4/22/09

359) Lab & Results in ONE day!

April 20, 2009
Mon
day

Morning: I went to have my labs drawn at S.Austin Hospital this morning, getting there about 7:30 am and running into my buddy Rodney coming out. He shared that he has to go back at 9 and then later at 10 for more blood to check his cyclosporine levels. I get apprehensive about spending my morning going back and forth... and am happy about getting thru the initial administrative procedures in about 10 minutes... they are getting faster and faster and that is good customer service. Rene the Registrar still seems surprised.

Peggy the Phlegbotomist is in her regular cheerful mood and asks where Lizzie is (out to breakfast with a friend) and says I only need two tests today. I ask about coming back and she says, "not on your orders!"
So, I get outa there and back home before 8! WOW... these guys are getting good. I take my meds, eat my Cheerios and MILK & BANANAS, and seem to be getting ready for a day of working on Theresa's RFP, calling our plumber for some adjustments for the new stove, meeting the new janitor (?), maid (?), cleaner guy (?) <-- what do you call a male maid? ...and a supervisory meeting with one of my supervisees to cap off the day. Then in the middle of my hallucinatory imaging the agenda and writing it down... Peggy calls back and asks if I can come back again and give her some more blood. Seems she didn't initial one of the test tubes and the lab won't accept it! Can you believe that? So she is "really sorry" and I say it's okay... I can return... but I have already taken my meds... and she says that is okay as long as I get the blood work soon. I say I'll be right there...

Later: About 4 Bernadette calls and says my blood-work looks good... CBC a little low but all else is good. I tell her about running into Rodney and she quips, "Well; you know we treat you all INDIVIDUALLY, you know..." So it goes on another lab day.

3 comments:

HeatherT said...

Hey, I wrote a new blog post in response to your question. Now I'm catching up on your blog...ttyl

Jack Nowicki said...

Heather ~ thanks for the response! It reminds me of things I already know, mostly, and it is always good to hear it from someone in the same boat. There are plenty of things I can do to get more active... like the yard work my Transplant Team has told me not to do yet. Maybe I can find some ways to do some while closely protecting myself from what they warn me about in the dirt! Also, I need to walk more and that is an easy and common thing people in my neighbor hood do.

Liz will be happy to be more directive about telling me what to do too, I suspect.

I really appreciate your support! Jack

Holly said...

Jack - Thank you much for your blog. It is great to be able to know about your recovery for those of us who love you and live far away. You look !Fantastic! in your pictures and so does Liz :-) Keep up the good healing, have fun being back on the road, and I hope you can get in to your 34" Levi's soon! Light and Love to you. Holly & Ken