Post #10

OK - so I have left two little "tid-bits" out so far...  or maybe I was just saving the best for last!

On October 2nd, I returned to Moanaloa for a COLONOSCOPY.  In the past I've had the pleasure of having these done here on Maui, but this time, since I now need to be innervated and an Anesthesiologist is involved, it has to be on Oahu.  I am very happy to report however, that the staff there was great, everything went well (yes, I was entirely out for the whole thing) and at least I don't have to go through that again for another 5 years.

And last but not least, here's the one that really GRIPES my Okole...!  The one remaining thing (besides the re-evaluation on the swallow test) I have to comply with is the completion of a 6 month Substance Abuse Rehabilitation Program.  Evidently because I (readily) admitted to drinking between 12~15 beers A WEEK - I'm considered an Alcoholic, and in need of counseling. 

This particular circus began about 2 months ago. Early on, when I first spoke with the California Lung Transplant coordinator the subject of "alcohol" came up, and I could tell there was some concern on her part when she responded, "Well, you'll have to stop drinking for the transplant." Which was fine, as I'd discovered in some of my research that "no alcohol" was imperative for the transplant process.  Since I had no problem "not" drinking, I simply figured that whenever I got on the list, it'd be time to stop, and I would.  NBD.  Well, guess I was wrong about that.

It was while I was on Kauai visiting some High School Friends (Sandy Saemann & JC Agajanian) that I had a conversation with the California Transplant Social worker who almost had a tissy fit that I was still drinking.  So, I put in a call to Dr. Kahn and we had a short discussion and to keep peace, I agreed to stop right then and there, August 12th.  And I did.

It wasn't until I got back on Maui in September that I got into a Catch 22 situation with the California Social Worker who was insisting I needed to participate in Substance Abuse Rehab Program (SARP) only to find that no one in Hawaii knew what I was talking about.  Evidently California and Hawaii Kaiser programs are different...  Anyway, it took about two weeks and a visit to my Maui Social worker, several more phone calls, a visit to the Wells Street Behavioral Health Sciences Clinic and several conversations with the Substance Abuse Counselor, Frank Zaminski, to sort that out. 

So, the end result of all that is I currently am required to attend three meetings a week, in Wailuku with a bunch of Court appointed alcoholics and crack addicts, plus a weekly "random" urinalysis. As much as this is an inconvenience (hour over to the other side, hour for the meeting, and an hour back home) and hassle, what do you suppose the reaction is when the person in my position "complains" to the "system" about it being unreasonable...  Everyone just goes "Oh, sure... that's what they all say!"

So, I've nothing to do but go along with it, do my time and get 'er done...

"I'm not one of these people who likes to do as little as possible. I really do feel the hot breath of time on the back of my neck these days. And there are certain things I want to do before my time is up."  - Brian Dennehy