Was a very long day. I never ever could've done it without Mary Philips. She's amazing. She pushed me from one end of Vanderbilt to the other. She crawled around to locate outlets to plug my POC into. She did everything. We did discover buses that loop Vanderbilt all day - readily available to shuttle patients through and around the maze of buildings and parking lots.

First stop this morning: 24 vials of blood were drawn. Pfft. Piece o' cake.

Next: Arterial blood gases - with blood drawn from artery. Gah.

Echocardiogram at the Heart Institute took forever. EKG was a snap. Bone density scan easy-peasy. Consult with cardiologist was enlightening - thus far tests show I have a strong and healthy heart. A heart catheterization later this week will confirm.

Tomorrow I spend a lot of time in radiology. There's also a psych evaluation.

It was a good day. Very long and exhausting. I will never have enough praise for Mary.

A bit daunting, sad, to catch a technician's screen with info about me. In big letters: End Stage

I gave Mary a wistful glance, squared my shoulders, and headed for my next test.

I send so much gratitude for all the prayers streaming my way.

Exhaustion, unknowns, vulnerabilities... nothing could possibly detract from the joyful anticipation of Alison and David and Willow arriving tomorrow. They arrive late in the day after Mary and I have completed another whirlwind tour of tests.