My friend Bill recently brought me a book called Heart of Wisdom. It is the kind of book one reads a page of, almost as a meditation, every day. As it begins according to the Jewish calendar, I began it on Rosh Hashanah, the new Jewish year, last week. Through these last 10 days, one theme was repeatedly mentioned. The theme of humanity, or as it clarifys further, being humane.
During and following Yom Kippur, while atoning, my mind was on this theme of humanity.
I, while caught up in all the events of the year that dealt with relationships, and with pleas to the Lord regarding all the trials, both physical and mental, that I and family members wish to heal and to overcome with His guidance, one thought kept intruding. It was a question really, and it was: What are you doing that is humane?
I believe that I shall focus on this more in the coming year. I just started by giving my wonderful challah bread, and Babka bread to the homeless. No real sacrifice as I was getting bigger and bigger with each holiday meal! I've had ideas already, regarding what to do for others and perhaps some will come to fruition. If my voice returns, I hope to perform my one woman show for assisted living facilities once again. If I get any response to an ad I placed in Back Stage, I will attempt to help struggling actors with both their material and their issues in 'the business'. And for what it proves to be worth for my family's future generations, I am dedicated to getting my memoirs, that I've been writing for the past six years, published one way or another.
All of this is 'planned for' in the hopes of bringing something to others. But for the most part, being 'humane' is unplanned. It is those unexpected moments when our spontaneous help makes a difference in the life of another. It is reminiscent of the moments after 9/11 when we here in New York, and all over actually, ran around begging to find out what we could do to 'help'.
Any newscast today shows us what is needed on a moment to moment basis each day. This year I suggest not burying one's head in the sand. Take being 'humane' seriously. Plan some things that you may be able to do as a gesture of humanity, and don't plan others, but become more cognizant of when and how you are needed every day.
The beautiful part of all this, is that all the petty thoughts we spend our time with, become really secondary. And each success in this direction, fills us with positives, so that the depression we all seem to be feeling so much of the time, is lifted, as is the spirits of those we have helped.
You see...the fasting and the 'atoning' sometimes produce some good effects not just for the 'atoner', but for the rest of the world.
Hope you enjoyed the session.
Respectfully submitted,
Mimi Scott, Ph.d
212 721-2979
917 846-2449
mscott13@aol.com
www.drmimiscott.com
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Sunday, September 5, 2010
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE WHOLE PERSON?
Ok, so the last six weeks I've had trouble walking...actually been using a cane. Out of the blue I felt like a band wrapped around my left leg at the knee. PAIN!! Then it moved all around that area. Somehow I wound up at a neurologist who felt it was coming from my hip and my back where MRI's have proved there are definite problems....but my hip and my back were not keeping me from moving around. In fact I was still swimming every single morning. My knee was the problem!
Finally, pain is so intense I wind up in the emergency room. They tell me I've ruptured my 'baker's cyst'...does anyone out there know what that is? it seems we all have a bump behind our knee on the back of our legs known as 'baker cysts'. I was told that the fluid would be moving around for several weeks until it dried up and that in the meantime I should take the oxycodone that they gave me in order to keep on moving....Ohhhhh Kayyyy. No one seems to feel I should "get off my leg!"
Found a primary care female doctor who was something else! She has a formula that she goes by...first the examination, then a wait back in a waiting room...then what she calls an interview in which only she talks and inquires about medications only. Admittedly she did not like the look of my swollen leg (which I omitted to say was blown up like a balloon), and gives me a name of an orthopedic group.
A call there has them asking me what part of the body am I being seen about. I say basically the knee, but... NO BUTS!---they assign me a knee orthopedic guy. I see him. Prior to his entrance into the examining cubicle, I show the nurse the stuff I have brought with me: A CD from my back MRI's taken last spring; the hip MRI, and the results of the nerve test which the neurologist had done..(he claimed I have pinched nerves coming from my back and he also wanted me to see a hip surgeon ASAP). As soon as I begin my tale by uttering the word 'back' I hear the doctor in the hall say "I don't do backs!".
"Fine, but just maybe you want to know what's going on in my body that just may help you determine more about my knee", I say to myself.
