Hisashiburi

After a very early morning start, to ensure that the combination of shinkansen and taxis could get me there in time for my appointment, I visited St. Luke’s International Hospital in Tokyo today.

I was last there six years or so ago, for a relatively brief stay while one of their specialist surgeons performed a difficult operation on me, very successfully, as it turned out.

Recently some tests indicated that I should undergo another sort of surgery for an entirely different issue that was discovered during an endoscopy. The surgeon at the local general hospital where the test was done declined to do the recommended surgery, despite averring that it is relatively easy to do with the latest techniques in laparoscopy. Because of various risk factors including age and prior ailments, he recommended a larger hospital with a really well-equipped ICU and such facilities for post-operative care, just in case.

The two most obvious candidates in my general area are university hospitals, but both are located in relatively inconvenient places transportation-wise. I tried a Red Cross Hospital in nearby Fukaya where I had been treated for something else, but they told me that although they had acceptable facilities, their staffing was too low to guarantee good care if something really untoward happened in the operation or its immediate aftermath. They recommended university hospitals, too.

I decided to give St. Luke’s a try first, instead. They had already had me as a surgery patient, albeit quite awhile ago, they have some of the best facilities and staff in the country, and although Tokyo is farther than the two recommended hospitals, it’s considerably more convenient: 40 minutes on the shinkansen and a short taxi ride vs. multiple train/bus transfers or a couple of hours’ drive by car for the others.

Having made an appointment by phone, and emailed them a photo of the envelope containing the referral from the local general hospital surgeon, I showed up this morning with various documents in hand, for a consultation.

The consultation turned into numerous tests including a CT scan with dye, an EKG, a couple of X-rays, blood test, etc.

With the results in hand, after consulting other specialists, the morning’s surgeon held another consultation, with the good news that the blood work showed no cancer markers and somewhat less good news that another endoscopy was called for before the laparoscopy is done. So I’ll be returning to St. Luke’s at least twice more this month, and presumably once again for the main operation, probably next month.

Despite the day having been rather tiring, it was a real “long time, no see” event to return to that hospital, and a strange feeling to be doing it upright. I spent a couple of weeks there last time, but I was always on a gurney or in a wheelchair, unable to see much while being shunted between my room and various testing venues.

And there is a lot worth seeing, actually. The hospital is in some ways more reminiscent of an upscale hotel, adorned with some very attractive art and having some very pleasant touches intended to enhance the patients’ overall well-being.

I didn’t have time to peruse the small art gallery they maintain, but I was able to listen to part of a lunch-time concert given in the chapel, while I was getting some sort of test done nearby. A couple of the violinists appeared to be staff members, white coats and all.

I was reminded anew of why I had fond memories of the staff, too.

I don’t know whether it’s due to hiring policies, or to training, or to a nurturing environment, but the doctors, nurses, technicians, assistants, clerical staff, and just about everybody I came into contact with were friendly, helpful, patient, and cheerful, while still doing their jobs very efficiently.

I had been very favorably impressed by them when I spent a couple of weeks there six years ago, and I was very pleasantly reminded again today.

It had been a long time, and despite the realities of a battery of tests and discussions about harrowing operations in the future, I was actually happy to be back for another visit.  

Courage and Independence

 

May all of my relatives, friends, and other readers have a very happy, healthy, exciting, and prosperous Year of the Horse.

 Although I’m not a believer in astrology, Oriental, Occidental, or otherwise, I do find the lore amusing and intriguing, considering it worthwhile to consider the legendary characteristics of the year's representative animal, with a view toward emulating its perceived strengths and avoiding its supposed weaknesses. 

The Chinese zodiac animals are associated in different years with different elements, and this time around the horse is the “fire horse”.

 The horse in Chinese mythology  and astrology is said to bestow on those born in its year courage, generosity, perseverance, and independence. They are supposed to be endowed with strength and enthusiasm, but fire horses especially may have a tendency to be overly impulsive and just a bit stubborn.

The mixture of perseverance and impatience, generosity and overconfidence, can sometimes be confusing to colleagues and acquaintances. This is made up for by their enthusiastic and energetic nature.

The Year of the Fire Horse is typically regarded as a time of optimism and opportunity.

In the coming year, let’s demonstrate our courage, persevere in the face of adversity, and show generosity in our relationships with others while defending our independence.

As always, I fervently hope that the coming year brings light where there has been darkness, peace where there has been strife, understanding where there has been ignorance, and justice where there has been iniquity.

 May the coming year be better by far than any that have preceded it, for each of you and for those you hold dear, and indeed for all of us.

Happy New Year and joyous holidays!

Slithering Away

 The Year of the Snake has just about slithered completely away, and I can almost hear the galloping hooves of the Fire Horse, this year’s elemental version of the Year of the Horse, approaching for arrival—for Westerners like me—tomorrow. The new year according to the Chinese lunisolar calendar will begin on February 17th, requiring more of a trot or canter than a gallop.

