Capitalism is the perfect. It’s free enterprise. Barter. Gimbels, if I get actually rank with the clerk, ‘Effectively I don’t like this’, how I can resolve it? If it actually will get ridiculous, I’m going, ‘Frig it, man, I stroll.’ What can this man do at Gimbels, even when he was the president of Gimbels? He can at all times reject me from that retailer, however I can at all times go to Macy’s. He can’t actually harm me. Communism is like one huge telephone firm. Authorities management, man. And if I get too rank with that telephone firm, the place can I’m going? I’ll find yourself like a schmuck with a dixie cup on a thread.
LENNY BRUCE
That is the opening quote of considered one of my favourite books of the early Seventies, David Friedman’s The Equipment of Freedom.
I considered it once I was mendacity in a mattress at Sutter Well being in Santa Cruz final Wednesday, ready for my biopsy to check for prostate most cancers.
Right here’s what had occurred. In late April, after I had had some worrying signs and a really excessive PSA rating, I had an MRI on the Group Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula (CHOMP.) The take a look at had been ordered by a physician at Montage Medical Group, a gaggle of docs affiliated with CHOMP. The MRI confirmed a excessive likelihood of prostate most cancers. The following step is to do a biopsy, and the Montage physician scheduled it for June 11. That appeared type of sluggish, however what did I do know?
As we obtained nearer to June 11, the biopsy was postponed to July 30. Once more, I wasn’t actually involved. Prostate most cancers tends to develop slowly, and I might have my 2.5 weeks at my cottage in Canada with out fretting concerning the outcomes.
However on July 16, whereas I used to be in Canada, I obtained a name from the scheduler at Montage. The physician had determined to delay my process to September 24, a full 8 weeks later. I requested why the change. She wouldn’t, or couldn’t, inform me.
I made a decision to comply with the Lenny Bruce technique: discover a competitor. Earlier than I had gone to Canada, a physician good friend at pickleball stated that he had heard good issues about Sutter Well being in Santa Cruz.
I obtained again house on Friday, July 26, and resolved to name Sutter Well being on Monday. I pulled up the web page and located 6 urologists. The girl who took my name stated that three of them had availability and I ought to select one. Since I had no foundation for selecting, I requested her to decide on. She selected Dr. David Greenwald and I obtained an appointment with him on Wednesday July 31.
I favored him instantly. When he got here in, he launched himself as David Greenwald, not Dr. Greenwald. I informed him that I notably favored his first title. He smiled barely after which obtained right down to enterprise.
I had had Montage fax him my data and he had clearly achieved due diligence. He informed me that one indicator on the MRI recommended {that a} biopsy needs to be achieved shortly and requested me why my Montage physician had delayed. I informed him I didn’t know.
So, he lined up a biopsy for August 14, solely 2 weeks later. There have been 2 selections: do it by way of the rectum or do it below the scrotum. The latter would require extra of an anesthetic however the likelihood of an infection afterwards could be an order of magnitude decrease. I favored that. Additionally, he gave me extra data in 5 minutes than my Montage physician had given in 10 to fifteen minutes. The Montage physician hadn’t even informed me that there was a couple of process.
Dr. Greenwald had very particular directions for my prep: sleep on clear sheets the night time earlier than, have a bathe the night time earlier than and the morning of the process utilizing anti-bacterial cleaning soap, quick for 8 hours earlier than arriving for my appointment, drink solely clear liquids till 3 hours earlier than my appointment, after which not drink in any respect. I adopted all of them.
As I used to be mendacity there ready for my process, I heard the banter among the many numerous nurses. All of them appeared as in the event that they obtained together with one another. Curiously, the three nurses I most interacted with—two earlier than the process and one after—have been males. The anesthesiologist launched himself. He was from India and he and I in contrast immigration experiences. He appeared competent and had an incredible humorousness.
I used to be wheeled into the working room and so they drugged me up. It was great as a result of I didn’t really feel a factor. The following factor I knew, I used to be waking up within the OR and was wheeled again.
When one of many nurses did a follow-up telephone name the following day, I informed her that I favored each single individual I had handled there and that the distinction between Sutter Well being and Montage was night time and day. (I truly just like the workers at Montage however I’m not a fan of the physician.)
On this case, at the very least, competitors in well being care labored properly.
