Doctor Visits

Vacation is generally a time for rest, relaxation, and recuperation. Since my parents and I got home on Monday afternoon, we've been suffering with aches and pains. As a result, Dad was in the doctor's office yesterday and I am visiting at the time of this posting. It's a strange set of circumstances, but I'm thankful that things don't appear to be terribly serious.

Dad pulled a muscle in his lower back late last week while getting into my cousin's van. I felt sorry for him while driving home on Monday, but it was a humorous scene. Dad couldn't get comfortable so he rode in the back seat of the Outlander for 9 hours. This 6'1" tall man was throwing his leg up in the seat and shoving blankets, pillows, and sweaters behind his back and head, trying to find some comfort. He didn't want to get out of the car for bathroom breaks or food stops; when Mom and I got out, he reconsidered and made an awkward jaunt into the various establishments. Since he was sitting in the back, all voices from the front seats were projecting away from him. Dad has difficulty hearing as it is (just don't ask him to admit that fact!), so there was no way to entertain him through conversation. It was really rather amusing to hear Dad comment on things that were discussed literally moments before by the two of us in the front of the car.

Shortly after lunch, I suggested Dad call the doctor to make an appointment for the following morning and ask what pain relievers he could take that wouldn't interfere with his other medications. Apparently it had never crossed my parents' minds to call their primary physician to have him call in a prescription to get Dad through the rest of our vacation without being in too much pain. (What can I say? I was taking a vacation from the geriatric ward myself and didn't think to suggest making the phone call either.)

On Tuesday morning, Dad visited the doctor and got muscle relaxers and pain relievers. While he was there, he also consulted the doctor about a persistent cough he's been fighting for months. FINALLY!!! The doctor prescribed a strong antibiotic that will be followed by another drug to protect Dad's kidneys. (Since the situation has been ignored for so long, the drug treatment had to be extremely aggressive to get things under control.) To my chagrin, Dad did not discuss his hearing issues with the doctor....probably because he is convinced that the only reason he can't hear is because my mother and I mumble all of the time. Oh well.....I'll take a victory in the issue of the cough today and fight another battle on another day.

Today (Wednesday) finds me visiting the doctor myself. I've noticed a bump appearing on the outside of my left leg about midway between my knee and ankle. Normally the bump only comes up when I'm doing cardio in the gym; while in Texas, the bump began to appear more often. It's not painful. It almost feels like a muscle that is knotting up inside. Anyway, I don't want to self diagnose since I get so frustrated when my parents do the same thing. I'm having it checked out to make sure there's nothing serious that needs to be addressed and to see if I'm exacerbating it somehow.

Now that we're home and relaxed from the stress of work and school, it's the perfect time to deal with issues that have been causing stress to our bodies. After all, knowledge is power.....and it's time to find out what's going on and find solutions.

UPDATE: I just returned from my doctor's appointment with relatively good news. The bump on my leg is a small varicose vein. Nothing to worry about and nothing that needs attention at this time. We will continue to monitor it however.  kf