Call the doctor today."

Um.  Okay.

Now my internist in LA in a cooperative practice with about five other doctors is terrific.   When I call with an issue, I discuss it first with his wonderful assistant and she has him call me by the end of the day.  But this time, my guy was out for two days at a conference.  I told her that it could wait till next week.

She had the same kind of reluctance to wait.

"I hear it in your voice.  You need to come in today."

Um.  Okay.  Again.

So they squeezed me in.  Now I was going to be examined by a new member of my doctor's practice---a nurse-practitioner.  She was hired to do just what she was doing...filling in for a doctor as needed.

She did a thorough walk-through and exam of yours truly.  

"We need to get you a chest x-ray."

On Monday?

"No, today.   We have a machine down the hall."

I have always liked my doctor's service.  But today more than ever.

The nurse-practitioner went and go one of the other practice doctors to talk me through the x-ray and possible causes.   They're not quite sure of the definitive diagnosis but I am loaded up with an inhaler and a short term steroid.  

As I was leaving, the doctor's assistant called to me.

"That's why we had you come in today."

The nurse threw in her two cents.

"Because you never know."

When it comes to nurses, I do know.   They are a super important part of our American medical canvas.

Dinner last night:  Chicken salad plate.