Surgery update

So, two days later--
Not feeling too bad. Yesterday the vicodin and my system played "hey, we don't like each other!" and I vomited a few times, but I also slept a lot. Today I feel pretty good--eating more milkshakes (McFlurry for lunch, go me), and relatively awake, so that's good. I'm going to do some biblical studies reading and then watch hockey tapes with my dad. That's a good day.
Oh, and a plug--this is one of the best things I have ever bought.

It holds my laptop, books, insulin pens, med bottles, pens and pencils, journals, and everything else I could need to lug around. This may become my permanent work/travel carry-on bag. And I got it in the above pattern, which is Imperial Toile--a lot prettier in person.
(OK product plug done)
So I am feeling better, the Pens AND Jackets won, and the Steelers are on tonight. Go Steelers!

Health care, etc.

First, a "Duh" link: certain drugs can cause hearing loss!

Yeah, could've found this out by talking to my ENT. Sheesh.

And two SOHC links:

Congratulations, it's a ...cross-border incident! [Mark Steyn]

Somewhere in America Alone, I cite an example of the logical reductio of socialized health care: "the ten-month wait for the maternity ward". I've been adding to the file ever since. Here's the latest entry, from Hamilton, Ontario:

Hamilton's neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) was full when Ava Isabella Stinson was born 14 weeks premature at St. Joseph's Hospital Thursday at 12:24 p.m.

A provincewide search for an open NICU bed came up empty, leaving no choice but to send the two-pound, four-ounce preemie to Buffalo that evening.

Well, it would be unreasonable to expect Hamilton, a city of half-a-million people just down the road from Canada's largest city (Greater Toronto Area, five-and-a-half million) in the most densely populated part of Canada's most populous province (Ontario, 13 million people) to be able to offer the same level of neonatal care as Buffalo, a post-industrial ruin in steep population decline for half-a-century.

But wait! The fun and games are only just beginning. When a decrepit and incompetent Canadian health bureaucracy meets a boneheaded and inhuman American border "security" bureaucracy, you'll be getting a birth experience you'll treasure forever:

Her parents, Natalie Paquette and Richard Stinson, couldn't follow their baby because as of June 1, a passport is required to cross the border into the United States. They're having to approve medical procedures over the phone and are terrified something will happen to their baby before they get there.

Once Buffalo enjoys the benefits of Hamilton-level health care, I wonder where Ontario will be shipping the preemies to. Costa Rica?

And two:

e my post below on the Hamilton (Ontario) newborn currently in a Buffalo (New York) hospital, a reader from Pennsburg, Pa writes:

ROFLMAO!!
You guys are hysterical....bitching about Hamilton and Buffalo.
I've got a friend who's a cop near Pittsburgh. He hasn't seen a doctor in 30 years. The last physical he got was from me when I was in nursing school.

How's THAT for health care? I bet your ass you don't put THAT in your little NRO rag.

Hmm. I'd be interested to know which police department he works for. Presumably not Pittsburgh, where the Fraternal Order of Police was founded. But even small municipal departments offer health benefits such that, if an officer goes three decades without seeing a doctor, it's his choice.

Meanwhile, just to keep you ROFLYAO a bit longer, here's a story from one of Quebec's most prestigious hospitals:

A woman admitted to Montreal's Royal Victoria Hospital for an induced birth was forced into a do-it-yourself delivery last month, with only her non-medically trained common-law partner to assist...

At about 5 a.m. on May 13, medical help failed to appear even after Karine Lachapelle's water broke.

Despite attempts to summon help by partner Mark Schouls, who was pushing a nurse-alert button with increasing frequency as Lachapelle's contractions became more intense, the two delivered their new son, Kristophe, entirely on their own.

Lachapelle pushed the child out past his shoulders and face down, allowing Schouls to get a grip and pull the newborn the rest of the way out, he recounted.

There were no complications, and Kristophe was crying loudly within seconds...

Nobody on hospital staff will face disciplinary action, Kalina said.

"Both nurses were hard at work" in the pre-natal waiting area where Lachapelle had been placed. She was sharing a room with two other women with at-risk pregnancies.

"Both" nurses? Don't worry, that's for the Maternity wing, not the entire hospital.

The years roll by...

Time again for....the annual post-TX testing!

(Can you BELIEVE it's been four years?! Well, not yet. But close.)

Anyway.

