Tacoma, WA is just about a half-hour drive from me, and it is where the Kaiser hospital facility is located that I go to every few months to get my knees primed with cortisone shots, and amazingly, for now, those shots still work miracles in eliminating pain and greatly increasing mobility. The orthopedic surgeon that injects me is so cool -- my fourth time over a few years, and I jibber jabbered today the whole time to distract myself while he is jabbing me.
And I was laughing today, recalling the time years ago when I was in a really bad car wreck, and I was much to fault. Leaving a pub at 2AM after too much to drink, on the Jamaica Way in Boston which requires much attention, changing a cassette tape, and swerved into a car way much bigger than my VW Bug.
Gratefully, no one was hurt in the other car, but I spent 2 months in two different hospitals, with all the broken bones that I had missed with all my childhood adventures, when I had never before broken a bone, and got three extremities busted up all at once, and lots of stitches, and later realized some internal injuries! But that accident did begin taking a number on my knees, had to be ejected from my little Bug by the "jaws of life", yup, big stupid mess up. A major life lesson about personal responsibility. And even the sign, that no matter the fuck up I was, I had some guardian angels looking out for me?
So, for some reason I shared some of that with the doc as he was jabbing me. And I was laughing because I was trying to avoid the really tiny pain of those jabs, and was reminding myself of what real pain is! I didn't tell the entire story, of course, but he also laughed and said, that does explain a lot about your knees, and your x-rays!
Anyway, this time, because it was a late day appointment, I had asked my friend if he would like to come along, and instead of eating lunch at the same ole haunts once a week, how about going to an early dinner at some place different, and on the water, in Tacoma, on me? Surprisingly, he said yes.
It was lucky for me, because I drove down and the Hospital parking lot was closed and full, and there was literally no parking anywhere around. So my friend dropped me off and drove around, and just as I was being called in by the Nurse, my phone rang and it was him. How does your GPS work, I have no idea how to get back. Made me laugh, and I explained it to him, he got it set up again, and showed up at the patient drop off and pick up curb within a couple of minutes when I got down there.
We went to eat an early dinner at Duke's Seafood and it was great! I didn't think to take a picture, but this is the place. I'll definitely go there again when I need my knee jabs! Best crab cakes ever!
So, just sharing for fun. Stuff we need to find wherever and whenever we can these days!
Oh, and my knees feel just fabulous and time to get back on my Gazelle!