JAN 27, 20 .. HIGH NOON .. OUR FIRST DAY AT THE MAYO CLINIC, PHOENIX, ARIZONA
If you would like to see our late afternoon lunch here in Phoenix after we were finished at the Mayo Clinic, click onto the below link..
http://bobbacaps.blogspot.com/2020/01/jan-27-20-hong-kong-here-in-phoenix.html
We wanted to show you that it is NOT ALL GRIM here. We really enjoyed our late lunch.
Oh !! We also attended not one, but two great meetings. A noon meeting and a meeting at 5:30pm. We saw members that date back to January of 2017. Much joy seeing them and we were warmly welcomed.
THE MAYO CLINIC
For some months, we have been building up to this visit to the Mayo Clinic. I likened it to the western movie High Noon. Sooner or later our High Noon was going to appear and today was the day.
We were up at 6am getting prepared for our day. We left our motel at 7:25am and despite heavy (some bumper to bumper crawling) traffic, we made very good time arriving at 7:50am for Patti’s 8:30am appointment. It helped immensely that we were able to use the HOV (High Occupancy Vehicle) lane of the freeway. This appointment was the first and the foremost reason for our trip here. Patti was diagnosed with an esophagus disorder called Barrett’s Esophagus. For more than you will ever want to know about this please click onto the below link..
https://www.webmd.com/heartburn-gerd/guide/barretts-esophagus-symptoms-causes-and-treatments#1
In the above article the key words are: If you’ve been diagnosed with Barrett’s esophagus, it’s important to have routine examinations of your esophagus. With routine examination, your doctor can discover precancerous and cancer cells early, before they spread and when the disease is easier to treat.
Patti’s doctor in Anchorage sounded the warning bell when she said to Patti : Your Barrett’s Syndrome has progressed to Stage 2. You need to have treatment as soon as possible. This cannot be accomplished in Alaska. You must go to Seattle.
Patti called the Mayo Clinic and asked if she could be treated for Stage 2 Barrett’s Syndrome. She was told : Yes !
So here we are in Phoenix at the Mayo Clinic.
We would rate her doctor (on the famous 0 to 10 scale) as a 50. He was beyond outstanding. He slowly and patiently explained to Patti all of the ins and outs of Barrett’s Syndrome and what needed to be done. In short, the critical area in her throat / esophagus must be burned out.
The process takes three procedures, each three months apart.
At this instant, Patti is scheduled to have this procedure this upcoming Friday the 31st at 8:30am.
After the above mentioned noon meeting, I met with my Mayo Doctor for a routine physical examination. Several issues arose (a fungal issue with my left foot and an ultra sound of my thyroid gland as well as an examination of a cyst on my left kidney). I will also be seeing an ophthalmologist to check my eyes for Macular Degeneration.
Patti and I are at, or nearing, the ‘end stage’ of life and the above issues are not unique to either of us. No one is getting out alive.
Still Smiling.. Both of us.. Blessed with being able to access the expertise of the Mayo Clinic Medical Staff.
Cap and Patti
PS .. THIS IS IT for the medical stuff. Oh we’ll give short updates but we’re not going to go into this much detail again.
- JAN 26, 20 .. FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH
- JAN 28, 20 .. MORE MAYO CLINIC NEWS .. AND YET ANOTHER PHOENIX RESTAURANT