Back and forth to Boston

Katryn Gabrielson and moi

It was really nice to spend a day in Boston yesterday for a reason other than medical appointments.

I met my friend Katryn from Vassar there for a walk along the Charles and a stop at our favorite bistro and bakery, Panificio, located on Charles Street right across from the Esplanade, where we planned to walk. Well, to tell the truth, we stopped there twice, first for lunch and second for coffee and a pastry after we walked. Actually, we could have sat there for the whole day talking and catching up in what has come to be a yearly outing as we meet somewhere between her home in Portland, Maine, and mine in South Hadley.

After my trip to San Francisco, I had wanted a visual drink of water to remind myself that we have our own beautiful waterway. 

My reprieve, alas, is short-lived.

Starting Wednesday I have three days of appointments in Boston. First, penicillin allergy testing and second, removal of the squamous cell cancer on my lip.

For Friday I added a third appointment with a dentist at Brigham and Women's Hospital specializing in issues relating to transplant patients. First of all, with my dentist removing teeth left and right, members of my care team said it's a good time to check in with an expert. Also, Dr. Goguen (the tongue doctor) and I discussed the possibility that the spot on my tongue might have occurred because I am missing the last tooth on the bottom left, and the "new" back tooth might be cutting into the area on the side of my tongue that she had scooped out due to the presence of pre-cancerous cells.

During three days of pokes and prods, visions of the Charles will dance in my head.