Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

2008 Irv and I were at Twin Lakes RV Park in Cumming, GA.  We were clueless about available medical care. Our daughter-in-law, Cam owns her own firm as a consultant that builds breast cancer centers all over the country for Breast Surgeons and Hospitals had asked us to stay in GA to help out with Granddaughter, Grace and work part-time to help her build a breast center at the Floyd County Hospital in Rome, GA.  She... knows everything. How does the saying go? "It's not what you know but who you know!". 

I needed an Ophthalmologist so Cam recommended  Dr. Frances Dickinson "Dickie" McMullan. "Dickie" is an answered prayer... so much so when we moved to the Keys in 2009, I made a point of seeing her before we left and when we came up for Kelly and Emily graduations in 2010, I got my check-up. When we moved back to GA permanently in 2012, she did  successful cataract surgery on both eyes. The only problem is inflammation and too much pressure in my left eye. At my visit today, she was very happy with my new 20/25 vision with no inflammation but the pressure in my left eye was a tad too much. She noticed on my medications list I prepared that I use Flosamax (a steroid) drops for allergies and steroids increase pressure in the eye. I will discontinue for a month and she'll check it again in February. I have been on Flosamax for years and... it's been on my meds list I provide to all my doctors. Her physician's assistant normally notes med on chart so it was the first time "Dickie" had it brought to her attention. I have always said, "One must be one's own advocate". Don't expect doctor's to know, notice and be aware of anything... seriously!!! 


Recently I had an episode with extremely high blood pressure. Irv and I had found Dr. Shravantika Reddy, a Geriatric primary care physician who spoke a our senior center. We love her!!! She is very conservative and generous. At my last visit, she told me Medicare will no longer pay for Cholesterol blood work but... if she thinks I need it, I'll have it and if Medicare won't pay.. she'll write it off. Anyway, she put me on a blood pressure medication that according to the pharmacist has a side effect of severe coughing but try it. I did and it did so I call her to say, "You've got to put me on something else".  NOW, she knows I am on four medications for allergies, coughing being a problem and... she puts me on a medication that makes me cough!!! 

Anyway, all this murmuring (isn't that a sin) there is excellent news. In the course of my conversation with "Dickie", I had occasion to say, "Something good always comes out of anything bad.". She stopped what she was doing, turned around and said, "What did you say?". I repeated it and she told me she had been up since 4a.m. reading a book The Goldfinch whose author believes the same thing and shared stories in the book. I remarked our Pastor in the Keys put it simply, "We live on a fallen planet in a broken world". We will have bad things happen but I "testified" that I am God's spoiled child who is abundantly blessed, favored and protected but when bad things happen, He is with me every step of the way. "Dickie" told me her sister is a woman of great faith like that and it's the most important thing. Amen!!!

Next... get emissions done, pay ad valor um auto tax and get tags. One expects long lines but... again God blessed us with barely a five minute wait so off to Chili's for lunch with our gift card in hand.


Lovely lunch at Chili's, darling, sweet and attentive server who... just happened to have gone to school and graduated with Granddaughter, Kelly since middle school... had all good things to say about sweet, quiet, gentle Kelly or as she said this morning on the phone, "Those days are long gone." No more quiet, soft-spoken girl... at least to her Grandma and Mother. She's very gentle with Grandpa. 

Home again to batten down the hatches for sub -0- weather.