I thought my youngest had scoliosis. In 2011, the pediatrician and pediatric radiologist said she did. Not too much. If it's stable, nothing needs to be done.
Of course I had to get a follow-up and I dragged my feet. Finally, when I went to make an apt., her pediatric radiologist had retired! The ped wanted to send me somewhere else. The secretary was going to give me a name.
"Listen, she's 10." I explained, "does she really need a pediatric radiologist? Her school is right near Adassa. I can park. She's already been to Dr. N. He found my cancer. Can I just go there?"
I think the found cancer words sealed the deal. Of course. She can go there...
When I called, they wanted to give me Dr. N.'s partner, who does children, including mine and I know him too, but he wasn't there in the afternoons. Dr. N. was. This X-ray didn't merit pulling her out of school and there was a slot Friday evening.
I managed to find her old X-rays from the retired doctor and brought them along.
Luckily, the blond tech he's had for all these years was there. She was the one who cheered me up the day of my biopsy. She's really good with children and was able to get Davina to do what she needed to do. She got her into position. Really huge negatives! Like three feet long that she pulled out and took into the other room.
Then she put us in the back waiting room, where I spent so much time on the day of my surgery.
Meanwhile, my two older ones, who were supposed to meet up and come home together near their schools, got into a tiff. Talia ended up hitting her brother, who had forgotten his phone at home, with her school bag. Of course she did it with all his friends watching... They had absolutely refused to come over to Adassa and wait so I let them organize coming home themselves. They both insisted on coming home together on the tram. So I was trying to negotiate a settlement (that was not going to involve coming to Adassa, even though it was in walking distance, for either one) when he called Davina's name.
Gotta go! Shut off phone and stuffed it in my bag.
Said "Bonjour!" shook his hand and peeked at the X-ray. "We're back. You've inherited her from Dr. T." (the retired radiologist). He thought that was funny.
"Well, I'm going to retire too." Huh??
Awkward silence. What was that? Fishing for a compliment? Did a rich aunt die and leave him everything so he's now announcing to me that he's retiring?
What to say? "Um, I think you're a tad younger than Dr. T." He smiled.
Then he announced "She doesn't have scoliosis."
Huh? What?? He showed me the old and new X-rays. Her back was curved, less and the other way! I'm like "what?!?"
She has... and he said some medical mumbo jumbo. Scoliosic something or other. What is that?
He just repeated it.
"That's what you just said!" Sigh. He loves explaining stuff usually. Was he just not in the mood? Well, I thought brightly, I can ask the ped eventually.
So basically, I've been walking around for the last three or four years thinking my daughter has scoliosis and now, all of a sudden, it's off the table. I did mention that we were told that as long as it didn't progress, nothing needed to be done. I hadn't been losing sleep over harness nightmares or anything. Apparently, slight scoliosis's that don't progress and don't need treatment, are pretty common. I wasn't worried but now I get to nix it altogether.
"Ballet is good for this!" he offered up. My daughter purses her lips, whispering "Nooooooo!"and shaking her head slowly. So what does he do? Repeats that. No sorry. Not happening. His sales pitch wasn't working too well.
Someone knocks. Secretary explaining that someone needs an X-ray first thing in the morning. He then explained that he wouldn't be there and told her what to do...
When she left, I just said out of curiosity "You don't work on Saturdays, do you?"
Then I got this whole explanation of how their scheduling works. Wouldn't explain whatever condition my kid has five minutes earlier but something I absolutely don't need to know, I get the whole, detailed description.
I know this guy has Asperger's. I absolutely am sure of this. Any doubt has been erased in my mind.
Please note, this is not a disparaging comment. This would throw him in with Bill Gates and Albert Einstein. Actually, a diagnostic radiologist is the perfect career choice for someone with Asperger's. They like repetitive patterns and get upset if something is amiss, like a cancerous tumor. The way he reacted when he saw mine comes to mind, running down the hall, telling me to get dressed quickly...
It actually explains a lot about him (if true). I figure since I'm nero-atypical (dyslexic) myself, it takes one to recognize another one. I was glancing around at his office. Not one single item out of place. Everything stacked in little piles. The picture of his daughters that he's only changed once in 14 years... Soooo wanted to ask him "Do you feel that you're wired, just a little differently, than everyone else?"
