At the risk of sounding boastful, I've always had a good memory, and an above average ability to concentrate. When I returned to college as an adult, I was a straight A student. My 4.0 GPA turned into a 3.98 only because of a B I'd gotten in a required phys ed class, tennis. My college professors graded on a curve, but they'd throw out my score on each exam because I not only answered all of the questions correctly, but also the bonus questions. I don't think it was because I was smarter than everyone else, I think it was because I worked harder than everyone else. I was a classic over achiever.
After graduation, I was hired as a COBOL programmer by a local software firm in Saratoga Springs. I was so good at concentrating and focusing on what I was doing, that oftentimes someone would walk up behind me and speak to me and I wouldn't hear them. I would be so wrapped up into what I was doing that I was oblivious to what was happening around me.
As we get older, we tend to slow down a bit and get a little forgetful. We misplace our glasses and car keys, and it's no big deal. That would happen to me occasionally. On August 27th, though,I had an accident. I was knocked silly by a falling tree, sending me off to Albany Medical Center. While there, I was visited by several doctors, each asking if I had a headache. No, I don't have a headache. They were amazed. Besides being cut up on the top of my head by tree bark, I had a concussion.
When you don't have health insurance, hospital financial aid offices require you to jump through hoops. First, they wanted to see if I qualified for Medicaid. The income limit for a family of two in New York is $937 a month. Nope, don't qualify. My income was too much. Seriously? There are couples trying to live on less than $937 a month?
Next, they want to see if you qualify for social security disability, which would enable me to enroll in Medicare even though I'm not 65 yet. Two weeks ago, I was summoned to Albany to be examined by a physician. On Thursday, I had a telephone call from the office to return.
"We have a cancellation tomorrow at 2:30," said Theresa the scheduler.
"For what? I've already had a physical," said I.
"You said you had some memory problems, so they want you to come back to see our psychologist."
A psychologist? Well, I have noticed that I've had some memory issues since the concussion, more so than normal. I couldn't work on our property for many weeks, so I spent a lot of time watching DVD movies. Recently, I'd look on our movie shelf and see a movie that I was sure I must have watched, but I couldn't remember it. So I'd watch it again. I felt like the epitome of those bad jokes about Alzheimer's... I'd only have to own one book, and one movie... and I could hide my own Easter eggs.
On Friday, I traveled to Albany to see the shrink. He gave me memory tests. He'd rattle off names of things and strings of numbers and ask me to repeat them. I had no problem doing this. He's give me a series of numbers and ask me to repeat them backwards. No problem there either. The psychologist explained that one side effect of a consussion can be cognitive impairment. I'm not sure what he meant by that.
Thank God for Google. The old fart's memory crutch.
After graduation, I was hired as a COBOL programmer by a local software firm in Saratoga Springs. I was so good at concentrating and focusing on what I was doing, that oftentimes someone would walk up behind me and speak to me and I wouldn't hear them. I would be so wrapped up into what I was doing that I was oblivious to what was happening around me.
As we get older, we tend to slow down a bit and get a little forgetful. We misplace our glasses and car keys, and it's no big deal. That would happen to me occasionally. On August 27th, though,I had an accident. I was knocked silly by a falling tree, sending me off to Albany Medical Center. While there, I was visited by several doctors, each asking if I had a headache. No, I don't have a headache. They were amazed. Besides being cut up on the top of my head by tree bark, I had a concussion.
When you don't have health insurance, hospital financial aid offices require you to jump through hoops. First, they wanted to see if I qualified for Medicaid. The income limit for a family of two in New York is $937 a month. Nope, don't qualify. My income was too much. Seriously? There are couples trying to live on less than $937 a month?
Next, they want to see if you qualify for social security disability, which would enable me to enroll in Medicare even though I'm not 65 yet. Two weeks ago, I was summoned to Albany to be examined by a physician. On Thursday, I had a telephone call from the office to return.
"We have a cancellation tomorrow at 2:30," said Theresa the scheduler.
"For what? I've already had a physical," said I.
"You said you had some memory problems, so they want you to come back to see our psychologist."
A psychologist? Well, I have noticed that I've had some memory issues since the concussion, more so than normal. I couldn't work on our property for many weeks, so I spent a lot of time watching DVD movies. Recently, I'd look on our movie shelf and see a movie that I was sure I must have watched, but I couldn't remember it. So I'd watch it again. I felt like the epitome of those bad jokes about Alzheimer's... I'd only have to own one book, and one movie... and I could hide my own Easter eggs.
On Friday, I traveled to Albany to see the shrink. He gave me memory tests. He'd rattle off names of things and strings of numbers and ask me to repeat them. I had no problem doing this. He's give me a series of numbers and ask me to repeat them backwards. No problem there either. The psychologist explained that one side effect of a consussion can be cognitive impairment. I'm not sure what he meant by that.
Thank God for Google. The old fart's memory crutch.
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