One Thing at a Time

Tuesday morning, we woke to find an appointment with the new PCP being offered off the waitlist in 30 minutes. One whirling dervish later, we sat in the waiting room at the clinic to be told, it wasn’t the right kind of appointment and having to plead to see the PCP for at least the needed referral. Roy saw her – contact made, and now he is people as an “established patient.” We left with a big sigh of relief, the referral for a local paracentesis, a lab appointment, and a follow-up for a more thorough introductory because she likes to dive deep and believes she will need to follow him closely. We went back to the clinic this morning for the lab.

Don came by for a visit and got to try out the new chairs in the den while having a chat with Roy and watching part of a game. He also kindly power washed my backyard pathway – shade has a way of letting mossy muck accumulate on paving stones – and hauled away my stash for Goodwill.

Yesterday, we trekked to the Houston Medical Center for Roy’s oncology check-in. This, too, will happen every three weeks, two weeks after each infusion. Sometimes it can be by video, but sometimes he needs to be seen in the flesh to satisfy the insurance companies. We met with his NP and got caught up on his case. She said that the paracentesis may become a weekly or biweekly thing depending on how his liver responds. She also made a referral to nephrology because his labs indicate some continuing kidney issues. We await scheduling with them to add them to the line-up. She offered for him to talk with the oncology nutritionist, but he was not ready to do that yet. It’s possible the mere thought of food put him off the idea. Roy feels very full even though he is not eating a lot because of the fluid in his abdomen.

Today we will go to Interventional Radiology so that they can do a paracentesis. Roy’s worried about having any contrast (that two-week hospital stay has made him leery) but we know that it is likely going to be a part of this or another imaging/procedure again. He’s quite miserable so we are hoping that the paracentesis will make him a little bit more comfortable and better able to move some and maybe eat a bit more.

I managed to put together, almost, all three bar stools – there is one annoying screw that is being obstinate on the last one. The screw and stool are in time out.

We are doing okay and trying not be overwhelmed by focusing on one thing at a time. This afternoon it will be the paracentesis because thankfully he is now an “established patient” with a PCP again.