So, figuring I can safely jump subjects without penalty (social interaction is not an Aspie's strong point), I happily told him that my ovarian cysts were gone at my last gyn visit and that I had a date for my colonoscopy with the gastroenterologist he recommended, there at Adassa, in October.
I mentioned a study that came out recently in California, saying that a lumpectomy with radiation was just as effective as a double mastectomy for long-term survival. Then I added that my sister wrote an article on it. "Your sister's story! Yes, I read it..." Very nice but that was ages ago.
I said nicely, "Actually, she's a medical journalist. She writes a lot of stories. This one is more recent..."
As he was putting the X-rays away in the envelope, I noticed one of the names of another radiologist in his group. She had both the name of the retired radiologist... and my surgeon. "Just wondering..." I started, jumping subjects once again "is this coincidence??"
"No. She's married to Dr. G.'s son."
"So his son is married to a radiologist and his daughter is married to a radiation oncologist?"
"Huh?"
I named the son-in-law. "He works at St. Anne."
What's odd, and I didn't mention it then, but I realize that I don't know either of Dr. G's children but I do know both of their fathers-in-law, just by chance. I'll mention it to Dr. G. when I see him in December and we'll have a chuckle over that fact.
This town is too small for my cancer!!!
"Yes, it's a medical family."
"Like mine. Like yours'!" I added brightly.
He stopped and looked at me sadly. "Neither of my daughters went into medicine."
I think that's the third time he's told me that. He originally said that about three ultrasounds ago. I remember him hovered over the machine, glaring at the screen, grunting "Ecole" click! "de" click! "Commerce..." click! Business school. We have issues! Do you want to talk about this??
Well, neither my sister nor I went into medicine, and none of our cousins, I told him again.
He really needs to get over this, I thought, leaving his immaculate office.
I did mention my theory to one person who knows him, who totally disagreed (guess he never compared her thyroid to his hair but I digress!) Then she said "But I thought you liked him!"
I do. The Asperger theory just would explain a lot. It actually adds to his charm, and gives me free reign to skip from one subject to the next, with impunity...
Of course I had to get a follow-up and I dragged my feet. Finally, when I went to make an apt., her pediatric radiologist had retired! The ped wanted to send me somewhere else. The secretary was going to give me a name.
"Listen, she's 10." I explained, "does she really need a pediatric radiologist? Her school is right near Adassa. I can park. She's already been to Dr. N. He found my cancer. Can I just go there?"
I think the found cancer words sealed the deal. Of course. She can go there...
When I called, they wanted to give me Dr. N.'s partner, who does children, including mine and I know him too, but he wasn't there in the afternoons. Dr. N. was. This X-ray didn't merit pulling her out of school and there was a slot Friday evening.
I managed to find her old X-rays from the retired doctor and brought them along.
Luckily, the blond tech he's had for all these years was there. She was the one who cheered me up the day of my biopsy. She's really good with children and was able to get Davina to do what she needed to do. She got her into position. Really huge negatives! Like three feet long that she pulled out and took into the other room.
Then she put us in the back waiting room, where I spent so much time on the day of my surgery.
Meanwhile, my two older ones, who were supposed to meet up and come home together near their schools, got into a tiff. Talia ended up hitting her brother, who had forgotten his phone at home, with her school bag. Of course she did it with all his friends watching... They had absolutely refused to come over to Adassa and wait so I let them organize coming home themselves. They both insisted on coming home together on the tram. So I was trying to negotiate a settlement (that was not going to involve coming to Adassa, even though it was in walking distance, for either one) when he called Davina's name.
Gotta go! Shut off phone and stuffed it in my bag.
Said "Bonjour!" shook his hand and peeked at the X-ray. "We're back. You've inherited her from Dr. T." (the retired radiologist). He thought that was funny.
"Well, I'm going to retire too." Huh??
Awkward silence. What was that? Fishing for a compliment? Did a rich aunt die and leave him everything so he's now announcing to me that he's retiring?
What to say? "Um, I think you're a tad younger than Dr. T." He smiled.
Then he announced "She doesn't have scoliosis."
