Arriving Late to the Cynic Party

While I'm not naive enough to doubt that the pharmaceutical companies are in bed with doctors and vice versa, I may not have previously thought that the situation applied to MY doctors. Now I'm beginning to have doubts. I finally got in to see my cardiologist after the big foot-swelling incident -- they have swollen on other occasions since, but not nearly as bad -- and at first he said I had venous insufficiency. I said I'd never had a problem with my feet swelling in the past, and asked if the problem was related to the additional medications I'm on. Of course, the answer is yes, the medications can exacerbate the problem, and of course his first thought was to put me on yet another medication. I reminded him that I hadn't done so well with the last medication he put me on, so instead he shifted around the dosage on two of my current medications. And he ordered a "venous study" to find out what's going on.

There is no way I'm starting the new meds (or rather, the new doses) until after my class tomorrow. I can't -- and my students can't -- afford to miss another session of this eight-week course. Tomorrow, until classtime, will be a marathon grading day. I simply haven't had the time to catch up with all of it, and students will be turning in more papers next week. "Doing the best I can" isn't acceptable to me when it comes to work (and most other things), so for the moment I'm putting my class ahead of everything else. It's not about looking good in the eyes of college administration; it's about giving the students what they need and I've been a bit lax in that department over the last week or so. Part of it is that I'm just so damned tired all the time! The doctor said that shifting the dosages around may help with that too.

On the upside -- and I really do try to focus on that -- the doctor did say I'm fine to travel. So by the end of this week, when I've knocked out all my grading and planning, I'm going to touch base again with my friend and solidify our vacation arrangements. We're not even sure where we're going yet, but now I feel like I can make a plan without having to worry about my health. Bon voyage to us, as we head off to wherever.