Making Waves and Swabbing Students

Jeff’s hair is becoming unruly.

Five years ago this month Jeff and his hair parted company.  Several months later it grew in silky soft, thin and manageable.  Lately, however, his old wave has been giving him fits – right there in front, a sideways S, not the thickness of the old days but the shape just as it used to be, freakishly familiar to me.  And to Jeff, annoyingly uncooperative.

 A few explanations for the return of the wave have been tousled around:  going to bed with a wet head, the barber left too much length, he shaped it differently, a change of shampoo is in order.  None of this matters to me, though.  I am just tickled to see that at almost five years post-BMT Jeff still shows signs of recovery. 

This Saturday evening Daughter Kim, Jeff and I will participate in Rider University’s American Cancer Society Relay for Life.  We will attend the Survivor’s Dinner and take the Survivor and Caregiver Laps and then we will swab cheeks – hopefully, LOTS of them – for Gift of Life.  If you are so inclined, follow the Relay for Life link on the right and make a donation to our team, Bist Du Stark (Are You Strong?). 

ER Docs and Teladocs

Jeff spent some time in the ER.  It was the mock ER at the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia.  Dr. Rosie listened to his gut with the stethoscope and then left her patient to attend to other things. 

Along came another health care professional (a six-year-old girl on a field trip from St. Dorothy’s) to take Jeff’s blood pressure.  The toy BP cuff didn’t fit around his upper arm so Jeff suggested she put it around his wrist.

“It says zero so it will have to come off,” she informed him.  She reached in her doctor’s bag and retrieved a pair of large plastic scissors.

He said, “That looks like it’s going to hurt.”

“It will only hurt when I snip,” she assured him.

Thank goodness for good medical care!  And for the best medicine - laughter!

When Jeff realized that he was going to have to go to the family doctor for a sinus infection, he was not too happy.  Combating “Doctor Fatigue” continues to be a challenge.  I remembered that Rider University now offers a Teladoc service as part of my health insurance plan and I suggested he call a doctor (at 9 p.m. on a Friday night) rather than trying to get a Saturday morning doctor’s appointment.  He was able to pick up his antibiotic at the pharmacy first thing Saturday morning without spending time waiting for an appointment and sitting in the doctor’s office.  Done.  Time for a nap.

To our list of firsts we can add a few food items:  ordering oatmeal out (fighting that high cholesterol), escargot (at Rat's, Grounds for Sculpture) and yucca (at a Peruvian restaurant).