My world and our world

I am sure you have heard it said that there are no atheists in foxholes. I think I have a corollary to that saying: There are no atheists in the surgical prep room at hospitals.

I have spent the last couple of months in and out of doctors’ o ces, for x-rays, CT scans, blood work, EKGs (I think they now call them ECGs), the optometrist and the hearing specialists. It seems everything is falling apart at once. I won’t bore you with all the details but what they have found so far is arthritis in my lower spine and hip joints, four hernias, spots on my lungs, I am practically deaf and my eyesight has dropped o a cli .

Now, for the good news: The Doc says the spots on my lungs are nothing to worry about. It seems they compared the scans to some old ones and found they have been there for years, and may even be a bit smaller than they were. So, I am grateful for any positive news in this season of discontent (and disrepair).

I have spent some time being tested for my hearing. I knew it was bad. I have had tinnitus all my life and when, as a young man, I was sent to Richmond the second time at the direction of the Dra Board, they sent me home because my hearing was terrible. At the time, our country was deep into the Vietnam con ict and I wasn’t quali ed for anything but a foot soldier, so I wasn’t terribly disappointed when they rejected me for service.

Last week, I spent an interesting hour with a young lady who has a doctorate in Audiology. She showed me the latest improvements in hearing aids and I was very impressed. She put the hearing aids in my ears and was able to control them from her computer. I have been told by a friend that he controls his with a program on his cell phone. I continue to be amazed. Mine are now on order and all I will have to do is gure out how to control them. Thank goodness for children and grandchildren who can do just about anything with their cell phones.

My new glasses are on order and I should be able to see the yellow lines in the highway once again. (Just kidding!). And I am scheduled for laparoscopic surgery next week for the hernias.

If you love country life and have not been to Haymarket for a long time, don’t go. I nearly got lost and the hospital is in sight of I-66. Oh my, has it grown up. And everybody is in a hurry to go somewhere.

Until next time, take care of yourself and if you can work it into your schedule, say a prayer for the poor, innocent people of Ukraine. Nobody, including me, wants a shooting war with Russia. But, still, I wonder how the world can let a bully like Putin get away with his atrocities. May he have to answer for it before he leaves this world.