Category Archives: Personal

Monday – 1/30/2017

Walked up to hospital for blood tests.

Stopped at Cascades for peanut butter on whole wheat bagel.

Then, a brief stop in Hudson Opera House to look at the Alleys of Hudson photo display. Peter Spears, photography.

HOH lobby. Construction is closing in on final work.l

Cleaned up downstairs.

Then, did more revisions to UTM piece. Done now. Talked with Ole Breuning about Northern Dutchess Hospital.

Linda Larson arrived with Karen at 7pm when she returned from her Soup Group meeting in Cambridge. Linda’s annual visit. 

Leftover tuna casserole for dinner.

Thursday – 1/26/2017

Karen’s new iPhone restored successfully this morning. Just need to download all the apps. Farted around most of the day. Time spent somewhat fruitlessly setting up a new iPad that turns out to be just a bit faster than my old one. New one bought as part of promotion at Verizonwireless yesterday.   

new iPhone 7 camera at night.

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Tuesday – 1/24/2017

Still sleeting in early morning. Sound of snow plows. Lower back very sore.

Cancelled meetings with UTM. Seth told me that David Ackermsn had a kidney donor.  Schedule is unclear. Money has arrived from Melvilles  

Karen insisted that I call Dr. Rivard, the surgeon. After fifteen minutes on hold he said the back pain had no connection with surgery. Call GP. Karen brought heating pad and Tylenol. This helped. We’ll wait this out   Continue reading →

Monday – 1/23/2017

Slow start. Worked most of day on volunteer site for HAL. Brief walk up to 4th St and back. Bumped into Ruth Tamaroff.

Did shoulder exercises. Took a nap. Went to Verizonwireless store for new iPhones. Will go back another time. Too many people. Stopped at Walmart for frozen dinners. Sleet started at about 5:30 – continued heavily into the night. Cars were covered by 8pm.

Watched more of Homeland 6th season. Incision is still dribbling blood.

 

 

Saturday – 1/21/2017 Women’s March in Hudson

Took Karen to train at 7:15am. She is off to join Andrea and Nyla for the arch in NYC. Went to Bob’s Diner for breakfast. Sat next to a guy with a torn rotator cuff eating pancakes one handed. About to be retired truck driver. Talkative, but not insensitive enough not to leave me alone when I returned to my New York Review of Books.

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Thursday – 1/19/2017

Spent day following post-surgery instructions. Not much discomfort. Incision is quite small. Maybe 2 inches. Scrotum is beginning to turn black and blue as predicted. Otherwise not much discomfort excepting an inexplicable sore lower back: 

Spent most of day working on new volunteer management site for HAL.

 

Karen had a rough online class.  Mismanged time. 

Saw this picture of opening of library on Facebook.

Wednesday – 1/18/2017

Outpatient surgery at Albany Med. 

Arrived on time at noon. Waited until nearly 3 for sleepy time. Karen wisely redirected pain prescription to Fairview Ave. Arrived home about 8pm. Moderately uncomfortable.

Took one oxycodone at hospital. But three ibuprofen st 9 pm did the job  went to bed right away after a can of chilli bought at CVS.

 

Tuesday – 1/17/2017

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?
 
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
He replied later in the day:
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 ????????????????????‍♀️????????????????‍♀️????????????????❓????????❤????????????????

Sunday – 1/15/2017

Read Sunday NYTimes.

Walk at Art Omi.

The 5 architects presentation was vacuous. Lots of new sculpture along with some favorites. Very nice weather.

Demo

Back to Hudson for a demonstration in support of Obamacare at the 7th St. Park. Organized by the County Democrats. Started on time, well organized, reasonably fervent.

 

Potluck Dinner at Rasners.

Cooked Indian dishes. New guy in charge of Olana with his partner. Miranda Barry and Charlotte??. OK evening, but these are not people with whom we are socially at ease with.