Tags
adventure, Appointment, Benadryl, Calendar, Cancer, CML, Doctor, Drugs, Family, health, infusion, Kindle, Life, Nose, Reading, Therapist, writing
Today started out busy, and judging by my calendar, it’s only the beginning.
I had two doctor appointments today—one at 10:00 a.m. and another at 3:00 p.m.
My first stop was my oncologist’s office for an iron infusion. They usually take about two hours, so I figured I’d have plenty of time to get home, eat lunch, and make it to my physical therapy appointment.
Well… that was the plan.
The infusion ended up lasting nearly three hours, which turned my carefully planned schedule into a race against the clock.
Before the infusion, they always draw blood to check my iron levels and determine if—and when—I’ll need another treatment. Then comes the fun part. They hook me up to a small IV bag of Benadryl.
They use Benadryl to offset any reaction I may have to the infusion.
I don’t know about everyone else, but Benadryl absolutely knocks me out. I’m talking “you could redecorate the room around me, and I’d never know it” kind of asleep.
I had brought my Kindle to pass the time, but after the Benadryl started flowing, I don’t remember making it past the second page.
A lady sitting next to me was receiving three bags of chemotherapy. I knew I’d been asleep for quite a while when I woke up, and she was already on her third bag.
When I finally came to, my iron infusion was almost finished. I did my best to stay awake long enough for the nurse to remove the IV. Truthfully, I could have happily curled up in that recliner and taken another nap, but I had places to be.
Downstairs, I stopped to pay for parking. An elderly lady ahead of me was having trouble with the payment machine. Her card wouldn’t work, and she didn’t have another card or any cash. I asked her to cancel the transaction, scan her ticket again, and I paid for her parking.
Four dollars wasn’t going to make me go broke.
My good deed for today.
She thanked me several times before heading on her way, and then I paid for my own parking.
My physical therapy appointment went well, although concentrating wasn’t exactly easy with all that Benadryl still floating through my system. I think my therapist took one look at me, decided I wasn’t going to set any personal records that afternoon, and let me go home about ten minutes early.
Tomorrow will be another busy day. I’ll have to miss my Tuesday morning Bible study because I’m taking my dad to the doctor to have his broken nose checked after his fall.
He’s already informed me that he has no intention of letting them reset it.
According to him, he broke it as a kid, it’s been crooked ever since, and he doesn’t see much point in making it straight now.
At 87 years old, I guess he’s decided that a crooked nose has become part of his identity. Who am I to argue with that?
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