The Other Thing

MW was here yesterday. She has been my patient since about 2000. She had several strokes. She is diabetic, hypertensive and obese. She had developed stroke-related Parkinson's at one point, but it cleared up. She has neuropathy from the diabetes. She has developed moderately severe dementia. Her husband is an excellent care giver. He keeps track of everything about her. He always brings her medication list and provides an excellent history about her. He is actually also a patient of mine because he had Guillain-Barre syndrome a few years back - I see him for his issues about once a year or so. He had a heart attack a few weeks ago. They wanted to do an angiogram but his nephrologist wouldn't let them because he thought that the dye would ruin his kidneys and cause renal failure (he only has one kidney). My wife is fond of saying that if you worry about something it will be the wrong thing to worry about. Well, Mr. and Mrs. W have always been worried about Mrs. She has been "clearly" the "sick" one that they need to tend to. I guess they should have been worried about "The Other Thing". Of course the trick is that we never know what "the other thing" is going to be until it is.

Everyone is very busy worrying about all of the wrong things much of the time. I know that worrying is not good for our health. I don't know if they worry everywhere or if it is a very "American" thing. It seems that there isn't enough "inner peace" around these days. There is too much "wanting" and "worrying". I think that they are related. With increased "peace" we can accept the illness that is there now without worry. Those of us who can do that seem to do better.

I told AM yesterday that she would do very well with her knee surgery. I know that because she is that way - she accepts the illness that is there without worrying about it. It's a rare trait among my patients.