Hit me with your best shot

Health care isn’t for sissies.

I’ll bet most of you have had to deal with our monolithic healthcare system. God forbid you’ve had to navigate insurance, lack of insurance, reimbursements….all while trying to actually stay alive or keep your loved one alive.

Even when the health care you or your loved one is receiving is the BEST in the world. Even when your doctor is so amazing you want to invite him to Thanksgiving, even when you include the AFLAC duck in your nightly prayers….

It’s just HARD.

The last two week have been difficult, so let me whine a bit about it. Or wine about it…both of which have in fact, happened.

Jack and I headed to Houston for my 3 month checkup last week. It’s tax season at our house so you realize there’s a bit of extra stress to begin with when Jack’s missing work. We arrive in Houston and check into our awesome “home away from home”, the Rotary House.

We began the next day with a 6:30 am appointment followed by back to back appointments until 4:00 pm.

There are numerous locations at MD Anderson to have a CT scan and we received a call telling us my scan had been moved to a different building in order to keep us in one location for the rest of the day. Great right? Well, not so much. When we arrived the nurse (I lovingly refer to her as nurse Ratchet) was not happy. She ask why I was there and who told me I could change locations. HA…. girlfriend was in a MOOD. I finally convinced her that I had no control over the change and I’m thinking I might have responded with a “I don’t want to have the D_______ test in the first place”. … At that point I’m pretty sure Ratchet got my drift.

Little did I realize that the move of the scan required my being in the SMALLER machine. Funtimes. The top of the tube/cylinder was about an inch from my nose and my arms touched the sides. Lordy Mercy! As per usual I kept my eyes closed and quoted every scripture I knew, the Lord’s prayer and hymns where I didn’t remember the 3rd verse.

I made it. But I think the stress of the day finally hit Jack. He asked for Ratchet’s real name and then blistered her. Very much “unJack” like. By the time he was finished she was practically hugging me and asking how she could help. Oh Ratchet, I’m sorry. Kinda.

Bottom line? My hero, Dr. Gay (looks like Pete Buttigieg) told us that both the CT scan and the MRI were very, very positive. At that point nothing mattered except getting back to Jonesboro. Funny how every emotion flips on a dime when those results are read. You can almost feel the load lift.

After this news I had my port placed (kinda a bigger deal than expected) and we stayed the night before leaving H town for home.

In true Jack fashion we left early in the am. I slept most of the way, Jack drove like a bat out of… well, like a bat. We stopped ONCE and pulled into Jonesboro in time for him to get in a half a day at the office, ha.

THEN the snowpocalypse occurred on Monday when I was scheduled for my treatment. At Jack’s assistance I did not cancel. We (he, I had my eyes closed) made it. We even made it to the dentist to fix a tooth I broke on Gardetto’s. Impressive, huh? “Grandma, what old teeth you have”….

Since that time Jack hasn’t missed a day of work and I haven’t left the hacienda.

As it should be.

All this to say…… we survived.

• We got out of Houston BEFORE the emergency situation in the city (bless them all)
• I’m tired but I’m here….sleep is medicine, right?
• I babysat Cooper Friday and he’s just the most precious baby on the PLANET. I held him the entire time and it might as well have been a steroid shot.
• High school football players did a fabulous job of clearing our driveway
• My port worked beautifully, albeit an allergic reaction to something raging on my chest.
• I always mourn on Feb. 20…the day I lost my mom…. but I’ve had visits from beautiful cardinals this week and I know they are sending me love from her.
• God is good. Not because bad things don’t happen….they surely do… but when you pray hard enough you find the blessing from the bad… and the courage to carry on.

Hit me with your best shot, indeed

Fire away.