Yes, we are senior citizens now, and LeftBrain is having his first major surgery--a rotator cuff tear. We go from one doctor to the next and fill out a half-dozen forms in each office. LeftBrain doesn't even attempt to fill them out. His entire medical records are now in my weak brain. When the doctor office calls and insists on speaking to the patient, I have to listen in to give them the correct answers.

They called one day and said they would have to postpone surgery because of his heart condition. "What heart condition," I say. The nurse said he told us he was on heart medication and a blood thinner. I told her he took cholesterol medicine and he had no heart condition.

Another thing about those forms. As soon as you get to a patient room, the nurse walks in and asks you the same questions. You say, "I put it on the form." "Oh, I don't have those forms," she says. "They're up front being input into the computer." When the doctor arrives, does he have the forms? No. Does anyway look at the forms? Maybe it's a test to see if we can read and write? I've also thought about having my insurance card tattooed on the back of my hand.

Anyway, after our third or fourth doctor's visit, we finally made it to the surgeon's office. After talking to the PA and the surgeon, the nurse came in with more forms. She looks up for a moment and asks, "are you gonna be
taking care of him?" By this time, I had run out of what little patience I had. "Well, you know his mistress is just good for one thing." Without blinking, she said, "Then it'll be you."

I then started thinking about all the things that LeftBrain does. He maintains all the vehicles, mows the yard, winterizes the house, changes all manner of filters, takes out the trash, installs new hot water heaters, etc. He has a lot of ingenuity, though. Do you suppose he can figure out to do all these things with one good arm?

Stay tuned. Surgery's scheduled for March 5.