Unshelved by Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum
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Thursday, July 22, 2004

Priceless

Two things happened on Wednesday afternoon that were just wonderful.

1) I went to the doctor. Now, you're probably thinking, 'and this is good...why?' Well, Dr N is the first doctor I've ever had who

  • Is very much a plus size himself--although he's lost 60 lbs since March on South Beach, had the notches on the belt to prove it.
  • Put me immediately at ease with his manner and his Canadian accent.
  • Never had me even sit on the damn table and instead used it to draw on when explaining stuff.
  • Who did the entire exam without having me take my clothes off, because he has a nifty stethescope that has a battery that can pick up the sounds through clothing.
  • Who, upon hearing that my last doctor had declared that 'we treat ulcers and heartburn the same way' (thereby ignoring the 80% of people who have H. pylori infections that cause ulcers) guffawed and then wrote the order to have my tested.
  • Who took the time to explain the difference between good and bad cholesterol, and was so on top of it he included an explanation of the brand-spanking-new recommendations that came out this week.
  • Who immediately set up neurology and gynoecology appointments for me--in essence, really coordinating my care, which is what I really need.
  • Who gave me a sheet with everything clearly printed out, with prescriptions to help with the swelling and also with the hirsutism caused by the polycystic (what, you mean I don't have to shave?)
  • But most importantly...looked me straight in the eye, treated me as a person rather than a number and said, 'The first thing we need to work on is a change of how you think about yourself. No one can tell you what weight you should be at, what your numbers should be. What matters is getting you to a point where you feel healthy, where you have the energy to do what you want in life.'

And that, folks, is truly priceless. Want a great physician who treats the whole person and live in the Lexington area? Dr N is your man. Feel free to drop me a line for specific glowing recommendation. He's also the only one in the practice, and his staff were quite nice, too. And thanks, D for referring me.

The second great thing was I went with five friends to see Auntie Mame at the Kentucky Theatre summer classics series. Cheap fun, but also one of my all-time favourite movies (as opposed to the dreadful remake, Mame). Rosalind Russell was even more vivacious on the big screen, and I noticed details I'd never seen in video (like the sheer amount of garden gnomes at Upson Downs). It was really quite magical. Four of us had seen the movie before, although never in the theatre. Two were complete Auntie Mame virgins. I enjoyed every minute of it, and I'm not afraid to admit it...I was once so Agnes Gooch (but I think I am finally discovering my bust!) It left me wanting to 'Live! Live! Live!' to the fullest. They just don't make films like that anymore.

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