Beattys Overseas

I have always, since my parents took us to see JAWS at the Sunrise drive-in and we played on the swings in our pajamas, been afraid of sharks & dark water.  And since I am a terrible swimmer, especially now that my shoulder is outta whack and whatnot, I have also been afraid of deep water.  If I can't see to the bottom, then it ain't cool.  I am a land lover.

The point of telling you this is that I wanted this trip to be be partially about confronting some of my fears (especially my fear of waking each morning to resume hard work in a cubicle somewhere, or worse!).  So Whit and I planned to learn to dive while at the Great Barrier Reef.  In order to participate in dive school, we needed to pass both a medical exam and a swim test, the latter which we were both secretly worried about.  And the annoying beauty of the $55 medical exam is that you have to pay whether you pass the exam or not.  If I was the doctor it would make cents.

Well, my first medical didn't go too well.  The bad Doctor failed me.  I think he did so maliciously. My ears and sinuses were ok, breathing too.  We  then went over my medical history and I informed him of my motorcycle accident related ankle surgery.  In fact, I had noted it on the questionaire as "O.R.IF.", or "Open Reduction Internal Fixation" -- how it is ALWAYS referred to in the medical field. 

His response was, "ORIF: What's That?"

I then asked if he hadn't been present the day they taught that class in Medical School, to which he made a weird face and proceeded to fail me...  About 2 seconds after I told this guy about my shoulder surgery, he hastily examined my arm and circled the "temporarily unfit" category. 

Not to be deterred, I paid this cat his $55 clams (no pun) and I sought what's known in the business as a 'second opinion.'

$48 dollars and some nice conversation with a new Doc (just down the street) later (including a wish for a happy honeymoon), and I was on my way to dive school with a "good to go" certificate and a ton of apprehension.  The second exam was quicker than the first, too, as the second Doctor and I never even discussed shoulder surgery.  Imagine that.

- John