Day Nineteen - Epic Imaging and an outing with Emily

Psalm 54:4
Behold, God is my helper;


The Lord is the sustainer of my soul.

I slept well last night, but Riley was up way before me, and I hadn't seen him, so I assumed that he'd gone to work, but at 8 or so he came up with his laundry, and said he was late because he'd cleaned the kitchen.  Now this was nice, but he needed to get to work, and Corey could, and should, clean the kitchen.  She was the one home all weekend.  By 8:30 I realized that I really needed to take a shower before my appoint at 9:30 at Epic Imaging, so I hopped on it.  At 8:50 Christian called and asked if he could have a ride to school.  Since I wasn't supposed to eat for for my scans, I said sure, I'd be there in a few minutes.  The only think I didn't fit into my tasks was making up some food to take with me for when I could finally eat.  I got Christian to school on time, and then it seemed I was right on time for my appointment.

After asking me the usual kinds of questions and copying my insurance cards and id, I was taken to a very small room with two chairs in it, and regular chair and a lounger.  I was of course to sit in the lounger.  The woman working with me was quite delightful, and we had a lovely chat.  She put a needle in my left arm, took some blood, checked my blood sugar - they wanted it under 200, and it was 105 (whatever that meant) - she was quite pleased with the results, and then she went off to get some radio active material to put into me.  It was in a very thick looking cylinder, on was on a rolling cart. The cylinder wasn't that big, but I bet it was very heavy. Then I she removed the needle, and said I was to sit there for an hour while the stuff went all through my veins. I had a very nice time reading the book that Lauren had given me.

Then, after and hour, someone else came in and gave me some hospital clothes to put on. It was a pair of pants with a draw string waist, and a wrap around jacket. When I was dressed I was taken into a room with the scanner. I laid down on a long narrow platform, that went into a big circular thing. I was to put my hands above my head and be very still. I closed my eyes, of course, and she said it would take 13 minutes. That seemed to me like a very very long thirteen minutes. I could sense the thing I was lying on moving, and some times I could sense light, and sometime it was very black. I pretended that I was in a capsule going through outer space. When it finally came back into the light, and the motor stopped, she said I was done, and I said what a long 13 minutes that was, she said it was actually only 11 minutes and some seconds. She then took me back to my little room, where I was to wait for the next person to get me. She brought in a basket with all kinds of granola bars. I chose three. The first one was terrible, and I didn't eat it. The next one wasn't bad at all - oatmeal and raisin, but then I saw that I had accidentally chosen chocolate chip for the third one, so I went out into the hall to find the basket and get oatmeal and raisin instead.

The next person to get me wasn't dressed in nurses clothing, but looked like a business woman. She took me to a room where I was to have a special kind of mammogram. Each picture was to take five minutes, and she took about seven of them. At first she sat at her desk and did paper work while she waited. But soon we were talking, and I had a very nice time chatting with her. When it was all done she took me to a little room where I could get dressed and then I could go. It was 1:30.

I was in good spirits, because I had had a pretty much pleasant time, if you don't count getting my boobs squished, and going into a dark tunnel.  But I needed to eat, and I'd promised to take Annie, Emily and Corey down town with me, as I was to pick up a necklace at the jewelry store.  I decided to make a quick stop at Trader Joe's, where I ran into Liz Parks.  I told her about my troubles, and she was ever so supportive in her response, offering to help.  She a good person for help, as she's reliable.  Then I zipped home and quickly ate I don't know what, and forgot to take my vitamins!!!!!

Then I got the girls, and headed down town.  Annie and Corey wanted to be dropped off at the library, and I parked in the parking garage near by.  But that left me alone with Emily and I thought I didn't have the stroller.  As it turned out Riley had put it in the car.  It would have helped me so much.  Or I really could have used Annie and Corey's help.  The necklace was pretty, but not quite what I had expected.  Communication problems.  Then Emily and I went and had a time in Starbucks with Papa.  As soon as she had seen his building she kept saying that we need to get Papa.  Then Papa left, and after a bit Emily and I headed out.  She was getting very difficult, wanting to climb up on every ledge she saw.  And down town seemed particularly over loaded with yucky street people.  So I suddenly got the idea to hop on a bus.  It dropped us off at Alder, and we walked back a block to catch the MAX, which came immediately.  But still Emily was hard for me to handle.  And there were even more vagrants hanging out around the parking garage.  I quickly got a hold of Annie and Corey.  They were at Powells.  I told them I'd call again as soon as I came out of the garage.  Emily so wanted to go into a store with hand made art, and she just wasn't co-operating.  She does love art.  I guess that's my fault.  But she wouldn't got into the elevator, and I was holding her apple juice.  I offered her the apple juice, and she shook her head and sat on the group.  So I threw the apple juice into a litter bin, and grabber her and went into the elevator.  She was crushed that I would throw away her juice, and I think she was distraught at my being mad at her.  She cried for a while, and then I told her to close her eyes and go to sleep and she did.  But when we got to her house she cried just terribly at the realization that I wasn't going to come in and visit.  That left me feeling very stressed.  So in future I need to carefully think out how I visit with Emily.  It is so sad to me that I don't see her every day and that I know she's kind of sad about it.  My only hope is that because she's only 2 1/2 she won't remember this problem.  

I don't quite know what happened in the evening, but I was tense about tomorrow, as that's when I see the oncologist and find out about the final results of all kinds of tests.

'You need not fight in this battle; 

station yourselves, 

stand and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, 

O Judah and Jerusalem ' 

Do not fear or be dismayed; 

tomorrow go out to face them, 

for the LORD is with you." 

2 Chronicles 20:17