the rix mix

My prostate surgery is  scheduled for Thursday Sept. 30th. It was always scheduled for that date. So why, since late July, was it on my calendar & mind as the 20th? & because of that, I felt rushed. The primary doctor didn't want to see me for required preop clearance until Sept., & she had to authorize the other standard tests - otherwise insurance won't cover. I could not understand why the specialist's office had not contacted me yet with the usual instructions - check-in time, the reminder to stop taking aspirin,  prescribe the 7 day antibiotic regime - I've been through this  preop stuff before. & I need an  "unofficial" clearance from my shrink, who I see tomorrow & who, despite his mild personality,  doesn't hesitate long before calling a "time out," & it doesn't matter how inconvenient it might be for a patient or anyone else, as I learned in 2004.  I knew the situation as of yesterday would not please him.  He gives me  ten or fifteen minutes to babble every other month, & he expects me to be reasonably rational. He even acquired an MSW assistant  who sizes you up before you see him merely by engaging you in some small talk after you sign in. She has learned  that:  1. I dislike   that area of Elizabeth, & 2. I do not drink stale decaf & I detest powdered nondairy creamer, & 3. Those are not symptoms of emotional distress. She may also have noticed that I can converse with people who cannot string two or more fully coherent thoughts together in their spoken word.  I suspect it's a common ability for experienced poets, who simply approach those kinds of chats as a series of non sequiturs. It's how poets often talk with each other.

Labels: Elizabeth NJ, mental health