Checkups
It was a down day today, with nothing going on. But tomorrow I somehow managed to get two doctors’ appointments in the same day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon... And I'm not even sick!
I haven't been involved with the VA for very long, but I'm noticing a pattern emerging here. Twice a year, the VA schedules me to undergo a comprehensive blood test, and a week after those tests, I receive a doctor’s appointment to explain the results. This is all well and good, but I don't seem to have a choice in scheduling these appointments, other than twice a year. My appointment in the Fall has been planned since my last appointment in April. Both of these appointments are just check-ups; in less I have something to complain about. And so far, the only thing I've been able to complain about is why I have to go to a doctor when I'm not sick…..
I know, I know, they’re trying to nip things in the bud before they get to be a problem. I guess it just bothers me that I have to make appointments six months ahead of time, as if I know what I’m doing and where I’ll be when that appointment comes due. Remember, I’m the one who doesn’t even like to make a campground reservation a week ahead of time because it puts me on a schedule, and I really try to avoid schedules and deadlines as much as possible. And I know I’m definitely in the minority on this, but I feel that schedules and deadlines are a dagger in the heart of my freedom.
Fall continues to make itself known as I have to wear a jacket until nine or ten o'clock in the morning before it starts to warm up. And late afternoon, around six or seven o'clock, the coat comes on again. This is nature's way of reminding us what Fall is like and to keep our jackets close.
Theboondork
I took these two pictures with my 10-year-old cell phone camera, so they're not very good, but the VA regional Hospital in Denver is so humongous that I certainly didn't want to carry my big camera around with me.
The building straight ahead, all the buildings on the left, and more buildings behind me, are the Denver VA regional Hospital. All the parking is underground, and my Lance camper won't fit in the underground parking garage, which is another reason my daughter chauffeers me around whenever I had to go to this hospital for my cataract surgeries.
This is the main entrance hallway in one of those buildings you see in the picture above. This is only half of the hallway. If I turned around and took another photo in the opposite direction, it would look just like this picture. The place is cavernous.
After my cataract surgeries, the rules are that I had to be taken out of the hospital in a wheelchair. And when I mentioned how big this place was to the guy pushing my wheelchair, he said he had worked here for two weeks before he could reliably find his way from one place to another.
Congratulations to the VA for having a beautiful facility and really great people working here. Unfortunately, it's located in a very busy, traffic-infested part of Denver. So, other than by helicopter, there is no convenient way to get here without dealing with busy highways and lots of traffic.