Visits done.

I survived three days of visiting medical facilities. I also burned up a lot of expensive gasoline!! In those three days, I managed to put 100 miles on my vehicle.

The first trip was to the Medical Center downtown to visit the plastic surgeon. I think I'm going to be really sore for a while after he gets through with me, but according to him this is an easy one to recuperate from. I so wanted to retort that it wasn't HIS body!!

The next trip was to the local medical center where I got all my chemo and radiation, and if fact has the mastectomy. That was for the bone scan and shoulder x-ray. I was to be there at 9:30 (for paper work). I was worried about parking because this place has only been open since about January 2007. I think they thought the place was plenty big, but it has become so popular the entire place is bursting at the seams. Parking is a premium! They have added parking once, and now are building a parking garage. They are also building a second professional building. My worries were for naught however. There was a handcapped place - at the door!

I filled out the paper work. I HATE filling out the medication form. I wish they could find my records and just up date them, but it never works that way. It is always a generic check in. But it went well all things considered.

I was taken back to get the injection of the radioactive substance. Since only the left arm can be used now, I was, as always, a little apprehensive. I'm so afraid that someday, somehow, that vein will be blown - forever. They tried to reassure me with the fact that it was just a little butterfly. I don't care - it's a needle and it hurts! And it did, but all went well. I was to return at 1.

Before that I had to get my x-ray. The technician was a really handsome young man who was very soft spoken. That's not good for a person who taught junior high school for almost all 29 years of teaching, and played the organ for church (it had no external speakers - only the ones under the keyboards). I AM a little hard of hearing. But he began to realize this and spoke a little louder as we went on. After we were through, he came back in. He asked why I was having the x-ray, and I told him for possible restaging my cancer. He said the funniest thing then - he said "then you know you have breast cancer." It was all I could do to keep from bursting out in laughter. He was so earnest I just couldn't have made a joke out of it!

Yesterday I was up late since Simone had another sick spell on Wednesday night, and I spent the night up with her. I decided since it was already so late I would make the trek to the hospital where I will have surgery. It is not close, but it was the best choice from the ones where plastic guy does surgery. I didn't go fasting last time, and they were concerned with the blood sugar. So this time, I would not eat until I was back.

My timing was really terrible. There was still a room full of people waiting for their loved ones to get out of surgery. I finally got in to register, and they didn't need any labs on me since I had been there in May! Mixed feelings about that!!

But my treks are over for a while. Now I can concentrate on Gustav. I tend to make fun of the weather people here, but there is a great deal of uncertainty with this storm. We really need to be prepared I think.