An embarrasing story and a shoulder update

I was late in coming to the internet, I think; got my first home computer in '97 or so, and eased into surfing, posting, chatting. Once I got the hang of it, I made a few great friends, some of whom I'm still in contact with: Maria, Rob, Evelyn, Jane. I think I did a pretty good job of filtering out the forum/chat nutjobs, through the years.

Cautious, I am. At one point, through some message board or another, I began chatting with a local doctor. Humorous stories, a few email forwards, and conversation, as it will, turned into a more personal nature: He shared a few of his dating disasters with me, lamenting about patients fixing him up with daughters and nieces. I told him of planning the family vacation, had him brainstorm about a few affordable destinations. That was about the extent of it, but after laughing and yakking for a few months, he suggested we meet for coffee.

Hm. Married at the time, and having an 11-year-old kid, I didn't find the idea very appropriate, and declined the invitation. He eventually let me know that he found the correspondence a waste of time. No coffee, no e-mail, he said.

No skin off my teeth, though it did make me feel a little paranoid and immature; would coffee have been so bad? No matter, if I was uncomfortable, I was uncomfortable. End of story.

2 years later. A kickboxing aerobics class at Gold's gym, and OUCH! I irritated something in my hip. For 3 months I let it go, unable to make any sort of smooth transition from sitting to a standing position. After having enough of the creaky, painful starts, I went to see my family doctor.

She referred me to a local specialist.

Yes. The doctor I would not have coffee with. I felt a certain panic, when she mentioned "my" doctor, and asked her if there wasn't someone else she could send me to. But no. The only other doctor within my healthcare system was a 2-hour drive.

SO KIDDIES...just which underwear do you wear to see the doctor you wouldn't have coffee with? Yes, I had to meet him IN MY FREAKING UNDERPANTS!! I had to BEND OVER IN HIS FACE while he pushed around on my hip joints.

Did he recognize me, my name?

Duh, of course he did! HOW did we know one another, he asked, didn't he recognize my name? "Hiiiiiii, I thought it was you!!!"

Well, he was actually nothing but polite and professional, we caught up on each other's lives, I got the Rx I needed to reduce the inflammation in my hip, and then made Diane, my chaperone and moral support for the day, drive me straight to a pub for a beer. That was in 2001.

Ask my how my shoulder is.

X-rays have shown it to be an effect of arthritis in my neck (Mother pronounces it arthur-itis). An Rx relieved some of the symptoms for a minute there, but I got excited and declared myself better, and I've did overdid it; I spent the day on the couch today, back with the heat and ice.

My family practice doctor has offered one alternative, if this doesn't work:

She's referred me to a specialist for a cortisone shot in my neck.

Dammit all to hell.