It has been a busy year but activities have mostly proceeded at a dignified rather than a frenetic pace. We bought a house and have been dealing with renovations, starting with the exterior: demolishing the original gate and garage to facilitate construction of a small neighboring house, repositioning many large boulders, reshaping flowerbeds and a vegetable garden to allow for a driveway and carport, and reconstructing the concrete block retaining wall between the property and the parkside path and stream to the south, among other projects. Masayo has meanwhile been making good use of her newly acquired Electrician’s License, to modify and upgrade various switches and lamps.

It's about nine kilometers by car or 7.2 as the egret flies from our current place (“Kamino House” for convenient reference) to the new place (“Kofun Villa”), and for the last six months her frequent trips  have been much facilitated by the new car she bought, a Suzuki Spacia Custom with all sorts of bells and whistles including many safety features such as cameras, proximity detectors, lane holding functions, and the like. She’s much happier driving that than our older, much larger Escudo. The Spacia is a better fit for some of the very narrow roads in the new neighborhood, too. 

With no new health issues of any significance, aside from a brief bout of the flu, rendered mild by the vaccination a while back, the year has been productive but not harried, and happily without any major worries.

I expect the pace to pick up on various fronts in the coming year, which is appropriate for the Horse replacing the Snake.

Merry Christmas and the Like

 

The Winter Solstice has just passed, and the longest darkness is behind us, for this year anyway. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Yule, Splendid Saturnalia, and an excellent anything I’ve missed, to all of my relatives and friends who celebrate any or all of them.  May your holidays be filled with joy and excitement and love, both anticipated and unexpected, and may you find adventure, challenge, and contentment in the proportions that you prefer.

As this year winds down, I once again wish for better, happier, more peaceful days for all people of good will.

I have the essentially unchanging message for all of my readers once again this year. May all of you be happy and healthy, and hale and hearty, and as prosperous as you want to be, throughout the holiday season and the year to come. As I say at this time every year, may peace and good will prevail for everyone, everywhere, may generosity and kindness carry the day, and may the greedy and selfish be confounded. 

Truth and justice and freedom will win out in the end, and all the sooner if we help them along. No effort is trivial; each candle flame holds the darkness back a little more.

Happy holidays; stay strong.

Three Quarters of a Century

Fifty years ago today, on my 25^th birthday, I walked into my office in the early morning and was greeted by my secretary with “Good morning, Mike! How does it feel to be a quarter of a century old?”

Until that cheerful query, I had still considered myself very young. She ensured that from that birthday on I had a slightly different perspective.

Today I’m three quarters of a century old, but I choose to regard myself as having entered late middle age. Possibly very late middle age. I certainly can’t carouse with the same impunity that I could when I was 25, but I still recover from the occasional bout of excess relatively quickly, and despite some health and mobility issues, on the whole I’m healthier and in better shape than I probably deserve to be.

I appreciate all of the friends and relatives who are still around and wishing me a happy birthday, and I remember with fondness those who have left us too early.

Cheers to us all. And here’s to another 50 years or so of adventure.

Wisdom and Passion

 May all of my relatives, friends, and other readers have a very happy, healthy, exciting, and prosperous Year of the Snake.

 Although I’m not a believer in astrology, Oriental, Occidental, or otherwise, I do find the lore amusing and intriguing, and consider it perhaps worthwhile to consider the legendary characteristics of the year's representative animal, with a view toward emulating the strengths and avoiding the weaknesses with which it’s associated. 

The Chinese zodiac animals are associated in different years with different elements, and this time around the snake is the “wood snake”.

 The snake in Chinese mythology  and astrology is said to bestow on those born in its year sensitivity, curiosity, wisdom, and competence. They are supposed to be endowed with charm and a cool, mysterious demeanor, but with natural wariness concealing considerable passion.

On the other hand, they may also have to struggle against their ingrained skepticism and a tendency to laziness.

The wood snake is said to focus especially on resilience, growth, and long-term planning ability.

In the coming year, let’s embrace our sensitivity, use curiosity to increase our wisdom, and balance our charm and passion in our relationships with others.

 I fervently hope that the coming year brings light where there has been darkness, peace where there has been strife, understanding where there has been ignorance, and justice where there has been iniquity.

 May the coming year be better by far than any that have preceded it, for each of you and for those you hold dear, and indeed for all of us.

Happy New Year and joyous holidays!

Image by: mirrima on freepik.com

Merry Christmas, et cetera

 

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Yule, Splendid Saturnalia, and so on, to all of my relatives and friends who celebrate any or all of them.  May your holidays be filled with joy and excitement and love, and with amazing grace, and may you find challenge and contentment in the proportions that you prefer.

As this year winds down, I once again wish for better, happier, more peaceful days for all people of good will.

I have the essentially unchanging message for all of my readers once again this year. May all of you be happy and healthy, and hale and hearty, throughout the holiday season and the year to come. As I say at this time every year, may peace and good will prevail for everyone, everywhere, may generosity and kindness carry the day, and may the greedy and selfish be confounded. 

Truth and justice will win out in the end, and all the sooner if we help them along. No effort is trivial; each candle flame holds the darkness back a little more.

Happy holidays; keep the faith.