Family Medicine Activist: BellHOP Cafe, Breakfast, Didgeridoos and OhioAFP

#HAWMC Day 13

It's Saturday morning and I'm "off" this weekend, otherwise I'm in the office seeing patients on Saturday AM, which I've posted about before: Saturday Morning in the Office.

Breakfast at the BellHOP Cafe is a nice break from my usual Greek Yogurt with walnuts, water, coffee with Stevia and cinnamon and nutraceuticals (vitamins, minerals and supplements), or my occasional Bob's Red Mill Steel Cut Oats with walnuts and fruit.  The quiche with sausage patty and a glass of water worked out well, followed by writing this post (at least the first part of it) and playing a bit on my (bamboo and fancy, $25 painted PVC pipe with 2 bends and a bell on the end) didgeridoos.  Dr Synonymous readers will recall how we launched the "Didgeridoo Hullabaloo" at the BellHOP Cafe: Didgeridoo Hullabaloo Launch.

If you wonder about why I'm playing the didgeridoo, a small study showed that playing it for fifteen minutes daily yielded snoring cessation and, for a small number of study participants, loss of sleep apnea (results will vary) AND more restful sleep and daytime energy for bed-mates of the participants.  If you need to know more about playing the didge, try  How to Play the Didgeridoo.  My snoring assessment committee tells me I'm not snoring and I note increased breath for singing.

Later, I attended the Payer and Practice Issues Committee at The Ohio Academy of Family Physicians headquarters in Columbus.  We discussed the Vaccines for Children program and challenges experienced by physicians in dealing with program policies.  There was a presentation by representatives of Molina, a Medicaid Managed Care Company with a national presence.  The camaraderie and hallway discussions about what's happening with our patients and practices and careers and families is always meaningful.  I value the opportunity to learn and serve through organized medicine.

To celebrate being in Columbus, I went to the Half Price Bookstore on Lane Avenue and filled a couple bags with books to read.  More about the books later.  The sun is out on a beautiful spring day, and I'm home in time to watch the last two holes of golf at the Masters Tournament.  My didgeridoos are right beside me, so I can practice a bit during commercials (I have to be quiet when the golfers are about to hit the ball, as you know).