Dearest Friends and Family:
Recent circumstances caused me not to send out my usual Christmas message. My sister, Carmen, died in Panama earlier this month. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the funeral, since I was hospitalized during the same period of her burial services. She was our youngest and we pray for the peaceful repose of her soul among the faithful departed.
Following my discharge from the hospital, as is customary, I was instructed to follow up with my cardiologist and pulmonalogist. Since it was a weekend, I sent identical faxes to both of them. The pulmonalogist said he was booked solid and could not scheduled an appointment until about 2 weeks, whereas the cardiologist decided to see me in 2 days.
However, the office of the cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic called back to inquire that they noticed I had a breathing problem and asked whether I had a pulmonalogist. I mentioned that I had a pulmonalogist but he could not see me at this moment. They further asked me if I would consider seeing one of their pulmonalogists. I readily accepted their offer and saw him at 9:00 am the following morning.
The examination I received was A-1. The doctor made a thorough physical examination and booted up my complete medical records for review. His findings revealed that my recent constant breathlessness is attributed to a faulty aortic valve, which needs to be replaced. The replacement could be made some time in January and hopefully this would resolve my problem. I will appreciate your prayers for a successful operation.
My reason for mentioning the above is to show that Our Heavenly Father moves in mysterious ways. If my regular pulmonalogist had given me an early appointment, I probably would be still struggling with my breathing problem and also being offered all sorts of new pills in vain attempts to remedy my condition.
There are times in our lives when we have to move on and not remain in the status quo because of sentimental reasons. If evidently for some reason you are not getting satisfactory results from your medical provider you have the right to seek a second opinion. This is an area that is important especially for us to keep a close check on our elderly relatives and friends in particular. Some doctors portray an intimidating image and even dispatch patients in 5 or 10 minutes. Many patients are reluctant to speak up and truly express how they are feeling. A wise move is to prepare a list of questions or concerns before you visit your doctor and ask him to explain your problem and treatment in simple terms.
Have a Prosperous New Year
Uncle Dave Uncle Dave needs no special introduction to the community, being a former radio announcer and community leader in Panama for many years |