The package is in the house!

It seems as though the kit they needed to draw my blood last week arrived about 45 minutes after I left. Today, I was in and out of the office in 20 minutes. My right arm is a little worse for wear, though. For the very first time, in over a year of having blood drawn almost weekly, I left the office with a big blood blister in the bend of my elbow. Another war wound.

Next appointment at the oncologist's office - May 9, 2007, with bloodwork to be scheduled for the preceding week (locally!)

posted by Kim @ 5:03 PM 1 comments

Another doctor day

Monday's trip to Dr. Holmes' office should have included a special blood draw. But since someone forgot to order the package needed to perform said work, I had an appointment made for Wednesday at 9:40. Efficient as I am trying to be, I left the house about 15 minutes early to make a drop off at the dry cleaners. About 5 minutes out of town, I received a phone call from the doctor's office (sorry, we hoped to catch you before you left!) informing that the package did not arrive the previous afternoon, as expected, however FedEx was scheduled to deliver it at 10:30, so might I be able to come then. No problem, I said. I continued on my drive and went shopping and World Market and Bed, Bath and Beyond before going to the doctor (arriving now at 10:25).

I took the last seat available in a very full waiting room, certain I would be called back immediately. First mistake. 15 minutes passed, and then I was informed that the package still was not in house, but that it should arrive "any minute". At 11, the lab tech came out to repeat the message, assuring me that I was on his schedule, and I would be called in just as soon as possible. Since I had by now finish adding phone numbers to my cell phone, I picked up a Reader's Digest to while away the minutes. At 11:45, the nurse called me back again to tell me (with a very embarrassed look on her face) that now FedEx could not even give her an estimated time for delivery. She muttered something about it being weather-related, blah, blah, blah......she asked if I wanted to go do anymore shopping and they would call me when the package arrived. I declined her offer, telling her I would be happy to sit and wait, but I would have to leave no later than 1, as I had another appointment back in Tomball at 2.

Having finished the Reader's Digest (and learning more than I cared to know about different discoveries in treating stroke patients), I sat down to work on a jigsaw puzzle. There is always a puzzle being worked on at this doctor's office. In the year I have been going there, I have never made an effort to add even one piece to the process. This day, I nearly completed the sides of the puzzle. Nearly is the operative word here, but not because I was called back for my labwork, but because 1PM arrived and I needed to leave. I left the office with an appointment for this coming Monday at 10:30 and enough apologies to last a lifetime.

I drove straight to the Cancer Center in Tomball for my next appointment, with Dr. Reddy, the radiation oncologist. These are always pleasant appointments (the ones with no radiation treatments, that is), as the people are so very friendly, and there is never a long wait. This day was no different - except for the 8 X 10 framed notice sitting on the check-in desk informing all of us that Dr. Reddy is leaving the practice as of the end of February! WAAAAAAAAA! I am so glad that I have already completed my treatment with him. And I feel so badly for the people who are in the middle of treatment. The doctors who will be filling in until a permanent replacement is decided upon are quite good, but it's still unsettling to need to change doctors during a treatment such as this.

My appointment with the doctor went without a hitch. They noted all of the minor issues I told them about. The occasional twinges of pain I sometimes feel are a normal occurrence for someone who has had radiation. They explain it as the nerves "talking to you." But it isn't anything to be concerned about unless it were to become chronic and severe. So, he sent me off with a handshake and his e-mail address in the event I need to ask him any questions later on down the road. Such a nice man. When I go back in 6 months for my follow up, there should be a new doctor in place.

After leaving the Cancer Center, I made what was supposed to be a quick trip to Wal-Mart. I was delusional in thinking that going to Wal-Mart on Valentine's Day would be anything in the neighborhood of quick. It's only due to cooler temps and God's grace that my ice cream wasn't totally melted by the time I arrived home........nearly EIGHT hours after leaving in the morning!

It was a good day!

posted by Kim @ 10:03 AM 0 comments

Graduation Day!

posted by Kim @ 8:31 PM 4 comments

Bloodwork this morning.....

What a joy it is to be attended to by people who smile, say "Good morning!", and don't make you feel like you are imposing upon them. The lady who drew my blood this morning was named Joy, and she exuded it! She found "Old Faithful" (refer to yesterday's post about having blood drawn) and got three vials full before I really knew she had even pricked me. What a blessing!

No more tests or labwork before next Monday's 3 month follow up appointment with Dr. Holmes (and final Herceptin treatment!). Just real life until then.

