From doctors to Degas

I'm back from Boston after three doctors' appointments, lunch with PJ and a long walk on a beautiful balmy day to see the Degas exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts. Might as well mix in some fun to balance the hours spent in medical offices.

My check-up was uneventful. Numbers were good, about the same as last time, except for a drop in my platelets from the 83 to 68. Melissa said she was not concerned. My liver function numbers are better, so I can try dropping the prednisone to 5 mg. a day.

Dr. Dana, the specialist at Mass. Eye and Ear, said that my dry eyes may or may not signal the onset of Graft vs. Host of the eye. I was reminded of the time when I wondered if my work at the newspaper was giving me carpal tunnel syndrome. A doctor told me that my symptoms might get worse or they might get better. In other words, who knows?

Dr. Dana said to use Restasis, eye drops that have varying amounts of success in helping dry eyes and hopefully staving off GVHD. Back home, eye doctor #1 had prescribed restasis, but then eye doctor #2 said he didn't like the drug and not to use it. Since doctor #3 is the expert, I'm going to give it a try.

As PJ, who now lives in New York, wrote on her blog, she went to Dana-Farber Tuesday for a second opinion. Since I happened to be in town, we met for lunch and, as she said, compared war stories. We had to laugh that while some people meet up at their favorite bar, restaurant or coffee shop, we got together at our favorite cancer center.

That afternoon I saw the exhibit Degas and the Nude, which shows a different side of the painter from the one many people know through his sculptures of dancers. Most often at museums I don't use the audio guide, but I got one this time and was glad I did. I learned a lot, and instead of having to read the explanations on the wall, I was free to just enjoy and appreciate.

On Wednesday, Dr. Iwamoto, the plastic surgeon, removed the wad of cotton that she had stitched over my graft. I was glad to see it go; it was small, but it had begun to feel like a bowling ball under my eye. She said the graft should take six to eight weeks to be absorbed into the skin. Right now it does not look pretty. She also said to be careful not to rub it, because it could fall off.

This morning as I woke up and stretched, I caught myself rubbing my eyes. Having that thing fall off would not be too much fun. I better be careful.