When he actually enters the cubicle, I have had a knee x ray which he looks at (not me just the picture hanging) and he says it's simply arthritis. He then grabs the left side of my left knee and shoots me up with cortisone. He has never even looked or felt my knee or watched me move around before giving me the needle. Ten days later the leg is only a mite bit better.
My point here is...what the hell has happened to treating the 'whole person'??? Is not the "knee bone, connected to the thigh bone, the thigh bone connected to the hip bone..." as the song went. Pretty soon these orthopedic guys will only treat the index finger or the thumb or the pinky.
I have a 'Gynie' who has become very dear to me. That once a year visit still involves me talking about my life, year, etc. He treats me as a whole person.
Now I know most of you aren't trained therapists, but in any attempt to help the next person, one must inquire about other aspects going on in the person's life that may be impacting the problem. Certainly a back issue just may have some impact on a knee, a hip...maybe even a toe!
Now I'm looking forward to a top ortho guy who is from my hometown of Albany here at NYU Med...maybe he'll wanna know about my back, my hip, my ass or whatever else may be causing my knee to explode...if you see some knee parts floating on Broadway on the upper west side---it's probably mine.
PS: Whenever I stay off the leg for awhile...IT FEELS BETTER!!
Thanks for listening! And L'shanah tovah to all my wonderful Jewish friends.
Hoped you enjoyed this session.
Mimi Scott, Ph. D
212 721-2979
917 846-2449
mscott13@aol.com
mimi@drmimiscott.com
Finally, pain is so intense I wind up in the emergency room. They tell me I've ruptured my 'baker's cyst'...does anyone out there know what that is? it seems we all have a bump behind our knee on the back of our legs known as 'baker cysts'. I was told that the fluid would be moving around for several weeks until it dried up and that in the meantime I should take the oxycodone that they gave me in order to keep on moving....Ohhhhh Kayyyy. No one seems to feel I should "get off my leg!"
Found a primary care female doctor who was something else! She has a formula that she goes by...first the examination, then a wait back in a waiting room...then what she calls an interview in which only she talks and inquires about medications only. Admittedly she did not like the look of my swollen leg (which I omitted to say was blown up like a balloon), and gives me a name of an orthopedic group.
A call there has them asking me what part of the body am I being seen about. I say basically the knee, but... NO BUTS!---they assign me a knee orthopedic guy. I see him. Prior to his entrance into the examining cubicle, I show the nurse the stuff I have brought with me: A CD from my back MRI's taken last spring; the hip MRI, and the results of the nerve test which the neurologist had done..(he claimed I have pinched nerves coming from my back and he also wanted me to see a hip surgeon ASAP). As soon as I begin my tale by uttering the word 'back' I hear the doctor in the hall say "I don't do backs!".
"Fine, but just maybe you want to know what's going on in my body that just may help you determine more about my knee", I say to myself.
When he actually enters the cubicle, I have had a knee x ray which he looks at (not me just the picture hanging) and he says it's simply arthritis. He then grabs the left side of my left knee and shoots me up with cortisone. He has never even looked or felt my knee or watched me move around before giving me the needle. Ten days later the leg is only a mite bit better.
My point here is...what the hell has happened to treating the 'whole person'??? Is not the "knee bone, connected to the thigh bone, the thigh bone connected to the hip bone..." as the song went. Pretty soon these orthopedic guys will only treat the index finger or the thumb or the pinky.
I have a 'Gynie' who has become very dear to me. That once a year visit still involves me talking about my life, year, etc. He treats me as a whole person.
Now I know most of you aren't trained therapists, but in any attempt to help the next person, one must inquire about other aspects going on in the person's life that may be impacting the problem. Certainly a back issue just may have some impact on a knee, a hip...maybe even a toe!
Now I'm looking forward to a top ortho guy who is from my hometown of Albany here at NYU Med...maybe he'll wanna know about my back, my hip, my ass or whatever else may be causing my knee to explode...if you see some knee parts floating on Broadway on the upper west side---it's probably mine.
PS: Whenever I stay off the leg for awhile...IT FEELS BETTER!!
Thanks for listening! And L'shanah tovah to all my wonderful Jewish friends.
Hoped you enjoyed this session.
Mimi Scott, Ph. D
212 721-2979
917 846-2449
mscott13@aol.com
mimi@drmimiscott.com
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