35) Moritz Locutus Returns

July 27
Thursday

El Milagro: The 'new mean guy' (see Post # 21 in June) cannulated me today. He doesn't seem so mean anymore: now its more like he is somewhat uncomfortable in his new work environment and trying to overcompensate (or trying to follow the model set by other staff) by making small talk with everyone. I can tell by observation though that he is still not in the 'in group', staff-wise. I still don't know his name, although he is from Tennessee and has been sticking people for four years there before moving to Austin to stick people.

Sometime around 5 pm Dr. Moritz, Nurse Ron, and Jennifer the Dietician come by, surprising me by slipping into my visual field from the left. Usually I know when they are moving about the place checking in on people, but this time they somehow completely snuck up on me.

Dr. Moritz is wearing a muted Hawaiin shirt, khakis, and, in his ear the implanted phone bug. He looks a little like a heavier version of Captain Picard (as asimilated by the BORG: stardate 43989.1), but on vacation. I wonder if he is listening to instructions from the collective while asking Nurse Ron how I am doing. Nurse Ron reports I am doing great, and Jennifer the dietician adds that my phosphorus is still high. I ask, "Is this with the new lab work?" and she replys that it is, and adds to Moritz that I have completely cut out Mexican food.... Moritz Locutus* gets a question from the collective in his ear and vocals, "beans?"; to which 'J of D' and I both nod 'Yes!'. J of D asks if they should add a new med, and Moritz Locutus wants data: "How many Renagel is he taking?" I reply, "Five at dinner, four at lunch, and 3 with snacks." Moritz Locutus humanity shows through briefly as he arches his eyebrows in surprise and mumbles something to himself. Then the collective whispers some message in his ear and he turn slightly and moves on to the next person. J of D shrugs and tells me she'll be back to report on what the collective decides about my meds.

Sometime later after I've had a little snooze, all the machines begin beeping furiously and Herman and Eloy are rushing around and the other staff are going around pushing various buttons on the machines to stop their beeping. It is a chorus of beeps - on again and off again, like mechanical cricket chirps in the night. Herman announces that the water supply got too low causing all the machines to signal "PROBLEM". I overhear that the staff should set all the machines to (something) and wait until the water level gets back to normal.

There is another new person today; a female, youngish, strawberry blonde, with a hardback novel, grass green blanket, and cell phone. She is ushered in to her chair by the social worker and she sits there waiting to be cannulated for the first time, looking around kind of nervously (I hallucinate). Ron the Nurse looks closely at her wrist, indicating to me she has a fistula, and then as they hook her up from a AV Graft I realize her fistula mustn't be mature yet. I remember how I felt the first time, and now realize why Amanda said to me way back then; "Sorry to meet you this way."

Notes: In at 73.1 Kg, and out at 71.0 Kg.
*Jean-Luc Picard (2006) in Wikipedia: The free encyclopedia. Retrieved online July 27, 2006 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Luc_Picard