Real life is good - don't let anyone try to convince you of anything else!

posted by Kim @ 11:58 AM 0 comments

Ugga MUGA

That phrase has always been used in our home to echo Daniel Striped Tiger's favorite expression from Mr. Roger's Neighborhood. This week, it describes the MUGA (heart) scan I had yesterday. I've been having this scan done every 3 months as a diagnostic tool during my Herceptin treatment. Herceptin can make heart muscle become "flabby," so the oncologist wants to keep a close eye on me. I've not had a bad result yet, and I don't necessarily expect a bad one now. My final Herceptin treatment, by the way, is scheduled for this coming Monday, the 12th.....woohoo!

So, when I went over to the hospital yesterday, I was just expecting a routine time. The normal procedure is that they draw blood, mix it with some radioactive "stuff," let it "cook" for about 30 minutes, inject it back into you (how kind of them!) and then take images of your heart over the course of about another 30 minutes. All I have to do is lie still on the table. I have been known to doze on occasion. All in all, it should be easy.

Nothing is easy at our hospital, though. Each time I have taken this test, they have sent me to a different place to register. Yesterday was no exception. Even though I asked when I registered on the phone and asked again when they called me to confirm my appointment, I was still told, patronizingly, "You are really supposed to register at the Heart Center, but I will take care of it here." Sigh.....I was the one who asked, "Shouldn't I register at the Heart Center?" To which the reply was, "No, go to Radiology." By now I was thanking God that I wasn't at the Medical Center as I would have many more hallways to walk through to get to the proper location!

Michelle was the lady who called me in to start phase 1 of the test. She would draw my blood; I would then go sit back in the waiting room for a half hour. Since my surgery, I can only have blood drawn from my right arm. I have a semi-permanent "tatoo" at the crease of my elbow from all the times they have drawn blood from my right arm. It has been a very productive vein. However, it's uncomfortable to have blood drawn there for this procedure, as they leave in the IV. That means holding one's arm straight for 30 minutes or being in pain when bending said arm because of the IV. So I was glad Michelle looked for and found another vein to use. Except this vein didn't want to give blood. It would let her inject IN, but she couldn't draw anything OUT. It seems there was a valve there, doing its little valve job.......great......

So, Michelle left that IV in place since she would need to inject my blood back in later. Since she still needed to draw blood OUT of me, she used Old Faithful and got the required amount for their nuclear concoction. Now I had 2 spots with that awful plastic tape stuck on me. I took my seat back in the waiting room and proceeded to read a relatively current magazine while I waited out my time. Not long after I sat down, Michelle entered the waiting room with a man whome she introduced as John. It seemed that John was now going to administer my test, as it was Michelle's lunch time (now I am wondering what ever happened to finishing a task before tending to one's stomach). John informed me that my blood wasn't ready yet, and he would call me when it was time. 10 minutes later, I got "the call, and John led me back to the testing room where he gave me my blood back and then took out the IV. Then, he told me to get positioned on the table for pictures. In the process of getting things all set, he needed to connect me to various electrodes. While doing so, he asked me, rather sheepishly, "Do you have on a prosthesis?" I apologetically answered to the affirmative; not realizing that it would interfere with the imaging, I came overdressed, so to speak. John then asked for me to remove it, and I proceeded to go through contortions of great magnitude as I had never attempted that feat from the position I was in. I handed the object over to John; he placed it under a nearby pillow so it wouldn't be lying there exposed to all the passersby. Hysterical!

The rest of the time there went without a hitch. I was introduced to Shania Twain's music (Isomething I had never heard before, to my knowledge anyway). Instead of listening, I dozed off. Why waste good naptime is my rationale. Michelle returned from lunch just in time to finish the test and help megather all of my "belongings" and put them in their rightful places. I then left the hospital and drove into town to finish the rest of my errands.

The results of the test should be at the oncologist's office on Monday when I have my visit there. I go to have more blood drawn tomorrow morning so that Dr. Holmes will have all of the pertinent details she needs to assess my progress when I see her. Please pray for good results all the way around. I will update after Monday's visit with results and details.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." ~Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV)

posted by Kim @ 11:53 PM 1 comments

All clear.....

This was the verdict after the mammogram I had this morning. There was no marked change between the films from last year to this year.

Thanking God for another answer to prayer.

posted by Kim @ 11:04 AM 2 comments