A welcome change at the BMT clinic

Today is day 15 of the current cycle and my visit progressed normally.  Krysti, a nurse that I have seen in the Infusion Room before but who has not previously worked on me, collected me from the hallway waiting area and took me in for weighing and height measurement and then seated me in chair number 1 in the infusion Room where she took the rest of my vitals.  After a short wait she placed a line in my port, but when she tried to draw blood she could not get blood return from the port.  She must have used 8 or 10 saline syringes trying to get a blood flow and then asked Robin,the nurse who worked on me the last two weeks to see what she could do and after 2 or 3 more syringes she did get an adequate blood flow and then collected 2 vials of blood.  They only draw blood on the first and fifteenth days of the cycle;  The other two days they give me a Velcade  infusion, which they also give to me on the first two Mondays.  My schedule was changed 18 months or so ago when I complained that I was having difficulty in buttoning the cuffs on my shirts and that I did not have much energy. The change was to reduce the amount of Velcade by 30 % and to have me come for four consecutive weeks and then not come the next 2 Mondays.  This has been a big improvement in that I now have enough energy to go out and clean up the leaves from the driveways.  The Velcade has not, however, reduced the peripheral neuropathy in my fingers and feet, which is unfortunate because my balance is not good and I often fall, particularly when I am out in the yard where rocks and stumps are hidden.

Laurie walked past my chair and greeted me and I told her I needed a prescription refilled so she took the label I had saved and told me she would pass it along.  Sometime later Jennifer, who identified herself as having come from Pharmacy came to ask me what prescription I wanted filled and told me this was a new service from the Pharmacy and I would no longer have to wait for prescriptions to be filled.  In a short time she brought the pills and a device to charge the fee to my credit card.   I regard this as a very welcome change and am pleased that it has been implemented.  One of the ladies from the registration desk came and took orders for sandwiches and I was afraid it might not come before I left, but it did just after Krysti removed the line from my port.  I ate half of it in the waiting room at Hillside Tire where I was having the pickup inspected and emission tested.

Emma did not go with me, which is her normal practice.  She went shoping instead and was on her feet so much that her ankles, especially the left one were swollen.  She has talked about resuming the aquasize program, but thus far it is just talk.