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The Martinezs' Return to the Doctor

So, yesterday we were to return to see Dr. Bacon for El Hubbo’s hip.  We made it to the parking lot of the doctor’s office building with minimal arguing.  We got on the elevator with many other people and realized once the door closed that neither one of us remembered which floor Dr. Bacon’s office was on.  El Hubbo was nearer the door, so as it opened on the next floor, he tried to hurriedly read the signs outside to see if we had arrived or not.  I mentioned to El Hubbo that Dr. Bacon had the same name as my OB/GYN.  He didn’t think it humorous when I suggested it would be funny if we showed up at the wrong doctor’s office. 

Once we successfully navigated our way to Dr. Bacon’s office and checked in, I sat and studied the room.  Unlike last time it was filled with patients – all of the elderly-persuasion.  I watched them come and go and jockey for position with their walkers and wheelchairs.  El Hubbo asked me what I was thinking as sat with a pensive look on my face.  I told him I wondered if there would be a way to dress up his walker after the surgery – maybe put some flames on it and get him a spiked biker’s helmet.  Again, he gave me his “I’m not amused” look.

In most doctors’ offices, the tv in the corner shows CNN or some other news channel – something benign and appealing to the masses.  Not here!  We were treated to a rerun of Bonanza.  I’m pretty sure most folks in the room saw the first run of the episode.  El Hubbo asked what I was thinking.  (I have no idea why he continues to torture himself with my thought processes.  If he asks, I’m going to tell him.  If he doesn’t like what he hears, I must really wonder why he asks???)  So, I tell him I was thinking about Hoss and Little Joe and that took me off on the path of other “old” shows and I thought of John Wayne (who rocks!) and then I thought of Gabby Hayes and then I thought that Gabby was an interesting name, and if El Hubbo was going to have a hip replacement then I could imagine that he would be fussy like an old man and that he should have an old-man-nickname and I decided he should be called Gimpy as it described the current situation AND it rhymed with Gabby.  I smiled as I was quite proud of myself.  Again, Gimpy was not amused.

We’re called back to see the doctor.  When he enters, he asks El Hubbo, “So, how long has it been?”  El Hubbo and I look at each other, not sure how to answer the question.  El Hubbo says, “Two weeks?”  Dr. Bacon abruptly leaves the room, and we wonder if we should ask to see the chart just to make sure he has the right file. 

Dr. Bacon comes back and surprise!  Dr. Jekyll’s office has not sent the MRI from TWO WEEKS AGO.  I could see El Hubbo’s blood pressure rising.   Dr. Bacon sits down and has a candid discussion about the drawbacks of someone so young having a hip replacement.  We appreciated his honesty.  And, then something derailed the conversation to castration practices.  Not of humans, but of animals.  Which is what El Hubbo was doing earlier in the day.  Which also explains the accumulation of dirt and other things on his jeans.  Turns out, Dr. Bacon is familiar with the many ways in which animals may be castrated.  It is somehow much more interesting to hear someone with a British accent describing the process. 

Once this topic of conversation came to a close, it was agreed upon that we should return in 3 months and evaluate the options again at that time.  And so we will.  On our way out, I told Gimpy that maybe we should make ourselves comfortable in the lobby again, a bonus episode of Bonanza would be on next!

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