Part Two the Medical Appointment

I arrived on time for the 11:00 am appointment. I knew I was in for a long wait when I saw a full waiting room. After one hour the nurse called me and took my vital signs. My blood pressure was 110 over 69 and my heart rate was 46 beats per minute. I was also weighed and my weight has not fluctuated since the last time which was back in December. I still weighed 149 pounds fully clothed with boots on. (This will be a big issue later, please be patient) After the vital signs were taken I returned to my seat in the waiting room where I waited another hour before the doctor called me. Yes, it took two hours before I was seen, but this is part of the program and standard operating procedure. The doctor was well aware of why I was there – to reinstitute the protein drinks. However, the policy has changed since I last saw him when he prescribed the drinks. The doctor greeted me and immediately wanted to weigh me again. I told him I was already weighed and we went back to his office.

This can be a very long story so I will try to condense it. While we were in his office, he took my height without boots which is 5 feet 9 ½ inches. He then calculated my body mass index. As he was doing this calculation, I was acutely aware of what he was doing. He was trying to prove my need for the protein drinks. Prior to the body mass index calculation, I said to him it might be better if I weighed without the boots since he calculated my height without them. I hopped on one of the scales which had me weighing 150 pounds. I didn’t understand how this could be and the doctor said, “I don’t like this scale; try the other one.” I moved to the other scale and weighed in at 143 pounds without the boots. This was more like it and I have actually gained 2 pounds since my incarceration started last July. The doctor seemed to agree with this weight and we proceeded back to his office. He then recalculated my body mass index at 21. I thought this was high and I thought it would be 19 which is obviously on the thin side.

Oops! I am going out of sequence. Before we made our way over to the scale, we saw another doctor in the hallway. At the time I didn’t realize this was the Chief Medical Officer. My doctor showed this doctor my stomach and ribs in hopes he would get me clearance for the drinks. He went on about how much running I could do and how active I am and how the protein drinks were necessary. The other doctor was not buying any of it and said, “He is naturally skinny and he is not here to muscle it up.”

My doctor was not deterred by this answer as we went toward the scale. Back in his office the doctor sat silently over my medical file trying to think of something. As he was thinking I asked him what he knew about the possible early release of some inmates. He then gave me the Friday edition 2/23 of the San Francisco Examiner or Chronicle and showed me an article relating to this topic which was on the front page. I asked him if I could read the article while he was thinking about what to do. He said, “Of course.” I won’t go into the contents as it will make this story even longer.

After a few minutes of deep contemplation, my doctor took me over to another doctor seeking a third opinion. This doctor was of no help and said if I wanted to gain some weight I should stop exercising. I didn’t take too kindly to this remark, and said something like, “That’s absurd.” But I did say it in a dignified manner.

She then said, “We could probably prescribe 3 hot fudge sundaes per day and you still wouldn’t gain any weight.”

Again, I was a little less dignified this time and said, “I wouldn’t eat the sundaes anyway.” Somehow after this exchange, we managed to agree to disagree and my doctor saw that she was of no help.

I really must give my doctor tremendous credit because he tried his hardest. After this latest rebuff, he took me into the Associate Warden’s Office to plead my case (I knew I opened up a can of worms when I wrote that memo a week and a half ago, but I didn’t realize all this would transpire). The Warden wanted to help but his hands were tied since the decision on the protein drink policy came from a higher authority. My doctor did tell the Associate Warden to move me out as soon as possible so I could get more food. He even went as far as stating my last name several times. I’m not sure if this is good, bad, or neither, but now the Associate Warden knows my name. My doctor still wouldn’t give up and sought out the first doctor we saw earlier. He found him and it was here that I discovered it was the Chief Medical Officer who implemented the protein drink policy. The three of us had a very good discussion and as it turns out I am just not skinny enough to receive the drinks. Go figure? As we were talking, the Chief medical Officer said to me. “You look like you don’t belong here. Why are you here?”

I can now sum up my deeds in one sentence. “I made a grave error in judgment and I am being rightfully punished for this huge error!” I did follow up with compulsive gambling addictions but I did not go into a big discussion.

After this conversation, I thanked my doctor for going beyond the extra mile and I appreciated all he did for me. He told me to get myself to a fire camp and if I do lose weight or feel sick to come and see him anytime. I was amazed at the lengths my doctor went through and now the issue of the protein drinks is dead. He did mention the appeal process but it is not worth it. I am maintaining my weight and frankly getting the protein drinks was a hassle. I only wrote the memo based on principle and as it turns out other inmates are losing their drinks because they do not fit the new policy which is only inmates who are severely malnourished with BMI’s of 15 or below and those with severe medical conditions such as hepatitis and HIV. I certainly don’t fit that criteria and I suspect all the other inmates who are currently receiving these drinks will soon have them taken away very shortly.

The medical staff of the CDC has been much maligned over the years. However, someone must be looking out for me because I am blessed with a doctor who truly cares. I wrote this the first time I met this doctor back in November and today he exceeded my expectations. He did all he could without getting into trouble and I respect him immensely. Even though I was not able to get the protein drinks, I felt very satisfied with today’s outcome. I am very happy I wrote that memo earlier because now I know I did all I could and I accept the outcome wholeheartedly.