Can you say, "Frazzled?"

 

BOX SCORE
Element	Current	Std. Range
Hemoglobin	12.5	13-17
Platelets	93	140-375
ANC	790	1800-8300

Oh, my, what a week this has been. Sunday morning, I had a blood draw, because I was scheduled to have my second cataract surgery on Thursday at 6:45AM. Ordinarily that would be the time we leave the house for my second blood draw of the week...Monday and Thursday: blood draws at 7:15AM. Kind of a gruesome routine, but it's our routine, and well, routine is good, right? Anyway, we moved the Monday draw to Sunday and the Thursday draw to Wednesday. 

I was glad we had made the switch, when I woke up Monday morning and heard voices in the house. I got up and wandered into the living room, where I found Jill watching the broadcast of the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, the longest reigning monarch in England's history, and the second longest reigning monarch in the history of the world. I forget who the record holder was, but many Americans and millions around the world will never forget Queen Elizabeth. I remember seeing parts of her coronation on TV as a youngster. That was probably at the Postlewait's house down the block. They were the first in the neighborhood to have TV. In my lifetime, I have seen many things come and go; some good, some bad. But there was always only one Queen: Elizabeth. She always seemed to me to be a calm harbor in a world going slowly and inexorably stark, raving mad. Through it all she maintained her poise, her grace, her dignity, even as her own progeny seemed to have a penchant for going off the rails. I will miss the Queen. I can't even imagine how the Brits feel. But I digress

Monday afternoon, I had my scheduled chemotherapy injections. Tuesday morning at 7:20, I had my teeth cleaned for the first time in too many months. Then it was back to the clinic at 2:30 for more chemo. Wednesday blood draw (see above).  Some time on Wednesday, I got a call from Kaiser wanting to schedule me for another EvuSheld injection. If you clicked that link, it took you to a post where I recount the events leading up to my first dose of EvuSheld. 

This time around, I had first called oncology to see about getting scheduled for the EvuSheld, a pair of shots in the rump containing monoclonal antibodies for the prevention of Covid19.  Oncology referred me to my PCP. He was totally in the dark about where I was with this process, because I had the original EvuSheld injections at OHSU.  Nevertheless, he had another doctor call me to explain what EvuSheld is. When I explained to her that I have already had a dose, she said, "Oh, I'll send your information on to Dr. Hall, who handles that." Later that day, Dr. Hall called and explained that I needed to have a  Covid booster at least two weeks  before the EvuSheld. But she said, "We just don't have any appointments available for Covid vaccines, so I have been recommending that people go to Walgreen's or Safeway. I'll have my nurse call you in a couple of days to help you schedule the EvuSheld, after you have an appointment for a Covid booster. So, I got on the phone to RiteAid and scheduled a Covid booster and flu shot for Saturday. 

OK, now, where was I? Oh, yes! Thursday morning. That's the day I got my second cataract surgery. All went well with that, and this morning my vision is remarkably different. I am typing this without the aid of glasses! I think I mentioned in a previous post how much brighter my world and my colors were after the first cataract was replaced with an Intraocular Lens (IOL). This is just that much better again. It will be a few weeks, I am told, before my vision completely resolves. But already the change seems miraculous. 

After the surgery, we went home, had some lunch, and I slept off the Halcyon they gave me for a sedative. I slept well last night, too, and awoke refreshed. After our morning routine of coffee, breakfast, catching up with people on email, etc., we headed out the door for a post operative visit to make sure my eyes are doing OK. Dr. Katz pronounced them "doing very well." 

Then we ran out to the car to head for the other Kaiser clinic in Salem so that Jill could get a Covid booster and flu shot. I sat in the Ford, while Jill went in. When she returned she said the place was lined up with people wanting to get in. Then it turned out that Jill's appointment (did I mention she snagged the last one?) was actually on the books for NEXT Friday. Nevertheless, the supervisor told the nurse to go ahead with the vaccinations. While Jill was in the clinic, I got a call from Dr. Hall's nurse to schedule my EvuSheld. It turns out that two weeks post-Covid-vaccine falls right in the middle of my next round of chemo injections, so we had to make the appointment further out. I now have an appointment for EvuSheld four weeks from today.

So now, we are home. We had lunch with Perry...and we almost made it to the end, too. However, we had scheduled a Zoom visit with our dear friends Bob and Donalynn. That was a delightful exclamation point on the end of a wild and crazy week. 

We are so grateful that the Lord carries us through weeks like this. As you can see in the Box Score, my numbers are down, but they are rising, except for those pesky platelets. I feel pretty good, but I am sort of worn to a frazzle after our busy week. 

He [Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. ¹⁶ For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. ¹⁷ And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:15-17)

Next week's activities include a visit to OHSU Monday morning, and then there is not much else on the docket. I will even be off my oral chemo for that week. Hmmm, maybe I'll brew up some Moose Drool...