Dreams 2022

Against Medical Advice
(7/30/2022)

long gone
are the all-knowing
family
physicians

those
with an edict
to heal

maybe
surgeons

the endpoints
of a long line
of referrals

possibly
they
are the last
of the curative
professionals

everyone
else
in between

starting with
the primary care
posers

their
retinue

are nothing
more
than facilitators

administrators

pointers
to those whom
may actually
know something

to those
with real
solutions
for our nagging
ailments

the first level
support
seem to be
space takers

air
wasters

they could
all
be replaced
with a thorough
Q&A database

a dehumanized
mechanism
to get patients
quickly
to the qualified
competent experts
required

such
a depository
might save us
so much
time

so much
money

so much
suffering

prevent us
from having to search
the internet
for viable
treatments
on our own

hoping
for the correct
combination
of fortuitous clicks
to give us
actual answers
to our maladies

to circumvent
the medical
morass
between our pain
and a remedy
resource

“Hi Patrick

it has been
about 2 weeks
since
we have
seen you

please call
the clinic
to schedule
an appointment

if we
do not
hear from you
in 7 days

we will notify
your physician

and discharge
your file”

as I pump
away
incommunicado
on my stationary
bike

finally
getting better
from a meniscectomy
by my absence