Huh? What?? He showed me the old and new X-rays. Her back was curved, less and the other way! I'm like "what?!?"
She has... and he said some medical mumbo jumbo. Scoliosic something or other. What is that?
He just repeated it.
"That's what you just said!" Sigh. He loves explaining stuff usually. Was he just not in the mood? Well, I thought brightly, I can ask the ped eventually.
So basically, I've been walking around for the last three or four years thinking my daughter has scoliosis and now, all of a sudden, it's off the table. I did mention that we were told that as long as it didn't progress, nothing needed to be done. I hadn't been losing sleep over harness nightmares or anything. Apparently, slight scoliosis's that don't progress and don't need treatment, are pretty common. I wasn't worried but now I get to nix it altogether.
"Ballet is good for this!" he offered up. My daughter purses her lips, whispering "Nooooooo!"and shaking her head slowly. So what does he do? Repeats that. No sorry. Not happening. His sales pitch wasn't working too well.
Someone knocks. Secretary explaining that someone needs an X-ray first thing in the morning. He then explained that he wouldn't be there and told her what to do...
When she left, I just said out of curiosity "You don't work on Saturdays, do you?"
Then I got this whole explanation of how their scheduling works. Wouldn't explain whatever condition my kid has five minutes earlier but something I absolutely don't need to know, I get the whole, detailed description.
I know this guy has Asperger's. I absolutely am sure of this. Any doubt has been erased in my mind.
Please note, this is not a disparaging comment. This would throw him in with Bill Gates and Albert Einstein. Actually, a diagnostic radiologist is the perfect career choice for someone with Asperger's. They like repetitive patterns and get upset if something is amiss, like a cancerous tumor. The way he reacted when he saw mine comes to mind, running down the hall, telling me to get dressed quickly...
It actually explains a lot about him (if true). I figure since I'm nero-atypical (dyslexic) myself, it takes one to recognize another one. I was glancing around at his office. Not one single item out of place. Everything stacked in little piles. The picture of his daughters that he's only changed once in 14 years... Soooo wanted to ask him "Do you feel that you're wired, just a little differently, than everyone else?"
So, figuring I can safely jump subjects without penalty (social interaction is not an Aspie's strong point), I happily told him that my ovarian cysts were gone at my last gyn visit and that I had a date for my colonoscopy with the gastroenterologist he recommended, there at Adassa, in October.
I mentioned a study that came out recently in California, saying that a lumpectomy with radiation was just as effective as a double mastectomy for long-term survival. Then I added that my sister wrote an article on it. "Your sister's story! Yes, I read it..." Very nice but that was ages ago.
I said nicely, "Actually, she's a medical journalist. She writes a lot of stories. This one is more recent..."
As he was putting the X-rays away in the envelope, I noticed one of the names of another radiologist in his group. She had both the name of the retired radiologist... and my surgeon. "Just wondering..." I started, jumping subjects once again "is this coincidence??"
"No. She's married to Dr. G.'s son."
"So his son is married to a radiologist and his daughter is married to a radiation oncologist?"
"Huh?"
I named the son-in-law. "He works at St. Anne."
What's odd, and I didn't mention it then, but I realize that I don't know either of Dr. G's children but I do know both of their fathers-in-law, just by chance. I'll mention it to Dr. G. when I see him in December and we'll have a chuckle over that fact.
This town is too small for my cancer!!!
"Yes, it's a medical family."
"Like mine. Like yours'!" I added brightly.
He stopped and looked at me sadly. "Neither of my daughters went into medicine."
I think that's the third time he's told me that. He originally said that about three ultrasounds ago. I remember him hovered over the machine, glaring at the screen, grunting "Ecole" click! "de" click! "Commerce..." click! Business school. We have issues! Do you want to talk about this??
Well, neither my sister nor I went into medicine, and none of our cousins, I told him again.
He really needs to get over this, I thought, leaving his immaculate office.
I did mention my theory to one person who knows him, who totally disagreed (guess he never compared her thyroid to his hair but I digress!) Then she said "But I thought you liked him!"
I do. The Asperger theory just would explain a lot. It actually adds to his charm, and gives me free reign to skip from one subject to the next, with impunity...
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