We started at 8:30 in the cardiology clinic, where we did the ECHO and the EKG. The ECHO isn't hard, it's just super-uncomfortable for me. The tech has to press the transducer down pretty hard and these are sensitive areas--like, on bone. So it's not the most fun ever. The EKG takes longer to set up than it does to actually read!

After that it was ultrasound time. Fox and the Hound was on the TV, which was awesome, because I haven't seen that movie since I was about 8. I always mix up the names of the Fox and the Hound.

After that I had the bone density scan, which tells us if my bones are dense enough or if I need more calcium treatments. I take boniva right now to help with calcium absorption. So we'll see what Dr. A says about it on Monday.

After this I had a break for lunch, which was Subway in the outpatient center food court. It was recently remodeled and this was my first time down there since then. Very nice! I read The Red Tent while I ate.

Around 12:30 I headed back over to radiology for the CT scan and the VQ scan. Both of these are pretty easy. Teh CT scan just involves laying there and inhaling/exhaling appropriately. The VQ scan is a little more complicated. First you breath in a nebulizer treatment, then lay on the table for two different scans. The second one is a pain, because you have to keep your arms above your head. Ow.

Then comes the needles (only one of the day), when some sort of radioactive isotope is injected. Then you do the arms above head thing again for 14 minutes. (The VQ scan, due to the fun drugs, takes place in nuclear medicine. I always loved that name for a department.) I finished around 2, which was way ahead of schedule.

On Monday I see Dr. Astor and I'm sure he'll break all these down for me. I also get blood work, chest XR, and full PFTs. Most of this data gets sent to UNOS for their records (Yes, I have a record in Richmond. Go me!)

So that was my exciting day. Bet none of the rest of you were injected with radioactive things today!

Seven Quick Takes Friday--Vol. V

I. 

So the week got off to an auspicious beginning with time in the resort, fun drugs and a clean digestive tract (an empty one, anyway). Thankfully the rest of the week was less eventful (although the budget did get passed out of the Senate at work, so that's a wonderful thing.). Stomach is still slightly iffy, so I'm trying to be nice to it. 

II. 

Side note to the above: I like pain meds, I like what they do. I don't like needing them (who does?), and when my parents are around I tend to act like I need them less than I do. I actually have a pretty high tolerance for pain, but when it's reached, it's reached. 

So I definitely "reached" that point on Sunday morning when the ER nurses (both named Jen, although one was "Jen" and one was "Jenn") came in to access the port, start fluids, get blood draw, and give me magic drugs of phenergan and dilaudid. Oh happy day. 

Anyway, I had sort of lost it...pain was in the 10+ range, etc., and I wasn't really thinking about not asking for as much med as they would give me to feel sane. 

After Jen got the port in and the fluids running, and Jenn had the blood sent to the lab, she held up the two tiny syringes that held wonderful magic drugs (OK, I know, this sounds awful, but really, they looked fantatic at this point). She asked, " do you want to do 1 mg and see how that goes, or just do 2 right off the bat?"

"Can I have two, please?" *(Yes I said please)

It was immediate, and normally it is not immediate. Normally I look at Dad and sort of hem and haw and if mom's there she'll lobby for the lower dose. But no way.

"Absolutely." Magic was swiftly delivered. Even after the port needle had to be taken out and re-accessed with a 1" needle, I did not care. I was blissfully unaware. Or at least, pain-free, ergo I did not care what was happening to me. 

III. 

While the Pens may have lost on Sat., they've won the last two, including last night. Game 5 is tomorrow in Detroit. If we win, we can win at the Cup at Mellon in Game 6. Go team!

IV. 

Biblical studies class happening after I write this. 

V. 

We've had so much rain lately that it's nice to see sun! It was 90 on Saturday, but it will be 80 tomorrow, when I'm volunteering at BalletMet's booth at the Art Festival! Should be a lot of fun, and if you're in Columbus, come on out to the Discovery District. The Art Museum is FREE, so you can see the Egyptian Art exhibit! (That's what I'm planning to do pre-shift) After the art fest, I'm thinking about going to see my friend Bill, from Parade (he was Mr. Watson, the "rabid newspaper publisher") play Cardinal Richelieu in Actors' Theater's The Three Musketeers. One of the great things about summer in Columbus--theater at Schiller Park!

 Free!

VI. 

The gym thing goes on. I may go tonight--will go tomorrow, but will probably get enough walking, etc in at the Fest. Don't worry I'm still doing it. (Gloom and doom sigh here)

VII. 

Reading: Pride and Prejudice; The Comforts of a Muddy Saturday (finished); Handle With Care (finished); A Father Who Keeps His Promises

For more Quick Takes, see Jen at Conversion Diary!

