Life is good

March 26, 2013

The comfort of a US doctor’s office is surreal. I sit in a cozy intact fabric chair with current and varied magazines within reach of my extended hand, one of a handful of people awaiting a visit with the professionally dressed surgeon. Smiling Neurologists, Podiatrists and their astonishing credentials plastered above my head in a sturdy wooden frame, assuring me I will be in good hands among the well-insured.

I amble up to the front desk asking for assistance from a staff member who can listen to my incredulous story, take a gander at my x-ray and give me advice as to my next step in treating my tender and aching left foot. “I am in need of surgery to remove a pin that is pressing along my inner bone,” I explain. “What is the next step and how can I get attended to in the University Health Services clinic?”

A friendly and professional woman appears to take great interest in the x-ray I humbly present and asks me if she is able to take the film to the physician who specializes in lower ankles to feet. It was far more than I expected to be able to set up an appointment in conjunction with my good friend’s follow-up visit next month. The physician came out to speak with me directly about the pin removal and possible trimming or extraction of two more longer upper pins.

I am uncertain as to the expense of it all yet am happy I have been introduced to a more than capable surgeon and extensive system that deems it all possible. Tearfully grateful and utterly pleased with myself and the promising situation I march out of the lobby with my $2 parking slip and treat myself and my friends to Khan’s Mongolian Bbq lunch. “Life is good,” as they say in a first world excellent healthcare at your fingertips country!