Seattle week 2 recap and what I'm up to
I'm impressed with the clinic and the bone marrow transplant program. It is very thorough. For the first couple of weeks, I had several appointments each day. I met my team: my attending physician Dr. Salit, my nurse practitioner Meredith, and my nurse Dawn. I also have a scheduler, Cat who has this on her card: > ^.^ < She does a great job tightening things up and moving them around, and I'm thankful for all of them. The entire staff is very caring and professional.
Now that I'm getting used to being here and have the lay of the land in my little corner of the world, the weather has been good, and I have had less appointment load (just one or two a day), I have been rediscovering my love for walking and exploring. On Sunday, I wandered up Capitol Hill just to the east of me, talking in the sights and the people. It was a beautiful sunny day after many rainy ones, and there were a lot of families out. I enjoy seeing all the doggies every time I walk. There are so many apartment buildings all around my neighborhood in every direction, and people love their little dogs, & so do I.
I'm sure most of you know my husband is a TV star. :) He is on a quest for the Lost Gold of World War II. I have a cousin who is a star too! Her name is Stella (star) and she is Miss Teen North Dakota International 2020. She is a sweet, genuine gem. She sent me a video to encourage me! Where are my star emojis when I need them? Anyway, her platform is "Find the Gold", based out of Proverbs 11:27 "Anyone can find the dirt in someone, so be the one to find the gold." She explains this being a catalyst that can change any situation. All that to say, I'm joining the treasure hunt and engaging in this Seattle journey. Sometimes the graffiti is encouraging, sometimes the stickers are cool, and sometimes someone without a mask flashes a big smile.
On Monday, I explored Belltown a bit. I saw a plant with a flower on it as big as my head, and I forgot to check it out with my plant identification app, so I'll be going back. I had a couple of short but meaningful encounters with people and it was like a tonic to my heart.
Tuesday I got great news: first, my breast biopsy came back negative, and then I found out that I will have a lesser chemo regimen than they had originally planned for. I'm so grateful to Dr. Salit for researching this and reaching out to other professionals to determine this course of action for me. I will not have to spend much time in the hospital (just the day of the transplant, July 2), and I won't lose my hair! This was a special God-touch to me, because I had asked for this, even though it didn't make any sense, but I felt Holy Spirit was prompting me to ask. I also don't start the conditioning (chemo) until the 28th now (it was the 23rd) so I have 5 more days to explore Seattle with my sweetie while I'm feeling good. I have felt much more peaceful since hearing both of these pieces of news. As though: before I thought in my head that, yes, I'll get through this. And now I know in my spirit "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, You are with me, Your rod and staff, they comfort me." I have no doubt He's already gone ahead, my fire by night, my cloud by day.*
Wednesday I just had an appointment at the University Hospital at 3:00. It yet yet another sunny day, so I walked. It took me about an hour and 15 minutes, but I arrived perfectly early and enjoyed exploring the neighborhood to the north, a big bridge over some body of water and just a bit of the U district.
Today I just had a phone appointment with the oral medicine folks about mouth rinses and things like that, and then a ZOOM call with Integrative Medicine. This is a fairly new service they provide and Meredith recommended me as a candidate for their program, which was very thoughtful of her. Kathleen gave me a link to a progressive muscle relaxation program, is setting up another Zoom with an acupressure specialist, coached me on some informal mindfulness and breathwork exercises throughout the day and gave me some homework for envisioning positive outcomes at three stages post-transplant.
I'm thankful to have this opportunity to work with this team and for the homework, as I tend to collect all kinds of helpful snippets but don't always apply them. I get a counselor, a nutritionist, a social worker, and an integrative medicine team! Where is my star emoji???
After the calls, I walked to make an Amazon return and got to experience the Amazon Go Store on Pike in Capitol Hill. It was crazy cool and the quality of the grocery and fresh products is great. Amazon Fresh is another discovery I made last week. I'm enjoying the perks of Seattle and glad I get to be here in the summer. I don't know how all those little doggies get walked during the rainy season, but I'm sure umbrellas are in play.
Tomorrow I just have a blood draw and an Ultomiris infusion. I should be done by 10:30 and it's supposed to be 78 degrees and mostly sunny, so I may go find that flower again, then check out the lake that I can see from my apartment. Today there were many more boats of all kinds than I had seen on it before. The sailboats are so beautiful.
I have the weekend off with my Sweetheart Rick and he's driving my car so maybe we'll go a little further out of the neighborhood. The Olympic mountains (I think that's what I was seeing?) were gorgeous today, and getting somewhere out of the city would be great.
Next week I have big days on Tuesday and Wednesday with my Hickman line being placed on Wednesday. I will get my port taken out and use the line for IV needs, as it is less prone to infection.
Thank you for the prayers and supportive messages. You all have been really encouraging and I appreciate your taking the time to let me know you're thinking of me.
