I Think Loren's Feeling Better....

......since he's getting sarcastic :-) More about that later.

"It's snowing, it's snowing, la, la la, la la, la....."

Here, in Rochester, long known as a bastion of snow and cold, we received as much as two whole inches. While down south, in Iowa, where I am NOT, they are piling up inch after inch and drift after drift. Well, at least the children will have fun. If I know Jason, there will soon be a reenactment of the Battle for Helm's Deep.

But backtracking to yesterday, there was the usual early call for blood work, X-ray and office visits. Things are going so well, that there is less and less to talk about at each visit.

The new test for that day (Tues) was to assess renal function. A bit of tricky manuevering, foodwise. Loren has to go to the blood work in a fasting state, and he could not eat for 4 hours previous to the kidney function test. That left us with a small half hour window of opportunity to snarf down a dry, crumbly granola bar and dubious liquids. By the time we arrived for the two-hour long test, I was getting fairly hungry.

The nurse who called for Loren did NOT invite me back, though I noticed other nurses were asking spouses if they wanted to accompany the patient. But I am not bitter, no, I am not bitter. I lost myself in Tolstoy. (yes, I am a slow reader) According to Loren, this is what happened:

(first of all, he had to drink 3-4 glasses of water before arriving there) They took him back, gave him a shot of iodine, and had him drink more water and watch TV for 45 minutes. Then, the nurse draws blood, and the patient gives a "sample. " More water and more TV for 45 minutes, followed by another blood draw and urine sample. The main reason for all of this is to evaluate if the kidneys are working properly, since the drug Cyclosporine is known to cause problems with the kidneys. (Great, a-NOTHER thing to worry about)

So, since I was hungry at the start of the test, and I was REALLY hungry by the end, I was looking forward with great anticipation to stopping somewhere and getting FOOD. I had reasoned this would be necessary since our arrival back at The Big House coincided with the daily kitchen closing, when NO ONE, FOR ANY REASON, will be allowed in the kitchen.

"So," I asked famishedly, "Where should we go to get a bite to eat?"

"They made me drink so much water, I'm not the least bit hungry."

*gulp* "OK." *sniff* "We'll eat an early supper. How does 3:30 sound?"
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This morning, another Rehab session. I rearranged Friday's appointments to Thursday, while Loren "worked out" at his hardest level yet, on the treadmill. Apparently, he did this of his own volition, generating yet another gold star in his record book. These exercise specialists, they certainly know how to motivate a guy.

We were waiting at the elevator bay for one of the six doors to open, when I decided to have a little fun. "Let's guess which door will open first. I guess that one," I offered, pointing to the farthest away. *wait, wait, wait. * The one right next to us makes suspicious noises. Suddenly, DING! The very one I had picked, way over there, lit up and opened.

"Prescience!" I gloated. "Sorta makes ya wanna treat me with a little more respect, don't it?"

"Do it three times in a row, and I will, " he replied, smugly. (he can get smart-alecky when he feels decent :-)
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Upon exiting the parking garage, beautiful flakes of snow could be seen wafting down. I persuaded Loren to make a run to Wal-Mart, where he could ostensibly look for the perfect watch, and I could stock up on ice cream. From the looks of things, the snow could stop merely wafting about and start accumulating all over. The thought of a deep snow and low staples was enough to send me shopping. Loren, true to his hard-to-please nature, did not find a suitable watch, but I am happy to say I located the "Blue Bunny."

Arriving back at "The Clink," there was just time to fix lunch before the daily kitchen closing. I realized we were coming in with snow on our shoes, but I hoped no one would notice. (one of the house rules, when there is snow afoot, you have to have slippers or other shoes to change into at the cloakroom) I noticed a little water on the floor, but it would soon be time for F., the janitor to work his cleaning magic. Before I could blink, two "sisters" were grabbing paper towels and saying, "If you want to live, don't bring water in on the floor!" (Yes, these were just about her exact words, though they were spoken to people in general, and with good humor)

Busted! I thought. "Well, um, when we left this morning, it wasn't snowing, and....."
"That's why you always have something to change into in the coat room." So, while I ran up to the room to change into some slippers, the soup I was heating boiled over..... and.....well......some days you just can't win. *sniff*

I did manage to do a quick baking of cookies, the kind you just plunk from the package to the pan. My thoughts were already moving toward cleanup, as I ruminated aloud, "I wonder where we should store the extras, in the pantry or in the refrigerator?"

Without missing a beat, Loren replied, "Why don't you wait and see if we like them. We might want to store them in the wastebasket."

(see, I told you he was feeling better :-)
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Coming back to the room after cleaning up supper, There was more friendly banter. I issued a terse, but not unreasonable statement, "Ok, you need to get off the computer. I have to blog."

"OOoooo, I'm scared."

"Hey, you're not showing the proper..."

"Respect? Deference?"
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Yes, I definitesly think he's feeling better.

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