Smooth sailing

Yesterday's two appointments in Boston were a breeze. First came the clinic visit, then a bone density test at another location. I didn't get tired at all, except for my usual spot halfway back. Maybe it's because I had a driver (thanks, Barry!) On the way home, I was able to take a little nap.

The day started off well. Sometimes I rummage through my closet, avoiding my own advice to set aside clothes the night before. Yesterday I went closet shopping and put my hand right on a dress that I had forgotten about.

It was a J Jill black T-shirt dress in a smooth fabric with a bit of stretch. Diane had the dress first, and when I heard about it I raced out to get one, which I found on sale. It makes you feel dressed up without any effort. In my closet, I also found a lime-green lightweight sweater to go with it.

Of course my idea of getting "gussied up," in my mother's words, involves simply shedding my shorts or running pants for something a level up. Really dressed up I am not. But under the "look good feel good" philosophy, I like to look decent when I go to the clinic. Put on sandals and nice jewelry and I'm ready to go.

Plus it's one of the only places I go where I can put on "real" clothes. And, for good measure, I have this idea that if I look good, they won't find anything bad. Bit of magical thinking, but I know that. This does not go for when I'm feeling sick, of course. Then I wobble in without caring how I look.

Anyway, I "only" had to wait an hour to see Melissa. I had left a large gap between my clinic appointment (11 a.m.) and the bone density test (3 p.m.). As it turned out, we had a little time to kill, so we went to nearby Brookline, one of my old stomping grounds, for lunch. We drove down the pleasant tree-lined street where I lived, during graduate school, with five other grad students in a dilapidated Victorian.

Quick trip down memory lane: We ate dinner on a converted pool table and shared a kitchen, living room and two bathrooms that nobody wanted to clean. My parents were appalled. We studied and sunbathed on a porch roof that had no railing. I loved it...until I didn't.

Yesterday we saw that the house had been renovated, with structural shoring up, a new paint job, a railing on the porch roof and other improvements. It looked quite respectable.

Next we walked along Harvard Street in what is known as the Coolidge Corner area, stopping at a Jewish deli called Zoftigs, where my search for the perfect Reuben led to a delicious sandwich.

Onward for the bone density test, which took less than five minutes. I joked to the technician that I had put it off because I'm sure my bones are crumbling, but she wasn't amused. Results to come.

I'm putting my counts at the end; in case anyone is tired of hearing about them, you can stop reading here.

White blood cells: 8.0 (normal=3.8-9.2)

Hematocrit: 26.2 (normal=34.8-43.6); low, but up a little since last week

Platelets: 84 (normal=155-410); decent for me

Sodium: 126 (normal=135-145); still low, but up a little

Potassium: 4.6 (normal=3.5l-5.0)

My liver function was slightly better, and the result of a fasting glucose test was 63 (normal is 65-105). This is the number that had been so high – 400 – that they called me in the next day. Melissa said the low was probably because I was fasting.

A couple of weeks ago they decreased my tacrolimus from .5 milligrams twice a day to once a day. I realized about a week later that I had stopped shaking. What a relief.

Small victories, big help.

Standing (and playing) on two feet

I hit a few with Donna at the Field Club in Longmeadow yesterday. It was really too hot, but we planned it for 12:30-ish, so we went anyway. There aren't too many clay courts around here, and I like the idea of playing on a softer surface just in case I fall.

My left rib and arm still hurt from my driveway fall, but it didn't bother me too much, except a little on my backhand, which I can give myself as an excuse for why my backhand was so bad. We didn't stay too long, (well, about an hour), but I felt so energized being out there that it hardly bothered me. I made sure to drink plenty of water.

I hit quite a few forehands into the net until I remembered, "If you follow through, it will go over." Sure enough, it worked. And hey, I stood on two feet the whole time.

I've been making progress at physical therapy, too. It shows. I can walk in a straight line now (woo-hoo, no bumping into my walking companions), but I wish the work would still show better results at home, i.e. falling in my driveway, although it's not like I pull those stunts all the time.

My big triumph last session was balancing on one foot on a trampoline for 20 seconds. My worst exercise was having trouble walking heel to toe on a line. I'm working on that at home. Funniest moment: Rob, my therapist, said he was going to give me a new exercise consisting of walking sideways with one foot in front of the other alternating with one in back. "The hora," I shouted, dancing down the line while singing Hava Nagila. "Well, I guess we don't have to do that one," he said. I told him it might be genetic. (So maybe to keep from wobbling I should dance the hora all over town?)

I have an appointment at Dana-Farber tomorrow, followed by a bone density scan. Did I say that I had an appointment for the scan a couple of weeks ago and canceled it? Dr. Alyea asked why, and I had one good reason and one bad reason. The good one was that I had scheduled it on a day that was had gotten too busy. The bad one was that I knew the results wouldn't be good and didn't want to hear about it. WRONG! He said I might as well find out so that it can be treated. Yeah, yeah, I was going to reschedule it anyway.

Barry is kind enough to drive me tomorrow. I went last time by myself and it was fine, but it's better at this stage if I get a ride. Joe and Katie are both working. I go on a little guilt trip about asking him (or anyone) to spend what amounts to an entire day, but he has the time and seems happy to do it.

I'm going to give him a blueberry pie.