Been a long time...

Back in my pre-married days, I had allergies.  I still have them, but I ignored them for a long time.  My allergist is awesome.  I went to see him because I was having trouble with my throat.  He helped me.  More than at least getting my throat to be somewhat useful, he also was my favorite doctor.  I could get extremely grumpy before an appointment with him, but I knew that I would be in a better mood after I saw him.  It just worked.

I stopped going and ceased the shots when Connor was diagnosed.  I went in to see him, and told him that this was it, because Connor had so many appointments that I would always be cancelling the shots, and I had learned the hard way that not maintaining a strict schedule for your allergy shots led to bad reactions (am I right, Chris??).  He said to me, "It's okay that you are breaking up with me."  I laughed, and said, "If I ever need to come back, I'm coming back."

I needed to go back.  I called and made the appointment this week, and went to see him this morning.  As I went through the triage with his nurse, he suddenly walked in and said, "You won't believe this..."

It had been 10 years - I wasn't even sure he would remember me.

He went on to say, "Just yesterday I had a patient in the room next door whose child has an undiagnosed neurological problem, and I was telling him about a patient who had a child with neurological issues who was in a band, and did all this cool stuff - gone on tour with the USO and all...and then I looked at my patient list for today and there you were."

He remembered me.  He then said, "Okay, I gotta go finish that other appointment.  It was just too weird not to come tell you this. Back in a few minutes..." and walked out.

HE LEFT ANOTHER PATIENT TO COME TELL ME THIS.

Man, I love this doctor.  I'm so glad I insisted on seeing him and  not one of his partners.

Anyway, he came back, and one of his first questions was beautifully phrased after he heard me say, "He had a diagnosis, which morphed into another one."  He said, "Has your son passed?"  It doesn't sound beautifully phrased, but when I have had to say what happened, a hundred times this year already when someone asks after him and they don't know, it is a welcome relief to just be able to say, "Yes." and not explain further.  It gives me a chance to swallow the lump back into my throat and compose myself.  Long sentences don't allow that.

Anyway, I have to go get allergy tested again.  NUTS.  But he gave me prescriptions, too, which led me back to CVS.  I walked up to the counter and there was my pharmacist, and I handed over the scrips.  She typed a bunch, asked for my card, etc.  When we were done, she said, "It's good to see you again," and smiled.  I smiled back, finally brave enough to speak to her again, and said, "It's good to see you, too."

I had to buy something on my way out, and the clerk said, "Girl!  We haven't seen you in so long!  Where have you been?"  I swallowed again, and then said, "I don't have as many prescriptions to fill now."  True answer, easier to say.  She said, "You don't need prescriptions to fill to come in and say hi."

It's rainy, it's cooling down, and I am spinning towards the end of my 40th year.  But today was still pretty good.