Visit to the Doctor's

First off let's just cut to the bottom line.........I got a signoff to head back to Arizona today!!!!  Yea!!!!

But it wasn't without its scary moments......

We were up at 6 and dressed and gone by 7:15.  Its a 45 minute drive to the hospital, and perhaps longer in the morning traffic.  But things rolled right along, so we were there on time at 8 AM.

First stop was the Lab where they wanted blood work.  I lucked out and there was almost no one in the waiting room.  After checking in, they called me before Loyce even got the car parked.

I haven't had the best luck with this group of folks as they seem to never get any blood on the first poke.  But this gal stuck me and swirled the back end of the needle around in a circle cutting the heck out of the other end.  It sent me almost to the moon... Yeow!  but of course that made me bleed inside, and she got the blood.  Not the smoothest deal, but it worked as far as she was concerned.

Tonight, I have a big black and blue spot where she did this dirty work, but that was just the start of the tests.

Next it was to the Radiology Lab to test my kidney output.   That took a while to get registered and wait my turn. Once back in the room, they start another IV line and shoot the radioactive dye into your body.  Then after 15 minutes, they give you a really big dose of diuretic thru the same IV.  The result is that you start peeing your head off....

That's when they start filming you as the flow comes out of your kidneys.   You have to lie really quiet and make sure that you don't move...............   The technician told me he could see where the recent operation connected the little tubes inside of me.....

Now it seemed like the worst was over as I waited in the doctor's office to get back to an exam room.  Of course the diuretic still kept on working.  About three trips back to the restroom later, we were in the exam room.  The resident doc came in and removed all those nasty staples out of the front of the newest zipper they installed in me.  Boy I was glad to see those things go!  It hurts a little as they pluck them out, but compared to catching them in your undies when you don't expect it, getting rid of them is welcome no matter how much the process hurts....

Well eventually the main surgeon comes in and says that the test didn't work as the dye blew out of the IV line and they couldn't see anything.  I was going to have to go and do the test all over!  I began to protest that that couldn't be, because the tech was describing what he was seeing as the test went on.

I explained that I felt the dye go up my arm and down into my Aorta.  Right after that they began to explain that they were seeing my kidneys.  Nothing blew out of the IV, and the IV sight wasn't festered.

The doc disappeared for the longest time, but finally came back and said he had been on the phone with the radiology folks.  They finally agreed that I was fine, and wouldn't tell him what made them think otherwise the last time he called.

He surmised that they had me mixed up with one of the other patients, that did indeed have all these bad things happen.  But that they wouldn't admit to it on his second call.  This was really important that they decided I was OK, because doing the test over again like the doc told me the first time didn't sound a bit fun.

I was feeling a bit like a pin cushion the first time, but to go have it done again just because they couldn't keep the patients names straight, was going to cause me to be greatly upset........  

All during this activity, I had to excuse myself to the bathroom three more times as the diuretic continued to do its job.

After that, the doctor's visit became a discussion of Arizona and the fact that my surgeon wants to visit and play some golf and do a general R & R.  We talked about the weather, and I suggested the middle months of February as it would be nicely warm during the day, but not hot like the middle of March can become.  He is making the reservations!

So for now the pressure is off, and all I need to do is heal up enough to travel back to the great Southwest...   Can you see me doing my happy dance?

Retired Rod