The clinic visit yesterday was good. Actually today, because it is 11 pm where I am. It is December 7 server time.
The physician walked in and I've reached the age where the physicians look 12. Really.
He listened. I mapped out the four pneumonias and treatment. Self treatment when I could not get my fellow doctors to listen. And that there has not been an elevated white blood cell count or fever or abnormal chest xray since the 2003 influenza, but abnormal chest CT, abnormal pfts and abnormal bronchoscopy and now oxygen. Sigh.
He asks about other infections. My mother's tuberculosis, my mononucleosis and repeated strep A infections.
He asks about asthma and allergies. All tested and ruled out in 2014. Sinus infections. One in 60 years, with a tooth that later broke.
He leaves to order labs. He returns, says he'll call me when the labs are in. He is ordering complement testing, antibody levels and tests to see if my covid-19 vaccines took and also my previous pneumovax. Does my immune system respond?
No doubt there are new tests that have been thought up since 2014.
I go to the lab and have 7 vials of blood drawn. The tech has to dig around to find the more exotic tubes.
"What is there to do around here?" I left home at 4 am. I will be done by a little after 9 am.
"There is a museum here in Bellevue."
"Is it good?"
The tech laughs. "I've never been!" he says.
It is Monday so neither the Bellevue Museum nor SAM is open. I go to the Bellevue Mall instead. It has various sky bridges to other buildings. I park in what is probably the wrong and more expensive building, but I don't care. I wander around with a mocha. It is barely 10 am and things are just opening.
I buy two books and three cards and go to both Nordstroms and Sephora. I want green mascara. Nordstroms is out, they can't get it from Japan right now. Sephora has bright blue. That will do.
I take ridiculous phone photographs and send them to B, titled "Things I am not buying for you." My favorite is the store window photographed from the sky bridge which has a beautiful arrangement of halibut carcasses hanging in a pattern. Really: here. Are they real halibut carcasses or are they fake ones for decoration? I suspect they are real but I do not go find the store.
I manage to find my car again and head for the ferry. I get to Edmonds and get on the 1:35 ferry. Home by 3 pm. Make some food and then crash by about 5:30. Somewhat discouraging, but perhaps I will get an answer. I do not think it's really fixable. B asks if I will have to stay in a bubble. No, I say, handwashing, masks on airplanes and any large crowd, and keep stress low. So no family doctoring, I think. I ask the Immunologist but he wants to see lab work first.
I did find shoe laces with an LED light. I can't decide if my son should have them or my daughter. Maybe they should each have one.