Good driver, great big geyser

I was a little worried about transportation to Dana-Farber on Wednesday because I had gotten used to my private driver (Katie).

When the driver called to confirm, his pleasant voice reassured me.

The ride was better than extracorporeal photopheresis, or ECP, the light therapy on my blood.

I had a bad feeling when the nurse at the Kraft Family Blood Donor Center put the needle into my left arm. It felt like it hit the wrong spot. I told her so but it looked OK so I can't fault her for continuing the process. I looked away and felt a patch of warmth spreading on my arm. When I turned back, I saw that it was blood oozing.

"Oh, shit," she said.

She called for help. A couple of other nurses came over with gauze. She put pressure on, and the gushing stopped. Mark, one of the more experienced nurses on the premises (the first one who got me to use two arms) came over and put something on to stop the bleeding. My nurse wanted to still use two arms. He said that because they put in heparin for a blood thinner, that wouldn't be a good idea. 

I usually take out my computer and watch something (last time it was a whole episode of The Crown), but I didn't have the energy. I browsed through the New Yorker I had brought. 

Near the end, she dabbed hydrogen peroxide on my shirt to try to get the blood off. Not all of it came off. Luckily it was an old shirt. 

"Sorry about the geyser," she said.

Instead of leaving at 6:30 p.m. as I had told the driver I had expected to do, it was closer to 7. Luckily since he was one of the good ones, he didn't complain.

I was pretty beat but stayed up to have something to eat.

The next day, I had tennis. It is a contract and you need to find a sub if you're not going to play. Since I wasn't sick, I figured I would go. It wasn't great, but it wasn't bad.

On Friday, I went for my session at Amherst Community Acupuncture. I originally went in search of treatment for my neuropathy. I still have those pins and needles in my feet, but I think it might be slightly improved. I have definitely felt some other benefits. For example, the chronic pain under my left shoulder blade has diminished so much that sometimes it doesn't hurt at all. After the episode with the geyser, it started to hurt again. But after treatment, once again the pain went away.

In any case, I always have a nice nap and leave feeling calm and relaxed.