352) Faux Pas #2 after a Good Day

March 31, 2009
Tuesday

Home: The latest faux pas embarrassed us this morning at about 7:10 a.m. when we checked in at S. Austin for our lab work with the nice receptionist who keeps her key board under the desk, making it look like she is scratching her knees when I talk to her. She is a sweetie however; and I must remember her name for this tome.

This morning she says they don't have my orders yet, which is the case frequently since Rodney and I started coming here for lab-work. She recommends we ask Bernadette to send them to the lab fax so they don't have to track them down every time... at the central fax they just stack them in a box and don't forward them for awhile... I promise to email Bernadette with the new fax number. So, while she is tracking the order down, we sit patiently under a TV with cartoons on... ycch.

As we are sitting there Liz is looking thru her stuff and checks her calendar... only to find that our LAB APPT. IS TOMORROW! Her response; "I hate getting up at 5:30 for no reason!", while I go up to the receptionist, who laughed and said, "See you tomorrow. Call 'em about the fax number."

So we drive home mumbling grumbles all the way... and Liz now has to ask Kathy down the street if she'll take Shayna to school again tomorrow, and I have to contact Bernadette. The good news is I am home in plenty of time to take my meds at their correct time: 8:00 am.

So, what's the lesson for those of you who are in this same boat: just post transplant and adjusting to not taking binders and working your life around the dialysis schedule; and adjusting to being home on house arrest for about 6 weeks and having to get to Labs at 7:30 am, remembering to take your meds twice a day exactly 12 hours apart, and eating practically whatever you want within a heart-healthy diet?

I think we'd recommend writing everything down in the same place instead of keeping appointments in some calendar you might not check every single day, for starters. The post-transplant person is useless for keeping data in their heads... at least I have been. As I've said before there are emotional changes going on in you, the anesthesia supposedly takes a month or so to totally wear off, so you really can't be counted on for anything unless you are good at keeping detailed lists and checking them often.

So it goes in post-transplant land... of note, the Flatlanders will be on KUT live at noon today! On KGSR @ 2 pm and then at Waterlou Records playing live @ 5! Today is their Hills & Valleys Record Release. Then they are on the road: of interest to some of our friends ---> May 1~Abilene @ Grace Museaum (David);
May 17~Salt Lake City @ The State Room (Richard); May 19 ~ Seattle @ Triple Door (Brian); June 1 ~ Santa Fe @ Paolo Soleri with Lucinda Williams (Cliff); June 4 ~ Austin @ UT Ballroom (Austinites); June 5 ~ Dallas @ House of Blues (Cathe, Wayne, Dick). Check out the full schedule at the Flatlander's Website. BTW, this is what Lovely Lizzie got me for an anniversary present!

[I am reminded of one of my favorite sayings just now:
Every day is a gift. Why do you think they call it the present?]

I have been following the Flatlanders since the late '70's and here is a <---- copy of their first album which I can't find on the web at this point.

Good News: Yesterday I went all day without pain meds, aside from 2 Tylenol! Pain is way down and didn't bother me at all all night. We celebrated our 13th Anniversary last night with a Pizza (do you know how long it has been since I had Pizza?... I can't even remember) and candles, and gifts for my sweetie that I had some of my minions* find and deliver before Lizzie came home from work. For me, Lizzie bought the new Flatlanders CD... Also, I took it really easy all day: = napping most of the day while listening to KUT and waking some to pee and drink H2O.

Notes:
* See Dictionary.com "Minions"; def. # 3.