Two BMT visits since meeting with Dr. Atanackovic

I did not go to the BMT clinic on March 10, which would have been Day-One of the next 4-week cycle and, because nothing had been said about future visits when I was at the clinic on March 3 for various tests, I called the clinic early that morning to determine whether they were expecting me.  I learned that they will defer to the new Doctor as regards my clinic visits and the next one would be on March 17.  That visit should have been routine, but for the second time there was no blood return from my port after it had been flushed with one tube of saline.  I told Grace, my nurse for the day, that Laurie had experienced a problem like this a few weeks ago and that she had reinserted the line to get a blood return, which didn't immediately work for Grace.  She ultimately put a second line in the medial port to draw blood, but there wasn't any blood return from that line either so she used several syringes of saline in that line before getting a return, but was then able to draw 2 vials of blood instead of the 5 or 6 that have been drawn in the past.  This took quite a bit of time and then I had to wait for the lab to report results on the blood before getting the Velcade infusion.  Grace worked on both lines before giving me the Velcade and had blood return in both before discharging me she said that either side of the port should be usuable next week.  All of this took so long that Janet came around and took orders for sandwiches for lunch that I was able to take home and share with Emma.

Before I was dressed to go to the clinic this morning I got a phone call from Janet telling me that they had expected me at 7:30 for my Velcade infusion; I told her that this was news to me and to expect me at 10:00. Today's visit proceeded about the same as last week's visit except no blood was drawn.  The new nurse, Beverly, who put the line in my port could not get any blood return so she asked Kristin to assist her with no better results.  I was asked to lie back in the reclined chair, take deep breaths, turn my head to the side and cough several times; none of which did any good.  I expect she put 10 or more salines in my port and at one time told me I could drink less water this afternoon.  Eventually there was a good blood return and I was then given the Velcade infusion and told I could leave.  I didn't leave right away because I had told Justin that I had had no word that I should go to the clinic for Velcade at 7:30 this morning and I did not expect to go twice any morning or wait an hour or more between activities.  I also told him that I think they should consider the patients wishes when scheduling visits.  He then went and prepared a new schedule for me for the next 6 months.