waiting for results...

And while my little friend below is waiting for his train, we are once again waiting for results. Shawn had some blood tests last week, that have to be processed at the Mayo, so probably won't be back until next week sometime. Also an MRI on Tuesday.

Yesterday he saw his U of C hypertension doctor, who is keeping him on the current cocktail of blood pressure medicines, with instructions to keep monitoring it and let him know if there are any changes. For now, the spikes remain in the 160 range, much much better than 240!

Meanwhile, we are buying a condo in Bloomington for Shawn to live in for the next few years. It's a two bedroom place which will make it much easier for us to come down and stay with him. In the last few days we had the inspection on the condo, Shawn found someone to sublet his current apartment, and we moved all his stuff into a storage locker. As always, the amount of stuff to move grew as we started packing it and the estimate of how long it would take kept increasing throughout the day. (Perhaps that trip when we were all the way across town before Shawn called to tell us we forgot to get the KEY didn't help... but that was just one of many trips!)

Now it's all moved, Shawn's staying in the basement apartment of one of his very generous friends from his support group, and we close sometime next month.

Waiting for the train

I don't know if this little guy paid full fare or not, but it
certainly looks like he's waiting for a train!

New doctor, more tests

Shawn saw a neurologist in Bloomington today to talk more about neuromuscular weakness. He has some ideas and more tests to do, including blood tests and another MRI of the neck.

MRI is scheduled for next Tuesday, and he sees his doctor in Chicago on Wednesday. We are on our way back to Chicago now. We will drive back down next Monday, then bring Shawn back to Chicago after his MRI on Tuesday. And then he'll fly back to Bloomington after Wednesday's Chicago appointment.

I think my car knows the way between Chicago and Bloomington on it's own now.

Sent from my iPhone :-)

Funny sight, or maybe a little sad

The building next to the neurologist's office this morning had a sign on the door: "Smoking Cessation Class Enter Here." Right in front of the door were four women standing there - you guessed it - smoking.

Perhaps they were working up the courage to go in? Or maybe acting as a picket line to discourage others from entering?

I would have taken a photo but somehow I think they might have been offended.

a new blog

I saw the movie Julie and Julia last weekend, and it made me start thinking about starting a new blog. You can go there to read more about some of the other thoughts I had that made me want to start it - but the basic idea is that on this other blog - Search for Blessings - I'll pick a topic each day that is something Im thankful for, show a photo and write about it.

Go follow me there. Maybe it will make you start thinking of all that's good in your life as well.

a week of phone calls

After a full week of phone calls, Shawn finally has an appointment with a neurologist in Bloomington.

His neurologist in Chicago thought having someone in Bloomington would be a good idea, so he found a few names of people for Shawn to call. Also found someone in Indianapolis at IU Medical Center. The doc in Indy can't see him until October, so in the meantime Shawn called for an appointment with one of the doctors in Bloomington. When he called a week ago Friday, the office said he could get an appointment the following week but they needed the pulmonary function test from his pulmonologist before they could schedule the appointment. By this time it was late on Friday afternoon, so first thing Monday he called the pulmonologist's office.

Monday is the first day of a week of phone calls. On Monday, Shawn talked to a nurse at the pulmonologist's office who didn't seem to understand what he was asking and kept having him repeat phone numbers. The next morning when he called the neurologist's office they hadn't received anything. So he called pulmonologist's office again, talked to same nurse, still didn't seem to be connecting. She claimed the number he gave her didn't work, although he's now called it two or three times himself. She takes down the numbers again. Wednesday after finding out still nothing at the neurologist's office he calls again, gets a different nurse who said he'd been dealing with a temp nurse the last two days. This new nurse is much more on the ball and gets all the info and faxes it to the correct office. Another call to neurologist and sure enough, they now have the test results, but they still need a referral form filled out and faxed back. Call to pulmonologist to find out they don't have a copy of the form. Call back neurologist to ask them to fax the form so that pulmonologist can fill it in an fax it back...

FINALLY - on Friday, all the right paperwork is in the right place and they schedule an appointment for Monday, August 17. Dave and I will drive down next weekend and stay for the appointment.