How did you do that?
You might ask, but as much as I want to brag that I was skiing down a double black diamond and wiped out on a monster-sized mogul . . . I can't. For one, most ski resorts don't have enough snow, and the top of the mountain is usually the last place the snow seems to stick--wind, ya know.
Or maybe I was riding a wild horse and the darn thing bucked me off. . . I could happen if I didn't have so many neck issues that horseback riding for me is seriously off-limits. I want to ride again, but I don't want to take the chance.
Or I could simply say that I was standing and turning at the same time . . . and that would be the truth.
I dworked up my knee by standing. It's right up there with tearing my rotator cuff while doing yoga. True story, I managed to do that during May of 2013.
Since I crippled myself on a Sunday night, I decided to take the 'wait-and-see' approach to the problem. I didn't have much pain, but my knee popped every time I stepped on my right foot, especially walking down stairs. And it felt 'off', not painful, just not right.
Monday morning, I could barely walk downstairs to get my coffee. The knee was hot, slightly puffy and painful. I saw the doc at 11:30. After some manipulation, and x-rays (simply to rule out anything obviously cracked or whatever), I got some anti-inflammatories, told to ICE it (ice, compression, elevation).
It's better, but since I write on a desktop computer I couldn't get anything done. Just sitting in the chair with my leg on another chair caused every other joint in my body to hurt.
So I gave up on writing this week. I'll be writing, but I have to monitor my time.
Anyhoo, that actually isn't what this blog is about. It's about technology advancing, but the attrition of those older folks who refuse to learn.
About ten years ago when I 'retired' to become a stay-at-home mom, the hospital that I worked at was trying to implement a system which featured laptops at every patient's bedside. The doctor would simply type his comments in the computer as he evaluated his patient. This would free up the nursing staff to actually do some nursing, instead of data input. So much of a nurse's time is wasted doing menial tasks that they shouldn't be doing. It was a crazy waste of the workforce.
The doctors hated it. Let me qualify this--the older docs hated it. The younger docs love the concept. Nurses didn't have to try to read the pathetic handwriting of the docs to try to type in their comments into the computer. There was no issue of miscommunication. IF there was a screw up, there was no one to blame but themselves.
Fast forward ten years.
Yes, my friends, it has taken this long for the system to be implemented, plus they have taken it to the next step.
Patients can sign up and have access to their records, their doctors, their lab results. They can sign up for their own appointments, update their information and do virtually everything on the computer using My Chart.
I logged onto the site, picked the "make an appointment" tab and scheduled my own appointment for a selection of openings, commented on the problem in as much or as little detail as I wanted, and got a confirmation all before the office even opened their doors for the day.
It was totally awesome!
Technology is a good thing, but if you don't keep up you might just be left out in the cold. . . unless you have a teenager hanging around the house, then they can keep you in the loop. Just saying!
Later, Peeps!