A Health Care Rant

OK real quick--

in a lot of papers yesterday, there was a story about how millions of people can't afford their prescription drugs. OK. This isn't really new. 

Some of these stories allowed comments beneath it. This is where people continue to amaze me. They talk about the evil corporate drug companies who are just out for profit, and it's all their fault!

As Mitt Romney said back in February '08, Drug Companies Are Not Evil. 

Do you know how much it costs to develop a new drug? How many trials have to be done? How many scientists you have to pay, lab time has to be bought, oh, and ingredients? How much trial and error before you get a drug that actually works? 

This costs money. I'm sorry. And yes, drugs like mine, which fewer people take, costs more, because not that many people need tac or imuran to stay alive. 

Look--the U.S. develops a TON of new drugs. This costs money. So you can pick--have the drugs available, or don't have them available, which means certain things, like transplants, can't happen, because we can't solve the rejection component. 

It's expensive to stay alive. I know. Should it be this expensive? Discuss. But please do not just blame it on the drug companies. 

Packing!

For the beach has seriously commenced. In fact, short of packing shirts, I'm done. And there's a washer/dryer at the house, so I don't even need to pack a lot of extra--I'm sure we'll do at least one load of laundry. There's a BABY coming with us, for pete's sake.

The book dilemma just got bigger. I removed Flannery O'Connor and added A Tale of Two Cities. Yikes!

And a medical note--
Packing pills can be a huge pain. Most of the time, when I do car rides, I do plastic baggies for each day, since normal pill boxes are not, in any way, big enough for all my drugs.

But! Behold! I have found one that is!

The Container Store sells one that is not only dividable into AM and PM for each day, but also big enough for all my drugs! Huzzzah!!!!

I just finished loading it up, after a pre-trip Kroger run w/ Mom and Dad to get the extra drugs, and it is safely stowed away. The drugs I will need for Sat. and Sunday before we get to the house are in the baggies, because the box is only for a week, and we'll be gone 9 days (wow how cool is that?! I've never, ever, had 9 days on a trip. Woohoo!).

In Shangri-la...

Again!

Yes, friends, I'm back in CHildren's-- aka, The Resort, Shan-gri-la, whatever. Thankfully there is internet access in "The lounge", which is actually quite nice--it has games, a pin ball machine, movies, a wide-screen TV, a table and a vending machine. So not too bad. Obviously it also has a computer.

I went tot he ER on Saturday--by myself, for the first time ever, since my parents were on vacation and Tiffany was out of town, so I couldn't get ahold of her. I was having pain and cramps on my right side of the abdomen. So I had a CT scan with lovely contrast (think drinking rancid Hawaiian punch--gross), X-rays of my abdomen and lungs, a ton of blood work, etc. Then my port infiltrated, which meant the needle was disloged so fluid was going intot he skin around the port, leading to excess puffiness. So we de-accessed and tried 3 times to get a peripheral IV in, which finally happed in one of the veins on the back of my left wrist (Yeah, ouch). That lasted until about Sunday PM, then we accessed the port again because the swelling had gone down.

I'm on IV morphine and I was taking IV Zofran and Phernergan (ym fav!) so Sunday I was a bit out of it. But I was pain-free, at least. And today was pretty good, except for the massive pain bout at 6:30, which led to more IV morphine. Whether or not that will continue to be ordered, I'm not sure, but I hope so, because I hate the whole "let's try tylenol and see if it works, and if not then we'll call..." Usually I do OK, but this time I had a total meltdown--sobbing in my room. I think the nurse was convinced there was pain. :)

My parents came today once they got home from vacay. My brother was here last night, made an partment run for me to get the CI charger and a few other things, and then was back today. He has done a super job, and even channeled my dad by calling the nurses' station this morning (I hate it when they do that!). I was really impressed. He also bought me a SpongeBob Squarepants beanie baby from the gift shop. :)

Right now we're on the "evening" shift, with my nurse, Jackie, staying until 11. I really like her. :) It's mostly babies on the floor, with haert issues. I think I'm the only lung tx patient. Dr. Astor is out of town but should be back tomorrow, so I"ve been seeing Dr. Kirby, one of my favorite pulmonary fellows, and my GI doc Dr. Mousssa, who was in today.

The plan for tomorrow involves more blood tests and an Uppper GI scan. Some sort of "invasive" procedure hasn't been ruled out either; endoscopy, I think? Not sure. I'm not sure how the lungs look on the X-rays. I've been coughing more, but...

