A Day of Marvelous Discovery

I thought it would never happen again, but it has. In the five-minutes-per-patient world of medical professionals of all sorts, I discovered today a person (and a specialist at that) who took me back to "Marcus Welby, M.D." By that I mean a person who took as much time as I needed/wanted, answered all of my questions wnile posing more than a few in my direction, offered me the opportunity to direct my own health care, and THANKED ME FOR COMING! Seriously. I was taken aback in no uncertain terms by this treatment. Did I mention I was half an hour late for my appointment due to unforeseen circumstances? Did I mention the specialist thing? Well, this was not just any specialist, either. As an orthopedist, this doctor studied under and eventually worked with Dr. James Andrews before settling here in Green Bay. (If you are unfamiliar with the reputation of Andrews, you don't follow sports much)
Recommended by our athletic trainer, I finally conceded a visit to the doctor after three months of pain in an achilles tendon...an issue that I noticed over spring break but ignored until a marble-sized swelling occurred just above my ankle. (turns out that I'm a "classic" case of a person about to potentially rupture a tendon...eek!) Anyway, my amazement at being treated like I knew something about my body in addition to being given complete control over what to do next (MRI) left me stunned. It had been a long time.
Our family doctor who aided us in Algoma was like that. He never rushed me, he asked how I felt about things, and he never gave up searching for a proper diagnosis. It was a joy to have him as a primary care physician because I always felt that I mattered...and he always referred to specialists if he thought it was appropriate. Of course, one might excuse that as the Welby-type behavior of a small-town medico, but I know it was more than that. And until today, I never thought I would feel so lucky to have such a doctor in my corner.
What happens next remains to be seen. I'll deal with the tendon based on what is suggested by the MRI. I won't like it...I've never been patient...but I'll do it.
Then, as today's Welby impersonator suggested, I'll do something for my knees.
Amazing.