6-Month Checkups

Oh, February. This is probably my least favorite month. It's cold, everyone is sick, electric bills are high paying for the heat... and did I mention that it's cold? The only thing going for it is that it has a holiday. I believe that George Washington will probably be noted by future historians for two things -- being the first president of the United States, and giving all of us cold, weary souls a day off in February.

One of the great results that I got from my three-month evaluation last December was that my numbers were so good, that I would not need to come in for the follow-up evaluation this winter. It was a little unsettling that I would have to wait until August until I got the results of my second transplant, but I figured that since Boston Medical has been my second home for, well, quite a while, it probably would do some good to get away. The amyloid clinic is basically three days of being poked, prodded and falling asleep in the waiting room, so not having to do that for a while is a plus.

Of course, whenever something is too good to be true, it usually is. Although I wouldn't need to be checked up in the amyloid clinic, I still needed to have follow-up appointments with my nephrologist and cardiologist, due to my edema and high triglycerides. They were scheduled for the end of the month, about the time that I would have come in for my six-month evaluation. And where are my doctors located? At Boston Medical, of course. So much for escape from the clutches of the hospital life. Just when I thought that I was out they pull me back in.

What a pain in the ass it was to set those appointments up. At least in the amyloid clinic everyone works together and you can get things done on the same day. But setting up appointments with the same doctors separately? No,no,no,no,no,no! The kidney clinic is only on Tuesdays, and the lipid clinic is only on Thursdays. And of course you need to come in for labs beforehand. And can you guess what days they have labs?

So I have visits to Boston Medical on 2/27, 3/1, 3/8 and potentially 2/22 and 2/26 to drop off the 24-hour urine lab. Makes me long for the days when I only had to spend three days at the amyloid clinic.