A Day in the Life of a Guinea Pig

I received a phone call from my HMO recently asking me to participate in a research project. I’ve have done so previously but it’s been a few years. So I said I was interested and answered a lot of questions about age, health, mental state, etc. I later was called and told that I qualified and would receive more questions in the mail. Today was my first appointment so last evening I sat down to read everything that had been sent. There were questions about past and current health problems and I was asked to list when each was diagnosed and what medications I took and when I started. I don’t know about you but I don’t keep track of those things. I have several conditions of which I have no clue when they started. It’s been so long. And I have a string of medications that I’ve been taking so long that I don’t even remember what they are for. I thought that knowing six our of nine was pretty good. The only real date I remember is my heart by-pass because I came to close to buying the farm that day.

I wasn’t too worried because I knew that the records were in the HMO’s computer and could be accessed easily. But I knew that I had been in several different hospitals for various surgeries. And I could remember having been in Swedish Hospital in Seattle but for the life of me could not remember the reason. At breakfast I asked my wife and she could not remember either. It was finally when I got to the appointment and was going over some questions that the answer popped into my head. I thought that it was a surgery but that it was not invasive. I guess I forgot because the surgery was done behind my back. Matter of fact it was a spinal surgery. Eureka!

The experience was very nice. I met four lovely ladies who were friendly and cheerful. I have three more visits over the next two years. I have to keep an electronic diary for fourteen days after each visit.
Just another day in the life of a guinea pig.