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Post 1736, Day 266 of 2016
- 2,092 days since I started this blog -
Daily Comment
- 2,092 days since I started this blog -
I am so ambivalent about modernity and progress, even when it comes to science.
I have a lot of fun, and enjoy a lot of convenience in the digital age, but I am not certain it is worth the losses I have experienced.
But medicine - that's complicated. While there have been huge advances in medicine, and I owe my health and my life to medical interventions I've had over the years that might never have been available to me if I were not born in this age, some of the progress in medicine seems like anything but. Because, when you are at the edges of the science, say in matters of cancer or neurological diseases, or rare diseases without a large enough occurrence rate to have been studied (or to make study profitable); when the doctors' knowledge of the human body is exhausted, things stop looking modern.
I don't know where the balance is, but I know wherever it is, medicine has been very good to me.
An anomaly on my last regular (every four months') blood work was a higher-than-normal amount of phosphatase. This usually indicates a gall bladder problem, but I don't have one of those any more, so the doctor was concerned that it was an indication of bone loss, that I could be developing osteoporosis.
For that, he ordered another blood test in six weeks. Here's where the 'modern' starts:
His practice is all about electronic medical records, making notes on a tablet computer as he goes, sending my prescriptions in electronically, and also maintaining a web site where I can see those notes, test results and other less technical things, like appointments, etc.
When the phosphatase results came back from the retest almost the same, he ordered a dexa scan, which is a 'dual x-ray' (dexa, see?) whole body bone density scan.
I knew within a few hours of the blood re-test what the results were, because I got an email telling me to 'check the results' on the web-site. A couple of days later, I got another email telling me that I would have to arrange for the dexa scan, details of which (as well as a necessary 'paper' prescription of the doctor's order, would arrive by ordinary mail.
When I got the letter, and called to make the appointment, I was told I didn't need an appointment, the procedure took less than ten minutes, I could just do a walk-in.
Which I did today.
While the x-rays were being done, the images were showing up on a computer display real-time. How's that for modern? I think my next dental x-rays will be the same as that.
Then, only four hours later, I get an email telling me I can see the test results.
Which, thank goodness, showed nothing abnormal, no indication of bone loss, and, in fact, a better-than-average density for someone my age.
It goes without saying that, despite my misgivings about technology, progress, modernity, I am nothing but grateful.
I have a lot of fun, and enjoy a lot of convenience in the digital age, but I am not certain it is worth the losses I have experienced.
But medicine - that's complicated. While there have been huge advances in medicine, and I owe my health and my life to medical interventions I've had over the years that might never have been available to me if I were not born in this age, some of the progress in medicine seems like anything but. Because, when you are at the edges of the science, say in matters of cancer or neurological diseases, or rare diseases without a large enough occurrence rate to have been studied (or to make study profitable); when the doctors' knowledge of the human body is exhausted, things stop looking modern.
I don't know where the balance is, but I know wherever it is, medicine has been very good to me.
An anomaly on my last regular (every four months') blood work was a higher-than-normal amount of phosphatase. This usually indicates a gall bladder problem, but I don't have one of those any more, so the doctor was concerned that it was an indication of bone loss, that I could be developing osteoporosis.
For that, he ordered another blood test in six weeks. Here's where the 'modern' starts:
His practice is all about electronic medical records, making notes on a tablet computer as he goes, sending my prescriptions in electronically, and also maintaining a web site where I can see those notes, test results and other less technical things, like appointments, etc.
When the phosphatase results came back from the retest almost the same, he ordered a dexa scan, which is a 'dual x-ray' (dexa, see?) whole body bone density scan.
I knew within a few hours of the blood re-test what the results were, because I got an email telling me to 'check the results' on the web-site. A couple of days later, I got another email telling me that I would have to arrange for the dexa scan, details of which (as well as a necessary 'paper' prescription of the doctor's order, would arrive by ordinary mail.
When I got the letter, and called to make the appointment, I was told I didn't need an appointment, the procedure took less than ten minutes, I could just do a walk-in.
Which I did today.
While the x-rays were being done, the images were showing up on a computer display real-time. How's that for modern? I think my next dental x-rays will be the same as that.
Then, only four hours later, I get an email telling me I can see the test results.
Which, thank goodness, showed nothing abnormal, no indication of bone loss, and, in fact, a better-than-average density for someone my age.
It goes without saying that, despite my misgivings about technology, progress, modernity, I am nothing but grateful.
Food and Diet
Today's Weight: 200.2 lbs.
Diet Comment
Previous Weight (9/21): 201.8 lbs.
Net Loss/Gain: - 1.6 lbs.
Diet Comment
And... goal weight, and the trend line goes negative (slightly, but negative)!
Food Log
Breakfast
4:50pm:
Lunch
 |
| Beef and red beans with red curry sauce, chia and hemp seeds, cottage cheese, sauteed greens and broccoli. |
9:00pm: A Quest bar.
11:20pm: Cottage cheese, pork rinds and a Quest bar.
Liquid Intake
Espressos: 1; Coffee: 0 oz.; Tea: 0 oz.; Water: 96+ oz.
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