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Well, I just walked in to the clinic at 12:30pm today. Big sign read, "no walk-ins today after noon."
I explained that I'm new in town and don't know procedures, that I sustained a significant head injury 2 days ago, am experiencing some considerable pain and really don't think it's wise for me to drive 150 miles, round trip, to Albuquerque, under the present conditions.
I was triaged in less than 10 minutes. I volunteered that I'd experienced no significant changes in already-poor vision, that, to the best of my knowledge, I hadn't been unconscious and that I cannot blame any particular dizziness or weakness on this particular injury, as I experience those periodically, all the time.
He asked a technical question about my vision. I replied, "I don't know what that means," halfway expecting that, even though it was in Latin, I just MIGHT know what he was asking. Indeed, he was asking if I have "lazy eye," which I've had my whole life and had difficulty controlling, when asked to look directly into a pin light. I avoid contrasts in light/dark, as my pupils don't adjust and it makes me temporarily blind. So, I was much more concerned with that than holding both eyes straight.
I suspect he asked because I so well presented my symptoms or, rather, lack of symptoms of concussion so well, and doctors, these days, are trained to SUSPECT consumers of such things as hypochondria, rather than RESPECT us as responsible for our own health care. Sigh. As soon as they have my mental "health" records, I'll lose ALL credibility, of course.
At any rate, when he didn't feel any separation of cartilage from bone at my nose and saw pressure, applied to my forehead between my brows didn't cause me to scream, but only to flinch and back away, he was satisfied I have not broken my skull or nose (but my right nostril is unobstructed now; it was not before; the cartilage HAS MOVED to the left!), he relaxed.
THe xray technician will, of all things, be in tomorrow, a Saturday, at noon, which is lunch time, and will take xrays of my head.
I was ushered out the back door of the clinic, not because they were ashamed of my presence, but because the entire front area was devoted to a holiday staff party.
There was, amazingly, no charge.
I feel a bit better today. I picked up _God is Not Great_ by Hitchens, which I'd ordered by Inter-Library Loan last week and which arrived yesterday, when he died. I'd received a phone message that it was in, but could not muster the energy to go to town, particularly since my hygiene had been neglected to the point where, I could swear I scraped mushrooms out from under my arms when I bathed today. I also picked up my new check books from the post office, registered my travel trailer with motor vehicles and found an INCREDIBLE sale on pork rinds at Alco, a tiny big box store in town. I had gone there, specifically FOR pork rinds, as I have an entire case of canned, refried beans to eat up (fifty cents a can: I bought them all!). The pork rinds were 1/4th their usual price, so I bought all of them. Yes, the dogs had a few.
I did not stay out long and was back in bed, in clean night gown, with clean body, as shortly as possible.
A FaceBook friend located a playlist of the entire audio version of Hitchens' book, so I've been listening to the 1st chapter, read by Hitchens, recording especially graceful passages, reading along in the book. This makes retention MUCH better: Hitchens has a distinctive and relaxed reading style and the visual words are great, in case he dives a bit too deep, or I go on some reverie, and need to pause the video and re-read a passage. It's not as taxing on the eyes, either, 'though I am wearing glasses and have a light on.
It's been a long time since I've bothered with an actual book. I find virtual libraries much easier to magnify and read. And I can't lose them. Or get them damaged.
My headache video seems to have been rather a "hit," as was my "ThankYouVeryMuch" video to the person who, out of the blue, and for no justifiable reason (based on my paltry samples on YouTube to date) volunteered to send me a webcam that's far superior to the one on my little netbook. In fact, one of my latest subscribers warned me to be cautious with this new web camera, s make it far trickier to record myself showering, as I've done in the pasince it willt: the focus is much more sharp.
So, we have plenty of stuff for burritos or pork rinds & dip, lots of water, lots of coffee & tea and even some evil Coca Cola (I am proud to announce that I've made 1 2-liter bottle each of regular and diet last over a week now; in the past, they'd have been lucky to survive 48hrs.)
I have aspirin. The house is warm and dry. Animals are cuddling. My head still hurts, but is manageable.
Hitchens really is an excellent writer.One YouTube comment said, sure, if you like a fancy, English accent and a lot of big words to confuse and bore people and mask the fact that atheism is foolishness.
