As I have already related, Neville’s use of ProZinc insulin, rather than the glargine, has been a failure. While it gave him a couple of good ‘curves’ two days out of the last ten or so, that is of course not enough, and cannot be depended upon to give him good health. Furthermore, the sensor, which was to operate for two weeks, ceased working Saturday morning. I initially thought there was a problem with the sensor itself but, in fact, it was due to the device coming off of Neville, the little prong on the its under-side no longer penetrating his skin. The first sensor was glued rather too strongly to the Nevsky, and had taken off all his fur underneath when it was taken off. I think to preclude a recurrence, this second device was adhered deliberately less strongly. Even so, it did its job for the time it was attached to my furry grey friend; it told me what I needed to know. And Nev won’t have to go to the hospital once more for the sensor’s removal.
Pondering this led to other thoughts, not directly connected to Neville and his diabetes. There was a time when I was what one might have called a pessimist. Then again, there was a time when I was young. I suspect that, in my immature state, I fancied that being pessimistic gave me a certain cachet. I also suspect that, if it did, it was entirely in my own mind, and everyone else found my attitudes tiresome and dull. I myself think the past me deserved a good smack, followed by more, until I was rendered unconscious and of no further annoyance to the general population.
As I aged, I became more optimistic. This is strange, considering I find the world having become worse during the same time period. Nonetheless, I am now an optimist. This made me in turn recall a movie I saw lo, these many years ago.
It was called Mr Patman, also known as Crossover. Don’t be surprised if you’ve never heard of it. It was a Canadian film from 1980, which pretty much guarantees its anonymity. Besides which, 1980 was the height of the Canadian film industry’s tax-shelter period, when terrible movies were made by incompetent people for financial reasons. Thank goodness those days are long gone and our film and television industries has thrived for more integral reasons. Some good features were nonetheless produced and, to be honest, I don’t remember if I liked Mr Patman. Most of those who reviewed it – and acted in it – did not.
Just in case you are about to watch Mr Patman, I will warn you that I am about to spoil the ending for you; if you don’t want that, skip to my last paragraph… The story involved a male nurse, portrayed by James Coburn (who was never incompetent or terrible at his job), working at a psychiatric hospital. He realises that, like the inmates, he is beginning to lose his sanity, and he eventually checks himself into his own asylum.
Early in the film, he is conversing with an inmate, with whom he is friends. The inmate explains that there are two kinds of people in the facility. Some are optimists, others are pessimists. The former eventually get better and leave; the latter do not.
At the film’s end, Patman, now a patient, is welcomed to his new home by his friend, the inmate. They must choose a bed for Patman, and the inmate suggests Mr So-and-So’s bed, as he won’t be needing it anymore.
“What happened to Mr So-and-so?” asks Patman.
“Oh, he was an optimist,” the inmate answers.
Then, with a big and toothy grin, the likes of which was unique to James Coburn, Patman tosses his bag on to the bed and declares, “Then that’s the place for me!”
I have found that optimists may not always be right in their view of life. They tend not to have fewer troubles because of their attitudes; they probably don’t even have more friends. But I think they find more to enjoy; there is more sunshine, and if there is rain, they like the sound and smell of it. Optimists tend to smile more, I think, because even if pessimists are right, what they are right about brings them no joy. And, I believe, when events are conspiring to lock one away with lunatics, optimists will get out of the asylum sooner.
We are optimistic that you and the vet staff will find a solution to The Nevsky's blood sugar issues.
ReplyDeleteI'm a pessimistic worrywart by nature, but I also have a strongly developed sense of gallows humor. That's been enough to keep me out of the asylum. So far.
ReplyDeleteIf we were all optomists, even just a bit more Buddhist, the world could and would be a better place. There is good reason to believe optomists live longer, too. Paws crossed the problems with the sensor will be resolved by thinking positively and laterally.
ReplyDeleteYou'd have to be optimistic about getting out of the asylum, that's for sure. Me, I waste too much time worrying and it never comes to anything helpful, I guess that's pessimism of some sort. But I am optimistic you will find the right setup for Neville.
ReplyDeleteI try to be optimistic, it is what keeps me going!
ReplyDeleteI think you must be an optimist. A pessimist wouldn't be able to care for the cats the way you do, and would be in a constant state of stress.
I define myself as a realist. I truly try and see things as they are and deal accordingly. I don't think I am an optimist or a pessimist, so I wonder what a person is who is right down the middle? :)
ReplyDeleteSince my work involves helping a lot of peeps who have various forms and stages of Dementia, sometimes we staff have to use our sense of humor and say, if we can't beat them, we'll join them...its the optimistic way to see into their minds a wee bit...and it makes our day go better for it. Having said that, hubby and I often say, we need to make our reservations there for future reference, LOL!!
ReplyDeleteWe all hope and are optimistic that good insulin and blood sugar control will be found for precious Neville.
I would say I'm a realist/pessimist with tendencies to catastrophizing (assuming the worst case scenario). I come by that naturally from my mother. I actually believe our brains are hard-wired to lean a certain way, BUT that with conscious effort, we can become aware of our patterns of thinking and adapt to more positive ways of viewing life. That does take energy, though, so is harder to do when one is burned out, exhausted, grieving, etc.
ReplyDeleteMany people have called me a pessimist but I call me a realist. I figure that if you expect the worst, you'll always be pleasantly surprised when things turn out better than expected. But I am optimistic and hopeful that things will turn out fine for Neville and you will be able to control his diabetes. BTW, I am a big James Coburn fan - How did I miss seeing Mr. Patman??
ReplyDeleteWe hope you'll end up loving it when a plan comes together.
ReplyDeleteWe must be cousins or something along the way somewhere! Thrice removed..something like that.
ReplyDeleteI used to be a worrier - I guess that is a form of pessimism. I was certain everything would end in disaster. As I aged, I learned that worrying did more harm than good, and like you I tried to see the positive side, even when it came to difficult events. I wouldn't consider myself an optimist, but I do take note of the special moments, even if they are as simple as the snow falling from the evergreen tree as the temperature rose today. Winter may not be over for a long time yet, but I was reminded that eventually spring will surely come.
ReplyDeleteI am purring for a good solution Neville.
ReplyDeleteI used to be a worrier and all it did was make me cranky and no fun to be around. Being optimistic allows you to believe that there are answers and I hope you find a good one for dear Neville!