I can't figure out if it's cool, or really sad that most people on the 5NW wing of the NIH Clinical Center greet me by name when I turn up in their midst. It's always nice to be remembered, especially when you're a long way from home, but maybe a hospital is not exactly where I should want to rack up the frequent stayer points. Oh well, philosophical dilemma be damned. It's like old home week when I come here and that's kind of nice.
Sadly this trip Casey, who I have cited in a prior blog post as the best nurse ever, is working the night shift. You know how much I value my sleepy-bye time, so needless to say I haven't seen much of her. But I vowed to stay up late tonight (10:30!) so that we can catch up when she gets here.
My Cushing's friend Christy is here and we're wreaking havoc over 5NW. She's been here for several weeks already and I think is going a little stir crazy. We are venturing out into Bethesda for dinner tonight. She wants to get me out of the building. She thinks I spend too much time inside. I have not yet mastered, as she has, the art of travelling with a jug full of pee so that I don't miss any "deposits". It's easier for me to just stay here. But I don't have to "collect" this evening so I am free to pee off site. I'm like a kid on Christmas. And by the way, for any tourists out there wanting to visit the Capital on your next trip to DC, please note that you cannot enter the building with food or water and will be made to dispose of them prior to being let in. However, if you have an IV port in your arm, and a tote bag with a jug of your own pee in it, you're fine. Just glide right through security...
I have been poked, prodded and probed during my short two day stay here. I've been drained of my blood and pee, had my poop analyzed and chewed on a cotton ball in the middle of the night (it's an actual test....really!). Most of the results are in and they look ok. Some things are better (cholesterol and lipids) and some things not so much (blood sugar, iron). I'm a bit anemic - that's new. It's kind of hard to nail down exactly why, but until we solve that mystery I'll add some medication to take care of it. We're going to up my dose of Muffy to see if we can get some better results and I'll return in April to go through this whole shootin' match again. Trying to figure out the right dose of Muffy is tricky. I need to take as much as possible, but not enough to send me into adrenal insufficiency which happened with the original dose I was on. Sometimes, even with all the medical advances in the world, these things are done by trial and error. And I trust no one to trial and error better than my gaggle of doctors. They rock the endocrinology world.
All for now dear readers. I must return to my room for (yet another) blood draw. I hope I have enough left!
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