Here goes the first day, Monday, April6, 2008. Up at 6 am for breakfast and then relax a bit before heading out for the day. We have a full day from 8 am to late afternoon. So here we go…
PFT test with a dilator. Arrived at 7:30 am (appmt is at 8:00) My hubby is late if he’s not early. I made out paperwork and then height and weight. Yes I have gained about 11 lbs since Christmas. Now I have time to sit and wait for the appmt. I like this time somewhat because I can gather my nerve and steel my arm. (blood tests to come).
6 Minute walk with my bronchitis: Arrived at registration right after the PFT test in the same room almost. Its only 8:20 am now. They said if they can get us in now, they will. (appmt is at 9:15 am). That went well. My oxygen level went to 94% but they don’t panic till it goes to 88%. 1250 ft in 6 minutes. We got out of there at 8:50 and headed to the subway to get the blood tests.
Blood tests: (appmt is at 11:00) Here at 8:55 am. We were the first in line to register but we were sent thru the ‘purple doors’ to the real waiting room for the patients. It was about ¾ full of people and I waited till 9:25 and the blood tests took all of about 3 minutes. Painless. They are so good here! We are now way ahead of schedule and decided, what else we got to do but wait, so we went to our next appmt in another building.
Chest x-ray: here at 9:30 (appmt is at 11:30) they say they probably cant get us in early but we gotta sit somewhere. We will have a bigger block of time for lunch is we can get in early because our next appmt isn’t till 1:15. Now I will watch my buddy, Dr. Phil. Still waiting, 11:15… I got all the way thru General Hospital and now into CSI-NY. 11:20. Wow, was I wrong. They told me to take off my pants, shoes, and socks. I was a little mystified. I forgot I told my internist on the phone a month ago that my leg has not been addressed. I guess I may not get the chest done but I got a lot of them on the leg.
I got back to where my hubby was waiting and he found someone to talk to. Rather, she found him. She was doing patient surveys. I don’t know how long he was talking to her but she talked to me for about 15 min. Now we don’t have time for lunch and I am hungry. It is 12:45.
Dr. Delivari: Internist. Here at 12:50, appmt time 1:30. She is hard to get into see without an appmt so we will wait…back to CSI. Now Dr. Phil. 1:20. 1:30 and here we go. Right on time. We spent a lot of time with her with all of our questions. Sleep aid? Other drug after prednisone? Libido aid? Chronic Fatigue is a common symptom of inflammatory ailments. Getting into a study group. How fast can I come down on the prednisone? She is so knowledgeable it’s scary.
Its now 2:25 and we are waiting for our pulminology appmt. Scheduled for 2:45. Right on schedule. What a nice guy. 6 foot 5 in. tall and a smile like GQ. He told me all my numbers for the PFT were much better than in Jan. and that he would like to taper me off the Prednisone!! The bronchitis is a set back but not to worry. I am just waiting for a prescription for my thrush and then we go to supper somewhere. I am very happy for the good news and am looking forward to going home in the morning. I only have to check in with my pulm. Doc. by phone in a few weeks for the progress on the bronchitis. Then I will taper on the pred and be a little happier.
I hope this update has helped those who are curious about how this clinic works. You cant beat it for professionalism and a speedy recovery. All hail the Mayo Clinic! Let’s go HOME.