Thursday, June 28th

Another l-0-n-g day! We (Paul and I) left the house at 12:30 - to get the train from Secaucus and make my first appointment at 2:50....Arrived at Secaucus parking lot...and they were full! Now where to go....home is where I originally wanted to be....buy we went to Hoboken....lots of traffic on the side streets getting to the station, but we made it by 2 pm. Nice station too! Took the Path to Lexington Ave...then another subway - to....??? - Thank goodness for Paul! I hadn't a clue as to were we were going! Anyway, we arrived 5 minutes late...which didn't matter because there was a roomful of people already waiting! About 15 minutes later a nurse came out to give me 'my drink'. It was a raspberry liquid....told her that I've never had that before - just the 'white' barium drink... She checked her records and came back with two 'plain' drinks...I've always had 'vanilla'....Those drinks aren't all that bad....I asked the nurse why I had two CT scans scheduled...she said it was only one scan but they just wanted to make sure I arrived at least 90 minutes earlier to drink....so, there I sat, again!

Paul has been having a flair up of Lyme's and he was going to go to an accupuncturist in Brooklyn or the Bronx (another 45 minute train ride from where we were)....I asked him to stay with me...but then seeing how long we were waiting, I told him to go and I'd probably meet up with him on the next scheduled appointment....I'd text him to let him know when I arrived...

CT scans are really so easy...other than the drink and waiting. I've had CT scans before in Newton/Sparta and was able to drink one whole container the night before and then half of the other in the morning and then finish it at the facility....this was different....drank the entire two bottles right then and there. The scan alone takes about 10 minutes. I'm allergic to the Contrast Iodine...so I only had to drink.

I went off to my next appointment - MRI, on the 11th floor - different part of the building - arriving at 5 pm....scheduled appointment was for 5:30...guess what....I waited - again! They took me in about 6:15 and Paul wasn't there yet....Then I waited - probably another hour - in the patient waiting room --- alone!!! Just waiting is exhausting!!!

This MRI was done a little differently...my head went in first - meaning -- I was really inside this scanner!!! Thank goodness I don't get closapobic!!!! They put ear plugs in and I don't think my right one was in deep enough...that machine is sooo loud! but instead of complaining...I let it be. When they pulled me out to give me the IV I was able to move my arms down from being over my head for about 20 minutes or maybe even more....so I adjusted the ear plugs..worked so much better! The worst of this is holding your breath! Majority of the time I was asked to hold my breath for 30 seconds! I learned: Take a deep breath, blow a little out, then hold it...It is so much easier than holding it for 30 seconds! -- try it now...which is easier for you? Remember that you are enclosed in this machine too....

Finally done - at 8 pm!!!! The MRI takes about 40 minutes....

We came right home...or I should say we left the city afterwards...with Paul not being able to eat anything really good....he said I should try this pizza place in Hoboken - take out and I would eat it in the car on our way home, which I didn't mind at all....Pizza WAS really good! Considering I ate a scrambled egg and slice of toast all day!

We arrived home at 10 pm!!!!! Talk about an exhausting day!!!

We go back to the city on Monday, July 2nd to talk to Dr. Kemeny about this hepatic adrienal pump and how the chemo will be administered - yada, yada...and to make sure the cancer is still just in the liver.

In 4 days - back to the city...appointment is for 2:30....I am assuming I will be seen about 3:30/4:00 and then we will have to eat in the city or leave right then and there so we don't hit traffic - on the subway or Rt. 3/Rt. 80....This appointment is at the cancer center - only one subway and it leaves you right off in front of the building.

That's it! Talk about a 'journey'!!! Maybe I should have changed my blog site name to Dorothy's Adventures...na, that would be just as bad! hows, Commuting along with Dorothy?....na, I'll just keep it the same as it is!