I’m learning new things with our hotel this trip. The medical rate was a great find, and we took the shuttle to Amanda’s radiology appointments this morning. It’s a few miles away, and I just didn’t want to drive and deal with the hotel valet or parking at the other location. I’d never seen the shuttle before, so I didn’t even think about it. I used to take the shuttle all the time at our other hotel. It had a regular run to each hospital; this one would take you wherever you wanted to go within three miles. I made an appointment for our morning pick-up last night, so he was ready to go when we got in.
The radiology appointments were for an X-ray and a bone density scan. Last year, we just went to where we had always gone before, but they moved it to a completely different campus. We got to the old location, and everything was empty; this time, we knew where to go! I still wasn’t happy we had to leave, though. Walking between three different campuses right from the hotel is so convenient. It’s a blessing that Amanda is even able to walk to anything. It wasn’t that long ago she couldn’t walk much farther than the hotel lobby with an oxygen machine around her shoulder.
After the radiology appointments, we caught the shuttle back to the hospital. I’m not sure if the driver was allowed to Uber us from one hospital to another, but he didn’t even blink when I asked to be dropped off at the hospital entrance instead of the hotel. Amanda needed labs before an echo. She asked the lab tech, a sassy black lady named Minny, if the rejection check lab would be drawn, and she said no. She called the coordinator, but she didn’t answer. Amanda will likely get stuck again tomorrow since she put that lab in. I don’t usually go back for labs, but I like to pick on the lab tech when I do. She’s always picking on patients when she comes into the waiting room. Minny reminds me a little of the character off the movie The Help by the same name but sweeter. Let’s just say she might make someone a chocolate pie! You need to watch that movie if you don’t understand that reference.
Once the labs were drawn, we went straight to the noninvasive cardiology waiting room. Usually a busy area, it wasn’t too bad this morning until Amanda went back, that was. Amanda had to be fasting for the last appointment at 1 pm, so she was beyond ready for her coffee and annoying me to help her cope! A regular echo was first followed by a stress echo, where they chemically induce a higher rate. Along with fasting, she had to be off all beta blockers, which is what the new med is. So the combination of fasting, being off her beta blocker, and no coffee isn’t going to make for a good afternoon for her.
Once out of the first echo we had an hour to kill before the next. Amanda wanted to go somewhere warm; I was even getting cold today. So, we headed for a walk and ended up sitting outside for a while. I’m glad we did because we got to see an organ delivered! An “Organ Recovery Transplant” Suburban pulled up, and a man got out pulling a wheeled cooler. That will get you in the feels. I remember wanting to wait for Amanda’s heart but didn’t know where to go. I never realized they parked at the front door and just waltzed right in.
After the stress echo, Amanda felt crappy as predicted, but not bad enough not to want coffee, she said! So we made the walk across the sky bridge and down to Starbucks. I had our regular. Amanda splurged and got brown sugar in hers, but I stuck to honey with mine. I like getting a hot coffee, drinking half, then getting ice and having an iced coffee. More bang or coffee for my buck; I essentially get two drinks that way. We sat outside and enjoyed the weather, and the bustling city sounds for a while. Since we didn’t leave, I got us our free refills, a couple of teas to go. Five drinks for the price of two, at least we’re getting our money’s worth with the expensive coffee. Now, we have enough reward stars to enjoy free coffee for each of us on the four days of driving up and back.
The coffee satisfied Amanda’s hunger but didn’t help with the way she felt. She’s only felt worse as the day went on. Her hands were shaky, and her chest was killing her after the stress echo. The medication they used to increase her heart rate really messed with her. They took her rate up to 170 and said that was the day’s record, but she wasn’t sure if they were talking about how fast it was or how quickly she got there. Either way, she said she felt like she was dying at that moment, so she didn’t clarify!
After our coffee, I grabbed some fresh pita chips at a Mediterranean place we like next door. Then, we went to our room to pig out on the pita, fresh homemade hummus, and baba ghanoush, which we brought with us. That satisfied Amanda’s snack craving, but it didn’t make her feel any better, either. Her heart continued to give her problems.
I made a Facebook post earlier in the day about the organ transport and tagged the location. A cousin of mine happened to see it and commented he was across the street waiting for his wife, who was in surgery. We messaged back and forth. I figured I might be able to see him if Amanda felt ok alone, so I asked what building and waiting room he was in. I’m happy I went to visit him. I don’t remember the last time I saw him, but it would have been at a family reunion in the late ‘80s. We caught up on Facebook years ago but hadn’t spoken much. I was there with him and his in-laws for over an hour. It is a small world. His father-in-law knew my dad, commenting on the trucks he used to drive, recalling seeing him always pulling cattle trailers. His mother-in-law graduated from the same class in high school as my aunt! It was so good to catch up, chat, and hear stories of my parents. Dad’s birthday was a few days ago, and I’d been a little tender, so that was good for my soul.
Once back in the room, Amanda was finishing up painting her toenails but had accidentally messed her freshly done fingernails up in the process. So she had to patch them up before we went to grab dinner. I noticed her hands were shaky, and she said it was good she had her nails done last night and not tonight. We were going to grab poke and come back to an outside seating area near the lobby, but after we returned, there was a party there. So, not wanting to go to the room, we went back to the outdoor seating by the Starbucks to eat. After eating, we stayed there for a while, waiting for Amanda to get the energy up to walk to the room. Not even a tempting of cookies waiting in the room could entice her to move for a while!
We chilled in our hotel robes once we returned to the room. Our room was upgraded with some suite night rewards I get with my high Bonvoy status. Most of our suite rewards have been used on this type of room. It’s a little bigger and laid out differently than our old hotel, but it still has a kitchen. It’s much nicer since it’s only five years old, too. The layout is very livable, and it has a massive bathroom with a deep freestanding tub, which Amanda is soaking in as I type to try and get her heart to chill out. It’s probably the only hotel we’ve ever stayed in that has a large double vanity, too.
We have a few questions for the doctor tomorrow. Amanda is obviously feeling bad now, but she’s been retaining fluid for a few days. Usually, if it’s just due to our eating out, we typically eat pretty clean and low in sodium; I’ll also put on a little water weight. Amanda will always put on more than me, but we’ve been pretty good this time, eating at home mainly before coming on this trip. I haven’t noticed any unusual gain for me, so something is up. She will typically increase her diuretic on her own; the doctor has let her self-manage that for years. But she is holding off to let them see the retention; you can really see it in her legs and feet.
I was going through my email and showed Amanda one from Airbnb that said, “Pack your bags; your trip is coming up’. She yelled out, “Done!’ We are ready to hit the road. Let me rephrase, ready to get there, not so much drive 13 hours after a doctor’s visit! It will be a long day tomorrow. I hope we can leave before ten, but I’m not counting on it. Our appointment is at eight, and we’re the first one; I’m not holding my breath, though.
