Good morning, Netizens...

 

I have been more than a bit remiss in posting in Community Comment lately, for a number of personal reasons. However, now that I have once again caught up my job list, completing a number of fairly complex tasks for a diverse number of clients, attending to various medical items and catching up my social engagements, matters are now more or less back on schedule as of this morning.

 

Incredible as it might seem, there is nothing significantly wrong with me medically at the moment, other than a minor heart murmur which has been examined at length by my cardiologist, and some benign gallstones. What is amazing to me is the number of tests and diagnoses which suddenly become necessary once I had medical insurance through social insecurity. The doctors, surgeons and other medical professionals wouldn't so much as touch me for less than $1000 or more prior to my getting social insecurity, and in most cases none of the medical needs were even diagnosed prior to this time.

 

Even now, attending any of the specialists for any of these tests requires a copay which is a mere pittance of what most procedures actually would cost, which I suppose is an improvement. Of course, I still do not have to either agree with or like the diagnosticians' view of what is wrong with my aging fatbody. However, they all do seem to agree vehemently with the fact I am on day 23 of not smoking. Good Lord what a painful, aggravating task it has been staying away from cigarettes! However, I think I have made it. None of the medical team have, to my knowledge, ever smoked for thirty-plus years, but I appreciate their adulation. Just don't smoke around me and I probably will not attempt to rip your head off.

 

Even my much-beloved granddaughters have taken note of my not smoking. Each time they come by for overnight visits, they always covertly ask my saintly wife if I have reverted to smoking, and they always tell me how great it is I have continued on my course of not smoking.

 

We are just now working on cleaning the smoke deposits off the furniture, out of my clothing and off the walls of our house. I can already smell the difference in some rooms, others not so much.

 

So we march onward. I still would like to have a cigarette to go with my early-morning coffee, but that is a thing of the past. Much love to you all.

 

Dave