I'm also NPO, which is, as usual, killing me. I am chewing ORbit with a vengenance, and I can have liquids, but Dr. Moussa doesn't want me to have any caffeine, so that leaves me with Fuze Slenderize drinks (Which don't have a lot of sugar) and Caribou Coffee drinks so that I can get down the more powdery pills that otherwise would not go down.

Whew this is a long post--sorry! :) But hopefully things will resolve themselves. My white blood count was also up a bit. Not quite sure what that means, in context.

Oh, another thing--the CI. I've been telling everyone that they can take off their masks when they come in my room (this is kosher) so I can read their lips. And the nurses come down to my room when I hit the call button, since I can't usually hear them over the intercome.

I hope tonight is better than last night--hardly slept at all.

Oh, and, of course, Read Breaking Dawn! Very good, very long, and a satisfactory ending to the series. There were several times where I just went "WHAT?!" but it was good.

Here I'm reading The Agony and the Ecstasy and keeping a record of all the Italian words so I can expand my vocab. :)

The costs of drugs

A lot of people complain about how much drugs cost in America--$400 a year, $4,000 a month, drugs that can cost $10,000 a year (like some immunosuppresants).

Do you know how much it costs to develop a drug, on average?

$802 million dollars.

Over 10-15 years.

That's a lot of money, and the drug companies pay for failures, over and over. Drugs just don't magically appear. They need years, even decades, of clinical research and testing trials. Only a scanty few make it through the rigorous FDA approval process.

How many scripts would it take to pay back the R&D investment? A whole lot. More than some drugs will ever see.

So the next time you complain about high drug prices, think about this--the reason we have the drugs at all is because some of that money goes back into R&D, to make new drugs to save lives.

Beads

I was at the "resort" today, and noticed a pamphlet for a new program Children's is starting, called "Stinger's Bravery Beads", which is named after the Blue Jackets' mascot and is funded through the Jacket's Foundation, which helps fight pediatric cancer.
As I looked at it, I though, "wow, this is great! I would love this!" Then I noticed something--it's for cancer kids only.

Why is that?

I looked at the list of things that you could earn beads for. The list is long, but here's what I've done:

--Birthdays (since diagnosis)
--BM Transplant (I'd replace with lung, but you say tomato)
--Clinic Visit
--Dressing change (let's see...where do we start? PICCS? Ports? The dressings from the burn post-surgery?)
--ER visits (ha! Ha! I'd have half a million)
--Fever
--Holidays (since diagnosis? In hospital? Either way, we'd have this covered)
--Hospital Admission (no comment)
--Line In (PICCS? Peripherals? Port access? Does this count ones that went bad, too?)
--Line Out
--Major Surgery (the transplant, the CI)
--Medical Exam (oh, the thousands upon thousands)
--New Diagnosis
--Off TPN (yup, done that! Several times!)
--OT/PT
--PCA/Morphine (ahhh, the Lovely PCA pump!!)
--Pokes (millions. I kid you not.)
--Scans/Tests (MRI, Bone scans, VQ Scans)
--School (in house)--did that with my first diagnosis
--School re-entry (many, many times)
--Spirituality (a lot! Thanks Fr. Mark!)
--Terrible, Horrible, Very Bad Day! (um, lots)
--TPN
--Transfer to PICU (one, or two, if you count post-tx)
--Transfusion
--Tube insertion (Chest, Catheter)
--Very Good Day (A few of these)

But there's one on the cancer list that you will NEVER see on the CF list:

--End of treatment

Because CF treatment only ends when youdo. There's no remission, no recovery, no "Five years and we think you're cured" status. Sure, I don't do Chest PT anymore. Other things have taken its place. But that doesn't mean that it's over.

I think we deserve some beads.

ARGH!!!

Mike Huckabee is really, really naive about our health care system.

I"m watching the GOP debate (well, was; now it's Steeler playoff time!) and the last topic before the commercial break was about health care, which I'm just a tiny bity interested in.

Mike Huckabee gave some of the worst answers I have EVER HEARD. First, he says that 80% of health care costs in America are caused by chronic illness, so we should do things to "prevent" these illness.

Well, OK.For things like type II diabetes, what are you going to do? Eliminate all McDonald's? Have exercise squads policing our physical activity? Exactly how are we going to enforce these things?

Second of all, things like CF and MS come under this 80% umbrella. So short of killing people, we can't prevent these, Mike. Sorry. (I bet Ann Romney just LOVED Huckabee's answers throughout this.)

