by Mary Wakefield Buxton –
URBANNA —
November is a good time to give thanks for our many blessings. This month I’ve written about some of the special people that I am blessed to have known. We don’t always take time to express appreciation for those that do so much for us.
Today I remember such a man who is thankfully on the job every day along with his dedicated and hardworking staff to take care of us. I am speaking of Dr. Keith Cubbage at Riverside White Stone Family Practice (and all the other doctors and staff on duty today) and his splendid nurse, Lanette Rammell.
I “inherited” Dr. Cubbage since I was one of the late beloved Dr. David Nichols’ patients. I remember first seeing Dr. Cubbage interviewing with Dr. Nichols over dinner at a local restaurant one Halloween weekend. I was dressed up in costume as a “floozy” that evening and I felt kind of silly but went over to speak to my doctor anyway to meet his new hire.
Little did I know then that Dr. Nichols would die soon afterwards of melanoma and I would be one of the lucky ones to be assigned to Dr. Cubbage. This was a stroke of fortune because Dr. Cubbage had been trained by Dr. Nichols, who was a demanding perfectionist, the sort of doctor that always put his patient’s needs first.
It must have been difficult to fill the shoes of Dr. Nichols, but our new doctor fit neatly into place. He even took up Dr. Nichols’ Tangier Island patients and for several years flew to the island every week to continue their care. But now he has 3,000 patients on the mainland to care for, which is enough work for anyone.
I have discovered the difference in age between the early 70s and the late 70s is going to the doctor becomes one’s major social life and your doctor becomes your best friend. This change happens slowly but surely — almost at the same rate as gray replaces one’s original hair color.
Even if sick, just seeing my doctor and talking and laughing with him makes me feel better. But I sometimes wonder how can he withstand the burden of me and the rest of his 2,999 patients?
All I talk about these days is how much I hurt. Think of how boring it must be for a young man, still in his 40s, having to listen to an aging lady who wants to describe in detail a sore toe, sprained wrist, ache in her back, crick in her neck, or wherever else is the “pain du jour!”
Just imagine having to get up every morning and head to the office where throngs of sick, aching and aging patients want to discuss their troubles! I couldn’t stand it! After hearing the third patient’s detailed description of symptoms, I would jump up and race out of the office never to be seen or heard from again!
(It’s a good thing I didn’t become a doctor.)
After I recite all my complaints about my various aches and pains, we get on politics. The doctor and I each share our opinions on issues plaguing the nation today. He often tells me funny experiences that have happened to him in his practice, always with teaching a lesson on health in mind. He has a knack for getting me to laugh. Might as well laugh in life, I’ve always said, as laughter is certainly the best medicine.
The doctor is very good at listening to symptoms and figuring what needs to be done in the way of more tests or prescribing medications or even a change of life style.
Case in point: Recently my liver enzymes shot up and the doctor advised me to cut wine consumption to just one glass of wine a day for three months. I did this and my next blood test showed my liver enzymes returned to normal. Just like magic.
This event delivered a major health lesson — we are in charge of our bodies and what we put in our mouth can well determine the quality of our health. In other words, we are responsible for our health. Not in every case, perhaps, sometimes we inherit genes with propensity for various diseases. But in most cases, if we follow the basic rules of good health: no smoking, no drugs (other than those prescribed by a doctor), one drink a day for a woman, two for a man, regular exercise, proper amount of rest, regular checkups, etc. we can prevent many health problems.
Doctors, nurses and medical staff certainly do deserve our awe, respect and adoration. We couldn’t live without them! And that’s an indisputable fact!
© 2020
