A New Blog by GM

Not that any of my 15 readers are all that interested, but I've started a new blog titled Surviving Cancer and Other Atrocities - Notes on Medicine, Psychology and Politics. and I hope you all will go there from time to time. In fact, I urge those of you who would like to Join Unstoppable USA to send me an email and I'll get you in touch with the site administrator. Qualifications? Older USA citizens with many and varied World VIEWS. Views learned from life experiences to include political opinions, life opinions, world news, blogging, raising children or grandchildren, and thoughts on religion. Good "share" experiences through reads, travel, music, photographs and recipes. Now, I have to admit that this was NOT my idea, but the idea of a gentle lady who thinks far afield and is wanting to engage honest and open dialogue about the state of the world, and of ourselves as occupants of that world. If you felt that I represented myself as the "originator" of the idea, please know that that was not my intent. But the idea itself, from the gracious lady is an astoundingly brilliant idea and should grow, and grow and grow.

Here is my first substantive entry:

I AM NOT MY DIAGNOSIS DAMN IT!

Day 1: A trip to the ER - A number of years ago, I woke up with a terrific pain in my side. My late wife, who was a nurse thought for sure I had a kidney stone took me to the ER where the Doc ordered an IVP or Intravenous Pyelogram. Now, an IVP the Doc assured me is a simple painless procedure to take an X-Ray of my kidneys, ureters and bladder. He further explained that I would be standing, that they would insert an IV into my arm and then as the contrast material flowed through my veins and was filtered out by my kidneys.

What he didn’t explain, was how damnably uncomfortable it is having 20 gallons of fluid pumping through your veins all the while the X-Ray tech is saying “Hold it, hold it, just a little while longer, hold it more.” OK, OK, so it was only a liter, and not 20 gallons, but it sure felt like 20 gallons in my poor old distended bladder.

UPDATE: I had the initial requirements as over 50, a vet and conservative. I was gently but lovingly reminded by the site Administrator that I screwed up... mea culpa, mea culpa, mea culpa. I've corrected the information.