Then he says we need to have a health care system that "prevents visits to the hospital." OK, again, nice idea. But what about those of us who, um, need hospitals? Who sort of live there, but not by our own volition?

I know that there's some substance to what he says (that yes, many of our health care problems,--obesity, etc.--come about by personal choices). But really, everything with cancer or CF or MS or anything genetic, etc. gets ignored by Huckabee. It's classical Protestant "The Lord helps those who help themselves" stuff.

And we all know what I think about that.

My boy Mitt did better. Talked about MA's plan, where you can buy private health insurance. Deductibles went from $300 to $180 a month. If you don't want to buy in, you don't have to. But then you're paying if you get sick.

Oh, and drug companies aren't the devil. Thanks for that, Mitt. :)

Todd--again, and then...not

OK so I called clinic on Friday asking if my symptoms were supposed to be getting better after a week on the two-drugs combo. Megan said that they might take awhile--give it the weekend and then call back.
So I called back today. Apparently Dr. A wants to see me tomorrow. Oh. The. Joy! So we'll see what happens. I'm preparing both for work (we have session tomorrow, the second to last of this year) and a bronch, because that may be in the offering, and if it is I usually end up staying. So I'll want to pack some stuff. (Minimally, anyway)
Sigh. I want this figured out--Christmas is too close for me to be pitching a tent in the Children's lobby!

Todd redux

Another day, another Todd visit--
--PFTs: Some up, some down.
--NiOx: up, to about 19. This measures inflammation, so you don't want it to be up.
--CXR: same.
--CT scan: confirmed findings of CXR.

Results: New antibiotic (minocycline) added to levoquin since the bug I am apparently growing is tricky so we'll hit it with two things. Ha!

Next up: Appt. next Monday to see if these drugs are doing their job.

Whew.

varia and Todd tomorrow!

--YAY PITT! (OK had to say that again)

--My kitchen is a disaster. In the past 36 hours I have made a Coca-Cola cake for my Choir potluck (last night) and I just finished making cookies for the Parish Counil potluck (tomorrow night) an hour ago. Whew. My sugar stores are severely depleted.

--On the plus side, I did some digging in my cabinets (looking for cream of tartar, which was on the spice rack, where it should be--DUH Emily) and I found three bottles of cooking wine, two containers of bread crumbs, a whole pound of confectioner's sugar and a bunch of unsweetened/bittersweet chocolate. Also two boxes of chicken stock and enough pasta to last me until at least February. So I don't need to go shopping for awhile now.

--Why can't the Steelers just go ahead and win a game? Why must they torture me so?? Why?!

--Happy New Year if you're Catholic--First Sunday of Advent!

--Todd tomorrow--eval to see how the levoquin is working. Gotta tell you, I'm not really feeling it. Oh well. Pains in the right lower lobe, where there were "shadows" on Thursday, when I wasn't feeling pain there. If I'm feeling pain there now, I can't imagine that's a really happy thing. Maggie (the boss) Is aware of the doc appt. so at least I've got work covered. And I'm putting all my Parish Council stuff, including the cookies, in the car tomorrow so that if I get bronched I am prepared. Whew.

--I love my Christmas tree. :) :)

More Todd stuff

So I called clinic this AM and the plan is for me to come in on Monday for the full work-up--PFTs, CXR, labs, etc. We will look at the data (since Todd is an ultimate "numbers guy") and see what's happening. Potential for bronch is there, with, of course, crappy timing, because Monday is the Parish Council potluck, the Advent evening of reflection, and then the Parish Council meeting proper, at which I am presenting constitutional amendments. Oh well.

Day 2 of the levoquin....not a whole lot of change thus far. Current sats (as in, about 30 seconds old) are 98, which is better than yesterday, but anything about 95% is considered OK. So we'll see...

Todd stuff

Eh an interesting visit.
PFTs down a bit--from 59 to like 56 or so. Or 55. I forget. NiOx the same. The DLCO (also known as the "hold your breath for 10 seconds" test) was actually up. Sats at 97%, which for me is lower than normal.

So we had the battle of the numbers--there's something on the lower right lobe in my X-ray, but that's not where the new chest pain is. The chest pain is in the upper left lobe (started last night during choir) and the left side. So I'm all confused. AS is Todd, I think. I am supposed to call tomorrow first thing and let them know what's going on, and then we may bronch, we may not. If no bronch I come in Monday morning to see how the newly-started levoquin is doing. (I took my first dose tonight)

Oh the joy of the pre-winter season and transplants...

