“Well, I’ll Be a Monkey’s Uncle!”

Tuesday, May 20th – Okay, so that is another of my dad’s pithy sayings that has just popped into my head, vis-a-vis something that happened today. It’s sort of a translation of, “Well, I’ll be dad-gummed” or, “Well, I’ll be durned!”

At Seaside Chiropractic, they have patients play The Game. The Game is a process whereby Roseanna or Emily asks you a question about something you have learned about chiropractic, from their ongoing educational efforts. If you get the right answer, they sign off on your card. If you don’t get the right answer, they tell you the right answer, and then they sign off on your card. The card is a regular business-card size, divided into 20 sections; when the whole thing is filled with initials, it’s good for a single free visit.  OR, you can save up the cards till you have five, and use them for a month’s worth of adjustments.

So my first card was completed several days ago, and I suggested delicately to my beloved spouse that I would be willing to let him use my filled-up card to get a consult for himself. He sort of whiffled about it, “Okay, yeah, maybe, after we get back from the trip…” And I figured, okay, that was a wasted effort.

And then yesterday, without any warning at all, it’s “Hey, maybe I’ll just go along with you tomorrow when you go to see Dr. Klein. My neck’s been sort of bothering me…” I had to stop myself from woo-hooing right out loud! I then had to tell him that you don’t just “go along,” you have to make an appointment. Which I then did. While I was telling Emily on the phone that Robert actually WANTED to come in, and right away, too, I heard DK in the background saying, “No fricken’ WAY! That’s AMAZING!” I took that as a Yes.

Today, all the way to the office, I was like a mommy taking her kid off to school for the first time, anxious that he make a good impression on the teacher. I instructed Robert that he was not to act like an intellectual snob; he was to make an effort to smile from time to time (he’s sort of like the Great Stone Face by nature); he was under no circumstances to say anything rude; and a whole bunch of other admonitions that I’m embarrassed to remember. I was mortified when we got to the office and had to wait for a little while in the front waiting room (sudden influx of unexpected people just before we arrived) — didn’t he just take out his briefcase, extract the grant application he and his Science Guy&Gal cohorts are currently working on, and start writing! Oh, good grief! Now, is that bordering on intellectual snobbism, or am I overly sensitive here, or what? When David K came out briefly just to meet him, Robert actually made a joke. DK said, “So you’re a neurochemist, right?” And Robert replied,  “I’m working on cardiovascular, mostly… at home.” That was meant to indicate that he had CV problems. I was amazed, he joked!

Dr K spent a good long time with Robert, examining him and testing his ability to move in various ways. And before that, Roseanna also spent a good long time with him, getting a detailed medical history. In fact, including my own twelve-minute adjustment, we were there for a total of two hours!

Apparently DK believes that he can significantly reduce Robert’s pain in his neck, and also in an ankle that was injured some years ago and never quite healed right. And what do you know? As soon as we got home, he was on the phone again, making an appointment for Monday, June 1st, right after we get back from our week in Toronto. (My kids are throwing me a 70th birthday party next Sunday, on the Memorial Day weekend! The B-day was actually in January, but who in their right mind wants to drive in Toronto, in January??)

So I think… I think… that my beloved spouse is going to let DK work on him for a while and see if there is any improvement.  How can there not be? I look at what has happened with me in such a short time, and I’m still amazed. And overall, Robert is in better shape at 78 than I was at 70! I am so thrilled and happy that it went so easily. Now, I can’t wait to watch his progress.

Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle!

Thanks for reading — Betsy