Praise then darkness, and creation unfinished

I had a CT scan of my lungs this morning, then saw the pulmonologist. The CT scan looks OK, considering: "Again seen is diffuse bronchiectasis with tree-in-bud opacities seen in the right upper lobe, right middle lobe and lingula. The areas in the right upper lobe may have improved in the interval."

The low-tech exam was also reassuring: the doctor used a stethoscope to listen to my chest, and had me cough while listening. She heard no wheezing (or other problems), which is good. So, she told me to keep using the flutter valve twice a day, and come back in six months.

And, some non-medical notes:

I discovered that it's possible to accidentally cancel a Lyft ride by putting your phone in your pocket after the driver has picked you up. The driver suggested I text Lyft to tell them I hadn't meant to cancel, but I couldn't figure out how to do that. After a minute or two of frustration, I asked the driver if he would take cash instead, and he said yes. So I handed him $25, and repeated the destination address so he could enter it in his GPS. I try to carry some cash on general principles, but this isn't something I was expecting to need, or be able, to pay cash for.

Mount Auburn was also having some trouble with their medical information system: the doctor could see the CT scan, but only on the machine in her office, not the one in the exam room. Fortunately, I didn't need to see the images. Given their computer problems, I was particularly pleased to have a list of my current medications on my phone, to show the doctor's assistant. I don't yet have my follow-up appointment, but that's not because of today's computer problems, but that they aren't set up to book follow-up appointments that far in advance.

I took transit home, which is cheap and makes sense to me, from many years of practice. I stopped at Flour to get something to eat, 7-11 to use their no-fee ATM to withdraw some more cash, and CVS to pick up a prescription, and was home in time for lunch. It was effectively two stops rather than three, because the 7-11 and drugstore are both near the bus stop where I was changing from the bus to the trolley.

I had my annual eye exam today. I go to an ophthalmologist because we're monitoring my corneas, and because I have a history of optic neuritis.

So, the corneas are slightly thicker than last year, but for now we will just continue to monitor them. The left optic nerve is pale, but the same paleness that it's been as long as I've been seeing this doctor. (The optic neuritis was in 1999.)

Dr. Lazzara gave me a printout of my eyeglass prescription, including a prescription for computer-distance glasses, and the information I'd need to order glasses online. He volunteered that, and when I said yes, wrote a note on the bottom of the prescription stating the pupillary distance.

Getting to the eye doctor was annoying: I missed a bus connection, clearly wasn't going to be at the eye doctor's on time, so went upstairs and called a Lyft, paying for priority/faster service, which I didn't get. The driver parked about half a block away from the pickup location that Lyft had suggested, and didn't bother to call or text to let me know where he was, so I had to call him. And then it seemed like he was seeking out every side street in Cambridge or Arlington, with a short stretch of highway in between. So I was still late, but not late enough to be a problem--but I could have been about as late for a lot less money. *sigh*

The eye doctor is still taking masking seriously. The online check-in says that patients have to bring their own face masks, but I noticed a box of surgical masks next to the entrance. One of my pill alarms went off while I was in the waiting room, waiting for my eyes to dilate before being examined by the doctor. I grabbed my bag, told the receptionist I was stepping outside for a minute to take a pill, and then put my mask back on and went back to my seat in the waiting room.