Time with Todd :)

Another clinci visit today--Julie was out, so it was just Todd and I. PFTs are good--61 and 57, respectively, so we are almost back to baseline. I am still doing the aerosol treatments for like two more weeks. I have to go back next week for another follow-up, but if that's good then we can start moving the appointment dates back (woohoo!).

AND we're getting a new nurse coordinator, huzzah! Her name is Megan and that's all I know so far. But it'll be nice to have another nurse to help out Julie and Co.

Dr. A is also a Red Sox fan (he's from Boston), so I told him I would covertly root for them. Everyone else in the state is rooting for the Indians, obviously. :)

Benefits to IV drugs

There are some benefits to being on IV drugs that inhibit appetite and, therefore, your options outside the house:

--if you don't wear mascara for a few days, your lashes look REALLY GOOD when you finally put it on. :)

--People are always asking me how I take care of my skin. Honestly, genes and taking care of it (lotions and potions) are part of it, but I really think the other part is there are times when I go days, weeks, without putting anything on it. No make-up, nothing. I mean, when you're bonding with the toilet seat, how much make-up do you really need? Hello?

OK, so these are mostly cosmetic benefits. But they're something, right?
It is a beautiful day here, my stomach is sort of cooperating, so me and the parents are going to eat lunch and generally live outside the house. :) :)

It is NOT in my head!

There are many things in my head, but delusions of pain ain't one of them.
A lot of times when I get a lung infection, I get pain with it. In fact, pain is often a precursor to any data of infection showing up in PFTs, CXRs, etc (as it was this last time). So when it happens I pay attention to it.
Well some people that take care of me like to relegate it to a subconscious creation. This is usually phrased as, "are you anxious about anything? Worried?" or various other forms. It can also come as "wow you're having a lot of pain for this amount of infection."
I just think the anxiety question is about the dumbest one on the face of the planet. Well let's see. I'm having chest pain, usually very sharp, constant chest pain, if I'm making an issue about it. That usually means infection. That's not fun. That could lead to rejection. Also not fun. So yeah, I may have a bit to be worried about. But the worry is not CAUSING the pain. The pain's already there. Now, I'm sure that being physically uptight and anxious is not helping. Relaxation tapes, etc. like the ones Kathy makes me. And those help. But they help to an extent. And that's it.
Pain is real. It is not all in my little head, I'm not making it up because I want good drugs or need attention or whatever. If I'm having it, I would like people to pay attention to it. Thank you.

Home again home again, jiggity-jig

And we're back...hopefully for longer than 36 hours.
But first!----HAPPY TWO YEAR, AMBER!!!! :) :) :) We are great! (Well, OK, you are great)

I got home around 3:30, I think...my priest (Msgr. Funk) came to visit, which was great, because he's really nice. My stomach is still a bit out of it, but that's OK, too, I'll just go slowly. We're doing IV drug every 8 hours (not too bad) and then once a day levoquin (also not too bad), and I have a script for oral percocet (again, pretty good). Since I didn't sleep at all last night, I'm catching up on it today, and will be at the parents' house probably until Friday, until I get the IV system down. Not that it's hard, but you never know if something's going to go amiss, and if it does, I'd rather be here. :)
Also read Nicholas Sparks' new novel The Choice, today, which was really good, although I had no idea where the book was going until I hit the second part. But I really liked it--great characters and setting, as always in his books.
So back to the homefront, and all that that entails...
Oh, and my transplant buddy K (little heart t/x) was riding her tricycle in the hall way today!

Don't call me at 3 a.m...

OK so I'll blog instead...
Not much going on. Can't sleep so I thought I'd blog...
Nauseous a bit so I got a zofran dose around 2. At 6 I'm due for my next percocet.
Wonder if I should just stay awake for that.
Quiet on the floor, lots of babies, apparently, that need fed on schedule so they keep their weight up. It's amazing how much emphasis is always put on weight GAIN in a hospital. The idea of losing weight it really a foreign concept, at least on the floor I tend to hang out on.
CAught up on some email...even at 3:30 I'm thinking about work. Think that's a sign of something bad? If I had my journal I'd be writing in that, but all I've got it this.
Elizabeth is my nurse tonight and she is awesome. I think she's about my age, which is fun. I have come to the conclusion that nurses know more than doctors about 90% of the time. At least.
Oh! And today is Amber's TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!!! :-