88. Opthamologist Extraordinaire

I like and admire Dr. Wayne Whitmore, my ophthalmologist—and am not surprised that he's highly-rated as one of the New York Times best physicians. He's personable, smart, has a great technician named Theresa, and he's on top of things. Not only is he perceptive about my vision, he seems helpful about my health in general. As a routine question, he and his staff ask about health in general, which is no doubt a way to learn if any other issues affect vision. When I replied that I'm well and that the only recent health problem seemed to be a nasty bite that was uncomfortable and more disgusting than I want to describe, Dr. Whitmore wondered if the bite was from a tick or even . . . chiggers. CHIGGERS! It sounds like a joke insect. However, the good doctor said he gets chigger bits all the time; they're in tall grass; the bites are horrible and can produce sores and more; and that one just has to tough it out. Whatever bite I had that bacterialized, the dermatologist didn't find the root cause. His cleansing solution and antibiotic cream mitigated the problem, but the good doctor dermatologist didn't hypothesize. It was fun and amusing to get a good annual eye exam and a possible cause for weird skin wounds.



(Originally "slated" for October 7; posted November 14, 2019)