Hey, that's the wrong New Directions. That's the book-publishing company, founded in 1936 to publish experimental work from writers like Ezra Pound, William Saroyan, H.D., and William Carlos Williams. I love my copy of Paterson (NJ) by Williams.a flower within a flower whose historyWill I ever write another poem?
(within the mind) crouching
among the ferny rocks, laughs at the names
by which they think to trap it. Escapes!
At group last nite I asked Linda to read her poem He is Risen. We were in our small group discussion and talking about all sorts of things. I just had to share my kidney-transplant experiences with the 8 or so people in the group.
I demonstrated how I prick my finger w/ the Lancet and then how I inject the insulin on my belly.
The odious task of sticking your skin is quickly overcome.
Also told them of my visit to my family doctor, young James Foxhall. By the miracle of memory, I just flashed back to sitting in a chair in the exam room and Dr F sitting on a rolling chair in front of his laptop, on which everything is recorded.
I updated him on my diabetes situation and he said, "How do you feel about all this?"
Thank you for asking, I said.
My response of course was I want to live and I'll do everything I can not to jeopardize the health of my new kidney.
Told him I liked my new endocrinologist Nissa Blocher in J'town.
He said there's a good practice in J'town.
I said the answering service answers the phone, Dr Chernoff.
Yes, that's it, said Foxhall.
Mike, in our group, is doing fabulously well, all thanks to his nurse practitioner, Nancy Rutherford, who keeps adjusting his meds.
See, medicine can save your life!
Other topix of conversation were
- Do I wanna work full or part-time?
- Not attending a Passover seder for the first time in this man's life.
(BTW, Ada invited me to her seder but the food was too sweet for me, so I sadly declined. Gotta get my blood sugar under control)
- Dealing with his bladder cancer. He has excellent docs at Fox Chase Cancer Center where he gets an infusion of a tuberculosis vaccine:
BCG is a vaccine for tuberculosis (TB). Doctors are not quite sure how it works for bladder cancer, but they know from research that it helps stop bladder cancers growing back. You usually have this treatment weekly for 6 weeks. You may then have it every few weeks or months for the next 3 years. I was so happy to see everyone in the group.
We made $80 in door receipts last nite and today I drove to the bank, 20 minutes away.
This is the first time I drove since my surgery. You're sposed to wait 2 weeks. I absy did not feel like driving until today, 20 days after surgery.
So new kidney and I hopped into the car. Gas tank half full. Prices of gas skyrocketing. Backing outa the drive, I felt perfectly comfortable. If not, I would've gone back inside.
My daughter Sarah is doing great. Her remaining kidney is gallantly performing the job of two. She and Ethan went back to NY on Monday after her appt at Einstein. They drove back in the van of The Bad Plus cuz they played at Chris's Jazz Cafe Saturday and Sunday.
I am happy to hear you are getting back into the swing of things. Take some time to celebrate yourself too. You deserve it.
ReplyDeleteSorry you have to inject in your belly. That sounds hard. I watched someone inject Interferon in his belly for a year and was thinking I wouldn't be able to. You are right though, that we do what we need to in order to stay alive and well.
Sounds like life is giving a lot of folks in your group a run for their money.
You know WCW is one of my faves too, right? When I was a teen I wanted to be a poet/doc just like him.
I am having real trouble posting on your blog and twice now, my posts have not made it. I commented on the last post and it never went through. After multipe tries I gave up. If this doesn't work I will have to investigate futher.