Executive Function

Remember when I told you that after the heart procedure I had some cognitive problems. I couldn't find words and had trouble organizing things. Well, last night I was trying to put my next annual physical checkup in Google Calendar and noticed that I had double-booked a visit to the podiatrist with an appointment to get my hearing aid fixed. Those audiologist appointments are hard to come by, and I had postponed that one several times. I wan't looking forward to calling the nice lady and explaining that I had f--ed up again. As I tried to fall asleep I was going into my quiet space to calm the anxiety and cortisol build-up that I have learned comes with agitation and irritation.

I made it through the night and checked my paper calendar in the morning and realized that I had already rescheduled the audiologist until June. Is this a memory problem or an organizational problem? It's the worry that comes on automatically that is the damaging part.


Podiatrist vs Orthopedist. One of you asked, "Why would you go to a Podiatrist instead of an Orthopaedic Surgeon (MD) ?" 

Tell you the truth, I was never sure of the difference between a podiatrist and an orthopedist. It turns out that they both get medical training and what they do overlaps a lot. The podiatrist was in the UVM Healthcare system, so I just took the referral. It is a mixed thing. The general practitioners do not know something like Charcot Foot when they see it (although my cardiac rehab nurse knew), and the podiatrist didn't take care not to put sticky stuff right on bare skin, because the skin tears when the stuff is removed. An orthopedist is supposed to be better at viewing the whole system.

One reason not to go to a orthopedic surgeon is that surgeons want to do surgery. That's what they prepare for and are good at. I hope to avoid surgery, so I will go to someone who is interested in mobility.

Graphic Interlude.

One nice piece of feedback from Pinkwater is his comic, Norb, by Pinkwater and Auth.
http://www.cartoonsimple.com/2012/07/norb-by-pinkwater-and-auth.html

I have no idea what the plot line means, but I am proud to have a Pinkwater character named after me. And if Voluble's plot is thwarted, you have my avatar to thank.

Podiatrist.

I saw Stephen Merena today and found that the wound is not getting any smaller, but it isn't getting worse.  I asked whether we could put the sticky padding with the relief hole right in the boot so it wouldn't be sticking to my skin. OK, let's fashion an insert that has twice the relief as what was in the boot before. Still the best thing is to stay off of it. This fix allows a regular thin bandage and wrap on my foot and the boot does all the relief work.

Handcycle.

Becka Roolf suggest that I might rent a handcycle. It turns out that there is a guy right in Burlington, the Northeast Disabled Athletic Association. Patrick Standen and I have a date to try out one of his rental bikes. While looking for handcycles, I got to talk to Joe Connelly at RunVermont. I used to do the Vermont City Marathon timing when we were using the hand-timing system, way before the chips they use now. It was nice to catch up.

Executive Function Update. I think I am being pretty creative