VA Physical Is Done

Saturday morning and I was up at 5:00. I had set my phone alarm for the first time in 3 months! Being retired I have not had to set an alarm to get up for anything except check out time at the RV Park which no alarm was really needed. You know the routine from there and then I woke Sherri up so she could go with me to the Veterans Hospital for my exams. We sat and drank our coffee and discussed the route we would take to the Hospital. I packed up some magazines to take with us to pass the time during our wait. There is never any reading material at the VA to read while you are waiting on your name to be called.

We got ready and left the park about 6:15. We had planned our route and took off in that direction. Traffic was not bad at that time of the morning on a Saturday and I could feel that we were making good time. Going down Beltline road Sherri noticed that I was about 10 miles over the speed limit and told me to slow down. She then said “You did get your medical records, didn’t you?” EGADS! I had went off and forgot my packet with all my medical records in it. We had been traveling about 7 or 8 minutes at that time…so I turned around and started the trip back to the park to get them. This was not going to help my arrival time at the hospital one bit! What was I thinking…getting magazines and all the other stuff and forgetting the most important thing. No this does not have anything to do with my age…I have been doing this all my life. For some reason I just can’t remember everything to take when I get ready to go out. When I worked I had a secretary and a calendar and a computer that I stored all my memory on. I never had to really use the old noodle to store all this stuff and I guess I just got spoiled over time.

We got the papers and made it to the hospital in time for my morning labs. When we walked into the front door of the hospital I could tell that we might not have to wait too long for all my appointments. The hospital was empty and and there was no lines in the lab waiting room. Sherri stopped off at the ladies room on the way to the lab and by the time she got there and sat down I was coming out the door. We then headed up stairs to the X-ray lab. There I was ushered right in and out before Sherri could crack open the first magazine. Then it was down to the clinic for my appointment with the PA. There I did have to wait in line but it was just about 5 minutes and I was signed in and waiting.

I was called in shortly and filled out all my history in the system and then over to get my EKG. Beside having all the hair pulled off my chest that went rather well. From there back out to the waiting room. Soon I was called in to see the PA…who gave me the once over and then informed me that all my lab work had not come back yet so I would have to go back to the waiting room until he got that and they would call me. Now this did take some time. I was flying through the VA faster than I had ever been processed all my years going there. I was really surprised at how efficient they were there. Not at all like my doctor visits in civilian life. They had everything on computer and it was wham bam thank you and I was out of there.

Well my labs did make it back and I was called in to see the PA once more. He told me that everything looked good…this is the third time that I have heard this with all the other physicals that I have gone through….except my PSA…had not come back and that was the one thing that was on the rise? Oh well I will see how that is later when they call me. I got my appointment for September the 25 to visit with my Primary Care Physician.

Well this is why Sherri and I have put off the travels we have planned for so long. I had to change my health care over to the VA and that is taking some time. I had to have all my physicals once again. Now I have to go back for all the follow ups to see how all my levels are looking…so we are just hanging in Texas to see how things turn out. I am glad that I am getting all this done early on so that if I have to have anything done I can get it over with before we strike out on our adventures.

We left the VA about 12:00 and went over to the grocery store to buy some groceries. The doctor did tell me that my cholesterol was a bit high and that I needed to lower it before September. They don’t like putting you on drugs at the VA so I am given the chance to correct this on my own. We found all kinds of things to eat that were healthy and this will be the beginning of our diet to lower those levels.

We got back to the park about 3:00 and fixed us a late lunch. It was so nice to have a quiet time together and enjoy our lunch. We researched some parks to stay at in Tyler. One of the ones that stood out as far as price and location goes was #1 Tyler RV Park…which by the way is a PA park. We looked at several others and we kept coming back to it because of location. The price was a little more than the others but it was only 5 minutes from the store where Sherri would be working. So I made the reservations and we are good to go for the Sunday arrival.

While we were gone we got some new neighbors. They appear to be a young couple with two children. Sherri and I thought back when we first started our camping trips. Nothing would stand in our way of going and having fun. This couple was surely enjoying life and had not one care in the world. Someday they will have better but I doubt that they will have any more enjoyment than they are experiencing right now…  

Somewhere in Time