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Are you with me, Dr. Gu?
It was time for a general checkup, since I haven't had one for 4+ years. For most of my life I've been covered by HMOs, first Harvard Community Healthplan in Cambridge, then Kaiser Permanente here, with brief periods of other coverage by domestic partner benefits and work plans, as well as British Columbia's medical plan, which contrary to popular belief is not free. I've been lucky in that the HMOs I've been covered by are acknowledged to be the best in the country, and the freedom from billing hassles is worth a lot.
Dr. Hosseini, my former Kaiser doctor, foolishly wrote The Kite Runner and, after being on the bestseller lists for a year, decided to take a leave of absence to pursue his writing full-time. The last time I saw him I told him he could do much more for people by writing for a mass market than by doctoring -- already he's done more to help North Americans to understand the Afghan situation than any amount of newspaper stories. So a year ago I had to sign up for a new doctor, and chose Dr. Gu, who came recommended by my ex,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
mike_norcal.
I had never been seen by Dr. Gu, since I rarely get sick enough to require a visit. I manage my own health pretty closely and hate the waste of time involved.
When I arrived at the office, the assistant took me into an exam room and told me to strip down to underwear and put on a gown. Unfortunately I had worn my athletic shorts with mesh liner, so there was no underwear; I figured she could deal with nudity and took everything off. Tying the damn gown in two places behind your back is tough even for people with full range of motion -- stupid design.
I brought in a sheaf of test results from my last physical at Palo Alto Medical, which she appreciated. Actually getting a copy of your medical records is no easier than it used to be despite the law requiring health providers to provide them, but I had access to some of the test results online, something which Kaiser promises Real Soon Now.
Dr. Gu is a small Chinese woman, very bright and down-to-earth. I enjoyed her efforts to properly put questions like "are you sexually active?" (A: "Not really, I just lie there and let others do the work...")
It didn't occur to me she'd want to do a fasting lipid panel, so I couldn't have the blood taken on that visit. I last ate last night at about 11, so I can visit the lab today at noon to get my blood drawn. I am not happy about having no breakfast, but I drank a lot of coffee and water to fill up my stomach.
excessor's ex Mark and his new bf Colin arrived last night from Palm Springs. We had a nice dinner at Pasand Indian restaurant, then they stayed over in the guest suite and just left for the city. We expect to host them again on their way back Friday night. Since I couldn't eat, I couldn't join them in breakfast.
A peanut butter sandwich and an apple would sure hit the spot about now. [rumble]
Dr. Hosseini, my former Kaiser doctor, foolishly wrote The Kite Runner and, after being on the bestseller lists for a year, decided to take a leave of absence to pursue his writing full-time. The last time I saw him I told him he could do much more for people by writing for a mass market than by doctoring -- already he's done more to help North Americans to understand the Afghan situation than any amount of newspaper stories. So a year ago I had to sign up for a new doctor, and chose Dr. Gu, who came recommended by my ex,
mike_norcal. I had never been seen by Dr. Gu, since I rarely get sick enough to require a visit. I manage my own health pretty closely and hate the waste of time involved.
When I arrived at the office, the assistant took me into an exam room and told me to strip down to underwear and put on a gown. Unfortunately I had worn my athletic shorts with mesh liner, so there was no underwear; I figured she could deal with nudity and took everything off. Tying the damn gown in two places behind your back is tough even for people with full range of motion -- stupid design.I brought in a sheaf of test results from my last physical at Palo Alto Medical, which she appreciated. Actually getting a copy of your medical records is no easier than it used to be despite the law requiring health providers to provide them, but I had access to some of the test results online, something which Kaiser promises Real Soon Now.
Dr. Gu is a small Chinese woman, very bright and down-to-earth. I enjoyed her efforts to properly put questions like "are you sexually active?" (A: "Not really, I just lie there and let others do the work...")
It didn't occur to me she'd want to do a fasting lipid panel, so I couldn't have the blood taken on that visit. I last ate last night at about 11, so I can visit the lab today at noon to get my blood drawn. I am not happy about having no breakfast, but I drank a lot of coffee and water to fill up my stomach.
excessor's ex Mark and his new bf Colin arrived last night from Palm Springs. We had a nice dinner at Pasand Indian restaurant, then they stayed over in the guest suite and just left for the city. We expect to host them again on their way back Friday night. Since I couldn't eat, I couldn't join them in breakfast.A peanut butter sandwich and an apple would sure hit the spot about now. [rumble]
no subject
"Not really, I just lie there and let others do the work..."
You crack me up.