Patient schedule for five-month-end tests

Today was day 22 of the current 4-week cycle and I now have 2 weeks without visits for Velcade infusions, but I am scheduled for various tests on June 18 in preparation for an appointment with Dr. Zangari on the 24th.  There will be a PET/CT scan at 7:30 AM; a blood draw at 10:30; a Bone Marrow Biopsy at 11:00 AM; and a Dexascan at 12:30 PM.  The appointment with Dr. Zangari will be at noon on the 24th.  I have not had a PET scan for quite some time and have never had a Dexascan (at least not by that name).  Nancy asked me to try to reschedule the meeting with Dr. Zangari because she would like to go with us and will be on a trip to Chicago on that date.  So this morning I asked Nick England, who has taken Elliott Rudisill's position, if that could be done and he had not worked such a change out by the end of his day.  I warned Nancy that it is quite possible that no change can be made because Dr. Zangari has had a double load of patients since Dr. Tricot left for Iowa City and a replacement doctor has not arrived as yet.

My visit was routine and was back in the regular BMT lab with no apparent evidence of the carpet change that was expected last week.  The Infusion Room was quite busy and congested because there were 3 patients undergoing stem cell collection procedures, which require continual monitoring by one and sometimes two nurses or PAs.  Laurie was my nurse again today and came to my chair ready to give me the Velcade infusion only to find that I had not yet been accessed so she had to collect the materials for use in.placing a line in my port before the infusion.  I was ready to leave before 11:00 in spite of the crowding and delay in placing the line in my port, but had to wait until Nick could be located.  Several people asked me what we had done for excitement over the weekend and I told them that we had held a dinner for Nancy Sunday evening in anticipation of her birthday today.  Emma asked me this evening how many barbeque ribs were left from the dinner and was quite surprised and disappointed to learn that only one rib remained from the 6 pounds that I had prepared for 8 people.  She had expected to use the left over ribs for our evening dinner and I had eaten the one left over for my lunch.

I might have told them about the lack of excitement related to our efforts to thin the local squirrel herd, but that could hardly have been more boring or lacking in excitement.  After transporting one squirrel last Sunday and resetting the trap we never saw another squirrel even though I left the trap out set with cashew and Brazil nut meats until Friday afternoon.  So I put both traps away in the garage for storage.