Think About It
July 15, 2020
A few days ago I was at the hospital for a yearly scan. You know the one where you get up close and personal with someone you've never seen before.
Often as I'm being "arranged" for the scan, the tech will ask me to take a small step to the right, or a quarter turn to the left. This can be a bit awkward for me, and if I'm having trouble I ward off any need for the tech to repeat the instructions, thinking I'm not paying attention, by explaining that I have a prosthetic leg and it doesn't always cooperate.
This is the conversation that followed:
Tech: "When did you lose your leg?"
Me: "1991."
Tech: "Oh my gosh, you were a young woman! How did it happen?"
Me: "Group A Strep."
Tech: "You must be worried sick, wondering if you're going to contract COVID and go through another nightmare!"
Me, taking a second to process what she said: "Actually, I never gave it a thought until you said it."
Tech: "Seriously?"
Me: "When I was leaving the hospital, the Head of the Infectious Diseases Dept. told me that it was going to sound strange, but that I should do my best to put this experience in a box and the box on a high shelf in a closet and forget about it. She said I wasn't at any greater risk of contracting another infection, that this was an anomaly."
Tech: "Were you able to do it?"
Me: "Apparently."