Countdown to my seventh birthday

Five days to my seventh birthday.

The other night I dreamt I was climbing up a steep set of stairs. I was wearing a pair of old flip-flops that were falling apart. The left one especially was in bad shape, and it kept catching on the stair. Also I was having trouble lifting that leg up to climb to the next step. I wasn't sure I would make it.

But then, all of a sudden I was on the top landing. I realized I just had to put on sneakers and I would be fine.

Dream analysis 101: It is hard getting to be where I need to be, and I am worried that something will trip me up, but I realize that I can do it...especially if I have the right kind of sneakers, which is a big theme for me because I'm always trying to find the right kind to keep my toe from hurting and my plantar fasciitis from flaring up.

So maybe all I need to do to make it to Sunday is to wear the right shoes.

But first, I have to get through tomorrow.

I told the supervisor at that horrible Westfield Transport to never ask for me again after the fiasco of two weeks ago. He said OK, but when I got the automated call stating the service that is picking me up tomorrow, it is the same company. Nothing I can do about it now.

I have a double header tomorrow. Dr. Goguen in head and neck oncology at Dana-Farber at 1:30, followed by ECP at 3.

Since Dr. Goguen is only checking my tongue every year now, I asked Dr. Alyea if he and Melissa could just do it. He said no, because she can see things they can't see. So I made the appointment. Then she canceled and rescheduled. And canceled again. I told her nurse that my doctor really thought I should see her, but she said Dr. Goguen had too many things going on to schedule routine appointments. It was a little dissonant to be told by my doctor that I needed to see her and then be told by her office that she couldn't fit me in. I can't remember exactly when the original appointment was, but I think around six months ago.

This was the surgery in which she removed precancerous cells from the left side of my tongue. I'm not really worried because Melissa, Dr. Alyea and my dentist said it looks fine, but still, I would like to hear it from her.

I'm going to have to stop using my left arm at ECP. I like to have my right hand free if I'm using the computer or trying to read a book, but, judging from the trouble I have had with the vein in the left arm the last two sessions, it must have developed scar tissue. It wasn't so bad after my nurse the last time gave me five milligrams of Ativan and five of oxycodone, but I would rather not have the pain in the first place.