My primary Doctor scheduled me for my first Medicare Annual Wellness Evaluation. The nurse person gave me a stapled packet to fill out, and later that evening, I put on my glasses and accepted the challenge, one question at a time. My response fluctuated from eager to disclose, hiding/lying, and direct.
Today, I checked in at the clinic and self-monitored my anxiety levels, acknowledging all Pattern Markers. I don't need a phone or a watch app to do this, but I envy those with Maxwell Smart devices.
I waited forty minutes in the clinic lobby. When I asked about the wait, the senior receptionist with loud pink fingernails assured me I hadn't been forgotten, but — her voice dropped into a different register that suggested judgment - my Doctor was known to run late.
I sat and wondered if a doctor running late meant she gave extra attention to her clients. I hoped so, but my previous visits have not suggested that narrative.
When the assistant person ushered me into the examining room, asked me pertinent questions, and left me with a promise of a 5–10 minute doctor arrival, I wondered what was expected of me. Soon, I learned more. The Doctor gave me a three-word pattern to remember, and then I was given a notepad and asked to draw a clock face with hour markers and to set the hands at 11:45.
