Going to see a doctor today for the first time in a few years for a physical. Mostly interested in seeing how my kidney is doing. I know I'm obese and out of shape, which doesn't require an MD to diagnose.

This will also by my introduction to the Baptist Health System. They're fairly highly regarded here in the region. If you're having a stroke, the guidance is to get to Baptist I guess.

I'd been a Mayo client for over 20 years until the kicked me to the curb once I went on Medicare. Pretty shitty, I think. I guess they make enough money off medical tourism, people flying in from out of town for specialist care, that they don't need to offer ordinary care for the kind of money Medicare offers. It's all about the money, even for "non-profits."

So far though, I'm reasonably pleased with their intake process. I completed a family medical history online, and a pharmacist called and went over my existing meds (only one) in advance of my appointment. The only glitch was I made a typo in entering my Tricare number for "additional insurance," and they wouldn't let me edit it to correct it.

They subsequently sent me a message that they'd added Tricare to my insurance coverage. Now, I don't know if they tried to validate that number or not, or if they caught my typo from the image of my retired ID I was required to upload. I'll ask about it at the desk this afternoon.

One nice thing is that it's a satellite clinic here in Nocatee, less than 5 miles from the house. Mayo would have been like most other places, 30 minutes by car from here.

I'm ambivalent about my personal longevity these days. I'd have to live another 24 years to make it to 90 like Mom. But I think that's perilously close to things falling apart. Do I want to stick around and say, "I told you so!"

Well, whether I'm here or not is probably not entirely up to me. While I'm around, I'd kind of like to keep things in mostly working order. Like the marmot, I guess.

Hopefully not as irritating.