We are a preposterous species! LOL
http://rogiriverstone.com
Well, I just walked in to the clinic at 12:30pm today. Big sign read, "no walk-ins today after noon."
I explained that I'm new in town and don't know procedures, that I sustained a significant head injury 2 days ago, am experiencing some considerable pain and really don't think it's wise for me to drive 150 miles, round trip, to Albuquerque, under the present conditions.
I was triaged in less than 10 minutes. I volunteered that I'd experienced no significant changes in already-poor vision, that, to the best of my knowledge, I hadn't been unconscious and that I cannot blame any particular dizziness or weakness on this particular injury, as I experience those periodically, all the time.
He asked a technical question about my vision. I replied, "I don't know what that means," halfway expecting that, even though it was in Latin, I just MIGHT know what he was asking. Indeed, he was asking if I have "lazy eye," which I've had my whole life and had difficulty controlling, when asked to look directly into a pin light. I avoid contrasts in light/dark, as my pupils don't adjust and it makes me temporarily blind. So, I was much more concerned with that than holding both eyes straight.
I suspect he asked because I so well presented my symptoms or, rather, lack of symptoms of concussion so well, and doctors, these days, are trained to SUSPECT consumers of such things as hypochondria, rather than RESPECT us as responsible for our own health care. Sigh. As soon as they have my mental "health" records, I'll lose ALL credibility, of course.
At any rate, when he didn't feel any separation of cartilage from bone at my nose and saw pressure, applied to my forehead between my brows didn't cause me to scream, but only to flinch and back away, he was satisfied I have not broken my skull or nose (but my right nostril is unobstructed now; it was not before; the cartilage HAS MOVED to the left!), he relaxed.
THe xray technician will, of all things, be in tomorrow, a Saturday, at noon, which is lunch time, and will take xrays of my head.
I was ushered out the back door of the clinic, not because they were ashamed of my presence, but because the entire front area was devoted to a holiday staff party.
There was, amazingly, no charge.
I feel a bit better today. I picked up _God is Not Great_ by Hitchens, which I'd ordered by Inter-Library Loan last week and which arrived yesterday, when he died. I'd received a phone message that it was in, but could not muster the energy to go to town, particularly since my hygiene had been neglected to the point where, I could swear I scraped mushrooms out from under my arms when I bathed today. I also picked up my new check books from the post office, registered my travel trailer with motor vehicles and found an INCREDIBLE sale on pork rinds at Alco, a tiny big box store in town. I had gone there, specifically FOR pork rinds, as I have an entire case of canned, refried beans to eat up (fifty cents a can: I bought them all!). The pork rinds were 1/4th their usual price, so I bought all of them. Yes, the dogs had a few.
I did not stay out long and was back in bed, in clean night gown, with clean body, as shortly as possible.
A FaceBook friend located a playlist of the entire audio version of Hitchens' book, so I've been listening to the 1st chapter, read by Hitchens, recording especially graceful passages, reading along in the book. This makes retention MUCH better: Hitchens has a distinctive and relaxed reading style and the visual words are great, in case he dives a bit too deep, or I go on some reverie, and need to pause the video and re-read a passage. It's not as taxing on the eyes, either, 'though I am wearing glasses and have a light on.
It's been a long time since I've bothered with an actual book. I find virtual libraries much easier to magnify and read. And I can't lose them. Or get them damaged.
My headache video seems to have been rather a "hit," as was my "ThankYouVeryMuch" video to the person who, out of the blue, and for no justifiable reason (based on my paltry samples on YouTube to date) volunteered to send me a webcam that's far superior to the one on my little netbook. In fact, one of my latest subscribers warned me to be cautious with this new web camera, s make it far trickier to record myself showering, as I've done in the pasince it willt: the focus is much more sharp.
So, we have plenty of stuff for burritos or pork rinds & dip, lots of water, lots of coffee & tea and even some evil Coca Cola (I am proud to announce that I've made 1 2-liter bottle each of regular and diet last over a week now; in the past, they'd have been lucky to survive 48hrs.)
I have aspirin. The house is warm and dry. Animals are cuddling. My head still hurts, but is manageable.
Hitchens really is an excellent writer.One YouTube comment said, sure, if you like a fancy, English accent and a lot of big words to confuse and bore people and mask the fact that atheism is foolishness.
We are a preposterous species! LOL
http://rogiriverstone.com
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