Day +28, +29, +30

We are at our second clinic post discharge at COH.  I would describe this as a cattle call but if you are less direct than I you might call this a fine tuned machine.  There are a gazillion people that come through here for clinic.  You have to stand in line to register (moo), sit in the Main Medical waiting room until they call you name (moo), go to the laboratory to have your blood drawn (moo), come back to the waiting room to pick up your caregiver (moo) and find your way to the clinic, of which there are 4 (moo).

I'm hearing a woman next to me talk to someone about her husband who also had a bone marrow transplant and is at Day +85.  She said he may have to have surgery because he may have a fungal infection in his lungs.  Reminds me I need to dust today...

Because the majority of people who are sitting here and in clinic, are immunocompromised, if you cough or even try to stifle a cough, you will get 106 (random number) dirty looks.  There is a box of masks at every turn and you better pick one up so they don't light the torches and run you back out to the parking lot.  The most common things in day to day life now have become a hazard and potential life threatening substance.  I'm not talking about my sarcasm, I'm talking about dust and dirt.

I'm still waiting for Steven to emerge from the laboratory.  I have to laugh because once they see he has a Hickman catheter, the lab personnel can not draw from this line.  They have to get a nurse or doctor to do it.  On Tuesday, he had to go to the main hospital and have a paramedic do it.  Why don't we just start out there since we know he has one?  No clue.  It sure is a life saver to have it, maybe I should say a vein saver.

Steven is done with his blood draw.  Apparently, there is a separate blood drawing area, VAD or Vascular Access Device, for patients with a Hickman or PICC line.  He should of been able to go there on Tuesday but someone was having an "event" and they weren't letting anyone else go there.  His blood was drawn by an RN who had a BMT in 2000.  She told Steven it must be a record to be let out one day short of 4 weeks at COH and that he looks farther along than Day 30.  He really is doing well but I notice the differences....