March 11, 2002
DOWN HOME:
An apple a day, & all that stuff
___First, the good news: I just went to the doctor for my annual check-up.
___Now, the bad news: I just went to the doctor for my annual check-up.
___On the positive side, I always enjoy making my annual pilgrimage to Dr. Fine's office, for several reasons: He's a terrific doctor who knows just about anything a body would want to know about the human body, including how to fix it. Also, I usually only see him once a year, since I've been blessed with good health. For another thing, he's interesting and engaging, andhe often takes time to talk about something other than how many times I go to the bathroom during the night. He's also the first doctor who ever asked me about my spiritual life and the role of prayer in my daily routine. And, on top of it all, the trip reminds me I'm glad I live in the 21st century, when doctors can take care of ailments and illnesses that might have killed me just a few years ago.
MARV KNOX
Editor
___On the negative side, a few things dampen my spirits about this yearly physical. First is sitting around in a cold room on vinyl furniture in my underwear. If they could put a man on the moon, they could put fireplaces and cozy furniture in doctors' offices. Second is the tape they use to hold the EKG thingamajigs on. If a heart attack hurts worse than having half the hair on your chest ripped off, I don't want one. Third is all the poking and prodding, which is entirely necessary and completely unnatural. Fourth is the trip to the lab and the woman who seems to enjoy her job, which involves sticking sharp objects into people's bodies. And worst is actually paying for it all. This year, we switched insurance plans so we can make sure we find a doctor for Lindsay when she goes off to college next fall. That meant switching from a co-pay to a deductible, which meant this annual chat with Dr. Fine cost me $190 more than last year's.
___If I were a doctor, the weirdest part of the job wouldn't be poking and prodding. As the old commercial used to say, "Parts are parts." The weirdest thing would be the questions.
___Think about it: Your doctor can ask you the most intimate questions. Questions that would make you take a crowbar after anybody else in the world. But your doctor will ask, and you'll wrack your brain, thinking about how this or that body part works and when you used it last and if it hurt. And you'll give a considered answer. And neither of you will giggle once.
___Of course, a doctor who giggled--even once --probably would be a former doctor. Fortunately, my doctor has a great sense of humor, but he reserves it for the ironies of life and not whether I need bifocals yet, or if my knees and elbows still bend and, you know, other stuff.
___Better than all that, our God is the Great Physician, who already knows all about us and heals in ways even modern medicine can't prescribe.
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