Unable to swallow this morning (please no jokes) I took off from work and went to The Country Doctor Clinic in Seattle on 19th and Republican. It felt like there was a lump in my throat (once again,no jokes) The clinic has been there for over thirty years and the three NYC hippie doctors who started it for those who could not afford medical care are now all retired (so depressing when your doctor retires!!!!) There have been many modern improvements,but it still has the feel of a place that really cares for patients who are broke.The magazines always get taken or altered in the waiting room.There used to be a special sunken play space for the children, rife with toys...gone now,with too many ailing people needing to sit down.The framed cartoon by Linda Barry is still above a long bench seat donated by her from the days when she lived in an apartment above the clinic.The crowd is younger and has more tattoos (how do they afford those,but cant pay for medical care?) For a while the staff had walkie talkies but they have gone back to the more familial method of yelling across the room to each other,now in English and in Spanish. The scale they weigh you on looks like something out of a space ship, but is still off by the five pounds that I KNOW that Ive lost. Your temperature is taken with something they stick in your ear which feels surprisingly pleasant. I was relieved not to have to wear a hospital gown since it was just my throat being examined,though I had worn the good bra from Italy just in case.The doctor introduced himself as Mark and looked like about twelve.On the way over, I had made my plan that if it was really bad news...no fuss,a quickie garage sale to liquidate my lifes stuff,a goodbye around town and off to Costa Rica to live out whatever was left on my two credit cards which are ridiculously generous and on which I have no current balance.But the diagnosis was that I had an inflamed thyroid,and tests would be made,but it would go away by itself.I looked at my watch...if they had speeded things up I could have made it to work,and there went the daiquiries on the beach at sunset.What a shitty day! Iwas going to live.
Posted on: Thu, 03 Jul 2014 21:21:32 +0000
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