I have been a hot mess since I woke up this morning… with a cough.  I tried to ignore it and as I do everyday, I frantically checked my emaIl for anything pertaining to my schedule.  This morning, I received an email saying I had new test results in “my chart” (the online chart system the hospital uses).  I go online and it lists a whole bunch of tests with the results as “see comments”.  There were no comments,  I immediately sent an email off to St. Kate at Dr Burts office to see if these were the results of the “false positive” tests we were waiting on.  I also tell her about my cough assuming it is the plague or something just as nasty that will prevent me from having chemo on Monday.  By noon, I still didn’t hear back so I called and left her a message.  She called me back and it looks like the results released into “my chart” we’re the original results.  It was a good thing I called though, because Kate called the lab and apparently, they forgot to run the one test and could not re-run the second because the blood had expired.  She also said she was going to check with Dr Burt about my cough. 

I quickly get ready and we all go the hospital as quickly as possible to get my blood taken again.  At this point, I am literally about 30 seconds away from a nervous breakdown.  I sit down for my # to be called when an elderly lady starts crying and yelling into her cell phone at somebody that she is so sick and has blood coming out of every possible place in her body. I got the feeling that she is a frequent visitor of whatever doctor is at that location because no one was even lifting an eye her way.   I am typically concerned at these things, but at this point my main goal is… Do not sit anywear near this woman because I am pretty sure whatever she may have I do not want to get.  That will for sure hold up my chemo.   My name gets called and I quickly bathe in purell before heading into the lab.   The blood draw takes all of 1 minute and I am back downstairs meeting my parents.       I check email again and there is one from Kate telling me Dr Burt is not concerned with the cough and call if it get worse.  

My nerves have me a wreck, so we head out to get some food.  It was about 2:00 and I haven’t eaten all day.  I look on yelp and find this nice little place not far from the hotel called Doc B‘s.  It was great.  We had the best lunch…  The grilled artichokes were the best we have ever had.

Grilled Artichoke Appetizer 

Mom’s chicken with roasted red pepper sandwich

My Tofu Teriyaki Noodle Wok.  Next time I will say no kale.  There was WAY to much in there, but it was still delicious. 

My fathers Reuben.

After lunch, I check my emaI, and there is another email from St Kate saying she needed me to fill out a few forms that I missed.  I reply to her saying I will drop them right off and ask when I will know if we are still on for chemo on Monday.  She writes me back saying we are on schedule and I need to go get my meds at the Walgreens in the hospital.  THERE IS A WALGREENS IN THE HOSPITAL. I really do ❤️Walgreens.  We go to the hotel to print the forms and find out that the entire block has no internet.  Thank God I through flip drive in my many bags.  We run to the room, use my iPad as a hotspot to get onto the computer and save the documents.  My dad runs downstairs to print them as I wrap gifts I bought for the 3 nurses at Dr. Burts office.  We take a cab to the hospital I run to my happy place to pick up my prescriptions while my dad drops the gifts and forms off to Kate.  Thankfully, my $8,000 in medications came to only $138.00.  My work is dropping my Aetna POS II at the end of the year for a cheaper Aetna and I could cry thinking of those of us with  chronic illnesses and the out of pocket costs that we will incur.    

So, an Ativan to prevent a nervous breakdown , a pill for my headache and eye pain  and 4 cab rides later we are in the room and ready to put this day behind me.  3 more sleeps until my baby is here.  That fixes everything.

Xoxo

Colleen

Disclosure – I have to be totally honest here.  I believe the cough may have been from a little Neosporin I put in my nose last night.  I am so freaked out I’m going to get my mothers sickness that I am doing whatever I can to prevent it.  I saw this thing on Pinterest that says to put Neosporin in your nose during flu season.  So I text my brother in law, Dr. Dan and he calls me a fool and tells me to take a darn Ativan.  Apparently, I need to stop diagnosing myself and listen to the doctors.  My cough is much much better tonight.  God willing it will stay that way.  Lesson learned!