Hudson River 3:30 pm.

Waiting to hear about schedule for hydrocelectomy surgery tomorrow at Albany Med.

Nyla broke her ankle over weekend playing volleyball.

Was reading latest New Yorker. Good article about primary care medicine by Atul Gawande. Sent this email to Stanley Sagov:

Stanley,

I keep getting your invites to your jazz concerts. Hope this is going well. 

Karen and I moved to Hudson, NY 7 years ago. Small town with complex social environment. I have been intensively involved in the local library where I am sitting now. We rebuilt an old armory for a new library over 5 years. Opened last year and the place is jumping. I’ve returned to playing tennis after a 30 yr hiatus. I am really enjoying being 70 yrs old and still improving my game.

 

The weeks New Yorker and something else brought you back to mind today. Atul Gawande’s piece: 

TELL ME WHERE IT HURTS: Our medical system rewards heroic intervention. When will we grasp the power of incremental care?

http://nyer.cm/CR4h27Y

 

The article Is useful for its policy points. Gawande knows how to write in an engaging fashion. A story teller.

 

But for me it also reminded me of the two or more decades during which I used to come to your office with various complaints. You generally offered up some useful medical advice and always a bad joke. You put me on blood pressure and cholesterol drugs when I was about 40 saying that this might be the most important thing you ever do for me. There were the three years in a row that I came in during early March complaining about various heart related things. You asked, “What happened in March?” – of course, my father died at age 63 without notice in early March. This lead to some useful visits with a therapist. You also suggested about the same time that my executive drive and life style might kill me. I started walking a bit after that, then that lead to running 100 yards. In short order I became a notorious entrant in 5K road races, the guy who took 38 minutes and always had the ambulance just behind him. There was the 5 mile Boston Police Chase race where within a few hundred yards of the finish line some smart aleck point out a short cut to me. After huffing and puffing for 40 minutes I should take a shortcut!!??

 

So, what has brought you to mind recently, excepting of course your concert emails? I have started to have some vertigo when lying in bed. Even some when tipping my head abruptly to the side as sometimes occurs when leaping for a ball at the net. Maybe 25 yrs ago I called you up on a Friday. Told you of similar symptoms. You listened and asked what I was doing Saturday morning. “I can cure you!” you announced without a pause. This seemed improvident for a medical professional to claim.  nevertheless,  I went in Saturday morning and you cured me. Now I need to find out if my young doctor here in Hudson knows the Epley maneuver.

 

Hope you are well and continue to enjoy tickling the ivories.

 

Mark

Thanks for your warm communication.

Atul Gawande spent several rotations with our practice over a few years when at Harvard med school.He was always a bright student and I still enjoy his writing and thinking.

   I too am enjoying being in my 70’s still walking talking remembering stuff and doing the epley manoever.

Ps .. buy one of our cds for your library ????‍♀️????‍♀️????