Much love! Sonja
*from Luke Wood's song "Picture Of Your Love", one of my all-time favorites
I'm impressed with the clinic and the bone marrow transplant program. It is very thorough. For the first couple of weeks, I had several appointments each day. I met my team: my attending physician Dr. Salit, my nurse practitioner Meredith, and my nurse Dawn. I also have a scheduler, Cat who has this on her card: > ^.^ < She does a great job tightening things up and moving them around, and I'm thankful for all of them. The entire staff is very caring and professional.
Now that I'm getting used to being here and have the lay of the land in my little corner of the world, the weather has been good, and I have had less appointment load (just one or two a day), I have been rediscovering my love for walking and exploring. On Sunday, I wandered up Capitol Hill just to the east of me, talking in the sights and the people. It was a beautiful sunny day after many rainy ones, and there were a lot of families out. I enjoy seeing all the doggies every time I walk. There are so many apartment buildings all around my neighborhood in every direction, and people love their little dogs, & so do I.
I'm sure most of you know my husband is a TV star. :) He is on a quest for the Lost Gold of World War II. I have a cousin who is a star too! Her name is Stella (star) and she is Miss Teen North Dakota International 2020. She is a sweet, genuine gem. She sent me a video to encourage me! Where are my star emojis when I need them? Anyway, her platform is "Find the Gold", based out of Proverbs 11:27 "Anyone can find the dirt in someone, so be the one to find the gold." She explains this being a catalyst that can change any situation. All that to say, I'm joining the treasure hunt and engaging in this Seattle journey. Sometimes the graffiti is encouraging, sometimes the stickers are cool, and sometimes someone without a mask flashes a big smile.
On Monday, I explored Belltown a bit. I saw a plant with a flower on it as big as my head, and I forgot to check it out with my plant identification app, so I'll be going back. I had a couple of short but meaningful encounters with people and it was like a tonic to my heart.
Tuesday I got great news: first, my breast biopsy came back negative, and then I found out that I will have a lesser chemo regimen than they had originally planned for. I'm so grateful to Dr. Salit for researching this and reaching out to other professionals to determine this course of action for me. I will not have to spend much time in the hospital (just the day of the transplant, July 2), and I won't lose my hair! This was a special God-touch to me, because I had asked for this, even though it didn't make any sense, but I felt Holy Spirit was prompting me to ask. I also don't start the conditioning (chemo) until the 28th now (it was the 23rd) so I have 5 more days to explore Seattle with my sweetie while I'm feeling good. I have felt much more peaceful since hearing both of these pieces of news. As though: before I thought in my head that, yes, I'll get through this. And now I know in my spirit "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, You are with me, Your rod and staff, they comfort me." I have no doubt He's already gone ahead, my fire by night, my cloud by day.*
Wednesday I just had an appointment at the University Hospital at 3:00. It yet yet another sunny day, so I walked. It took me about an hour and 15 minutes, but I arrived perfectly early and enjoyed exploring the neighborhood to the north, a big bridge over some body of water and just a bit of the U district.
Today I just had a phone appointment with the oral medicine folks about mouth rinses and things like that, and then a ZOOM call with Integrative Medicine. This is a fairly new service they provide and Meredith recommended me as a candidate for their program, which was very thoughtful of her. Kathleen gave me a link to a progressive muscle relaxation program, is setting up another Zoom with an acupressure specialist, coached me on some informal mindfulness and breathwork exercises throughout the day and gave me some homework for envisioning positive outcomes at three stages post-transplant.
I'm thankful to have this opportunity to work with this team and for the homework, as I tend to collect all kinds of helpful snippets but don't always apply them. I get a counselor, a nutritionist, a social worker, and an integrative medicine team! Where is my star emoji???
After the calls, I walked to make an Amazon return and got to experience the Amazon Go Store on Pike in Capitol Hill. It was crazy cool and the quality of the grocery and fresh products is great. Amazon Fresh is another discovery I made last week. I'm enjoying the perks of Seattle and glad I get to be here in the summer. I don't know how all those little doggies get walked during the rainy season, but I'm sure umbrellas are in play.
Tomorrow I just have a blood draw and an Ultomiris infusion. I should be done by 10:30 and it's supposed to be 78 degrees and mostly sunny, so I may go find that flower again, then check out the lake that I can see from my apartment. Today there were many more boats of all kinds than I had seen on it before. The sailboats are so beautiful.
I have the weekend off with my Sweetheart Rick and he's driving my car so maybe we'll go a little further out of the neighborhood. The Olympic mountains (I think that's what I was seeing?) were gorgeous today, and getting somewhere out of the city would be great.
Next week I have big days on Tuesday and Wednesday with my Hickman line being placed on Wednesday. I will get my port taken out and use the line for IV needs, as it is less prone to infection.
Thank you for the prayers and supportive messages. You all have been really encouraging and I appreciate your taking the time to let me know you're thinking of me.
Much love! Sonja
*from Luke Wood's song "Picture Of Your Love", one of my all-time favorites
Lovely! Thank you for sharing 🌟⭐⭐🌟🌝
ReplyDeleteYou are dearly loved! 🌟 ❤️ ❤️ 🌟
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