Doing the rounds

Two of my closest friends have been to the doctor this week. Our conversations make me feel like a character from General Hospital.

•  Henry had his first appointment with the new neurologist. This neurologist is so new he didn't even she existed. The County, his employers, insisted that he see her. Now. Henry has been clashing more and more frequently with his library coworkers and the public and my guess is that they need some proof that he is disabled to keep him on. He and Reg went to the appointment and Henry raved. He "loved" her. He feels confident that now he has a neurologist he can turn to and who can help him. This is HUGE, because Henry has been resisting seeing a specialist for two years now. I am hopeful that this doctor is bringing Henry that much closer to embracing the fact that he has a TBI and that he needs help if his progress is to continue.

Of course, Henry being Henry, there's a dark cloud amidst this silver lining. He is furious that the County made him see her. He says she is angry about this, and so is the internist who has been treating him. I doubt that that's true. She's a neurologist and he needs her help. (And I bet the internist is delighted to not have to treat his TBI anymore!) He wants to call me again over the weekend to discuss this further. I may not pick up. This is good news, a positive step forward, and I don't want him getting whipped up over the perceived unfairness of the County dictating that he see a specialist.

•  My oldest friend had Botox. In her bladder. Doctors have been recommending this to her for years. She's been resistant because she doesn't want to be shot up "with poison." However she developed a bladder infection that was resistant to treatment and made her so ill that last month she had to have surgery. The urologist who performed that procedure convinced her that, if she didn't want to keep having debilitating infections, she needs to give Botox a try. 

The doctor told her yesterday's procedure was a success, but she's still uncomfortable today. Crampy and tired. So I'm glad these little cacti just arrived. First of all, they're fake, which is a bonus. She has two cats in a very small "mother-in-law apartment" in her cousin's home. I was afraid that, if I sent her real flowers or a plant, her cats would knock them over or view them as a salad bar. Also, I didn't want her to have to find a vase or change the water.

The good news in all this is that they're both going to be feeling better as a result of these trips to the doctor. They're both good people, and they deserve to enjoy comfortable, worry-free days.