Moffitt, Whole Foods & Friends

Tuesday July 3, 2012
Quail Run Lot 15
Wesley Chapel Florida

 

Yesterday was a pretty full day of doctor visits beginning at 7:30 in the morning.  We leave Winnona at 7:00 and are there right on time.  Moffitt is between 18 and 20 miles from us now.  There are two ways to get there and we will try them both before deciding which is easiest.  Today we drive two miles down Old Pasco Road to Rt 54 and then 1 mile to the entrance ramp for I 75 South.  Twelve miles down I-75 to the Fletcher Avenue Exit and then about 5 miles to the Cancer Center entrance. 

We are right on time and waiting in the room at 7:30 for an appointment with Dr. Ken Shain, David’s hematologist.  He is a Multiple Myeloma doctor who sees only myeloma patients one day a week and does Myeloma research the other 4 days.  He is a genuinely friendly and knowledgeable physician whom we enjoy and have confidence in.   He says David has done very well with his induction therapy, that his organ test numbers look good and he has every expectation that David will do well in transplant. 

They talk a while about David’s current problems, upper back pain rather than lower, numbness in his feet and the continued sleeping problems.  Though his sleeping is better, he is still waking 2-5 times each night.  They discuss the specifics of the organ tests and their results and then we are on our way to a 9:00  appointment with Dr. Booth Jones.

This appointment is in another building so the folks at the ground floor welcome desk call a tram which picks us up and delivers us across the road.  As usual, David fills out forms.  This time they are questionnaires on his state of mind, attitudes and expectations.  This is a called a Psycho-Social assessment.  HA!   I could tell them a few things here. 

An assistant comes out to get him and they  discuss his medical history AGAIN.  She has to make sure they have everything correct including what medications he is now taking.  She explains that Dr. Booth-Jones will be doing some cognitive testing as  baseline “before transplant” information.  Thus if something unusual happens they will have something for comparison.  

I wait about an hour while they do all this.  Dr Booth-Jones comes out with David and tells me what a good memory he has.  I roll  my eyes.

WHAT???   

Yes she says, the game is up. 
No more claiming he can’t remember. 

He smiles sheepishly.

We walk back across the street.  No need to wait for a tram he says and he’s the one with fatigue so he gets to decide.   We have the lunch we’ve brought in an area with tables and proceed up to the BMT Clinic to meet with the Transplant Director Dr. Alsina for the go ahead for the transplant.  So far everything seems in order so we expect she will say he is a good candidate and she does.  

She answers his questions and leaves us with her assistant who goes over the schedule of visits we need to make before hospital admission along with instructions for which drugs to take and which not to take.
The transplant process begins this Saturday with the first of the daily hospital visits pre-transplant.   He will be admitted to the hospital the following Saturday.   So he has 4 days before the process starts in earnest.

 

David says he is feeling well enough to go to Whole Foods which we do.   It is an easy drive from Moffitt to Whole Foods nearly all on I 275.  Whole Foods has all kinds of things to taste so he does.
Don’t you just LOVE fresh produce??  I just looks beautiful sitting there waiting for me to put it in the cart.

 

 

 

 

As usual it takes an hour to wander around and pick up the things we need and some we don’t.  It only takes 4 of our string bags to carry the $100 worth of groceries to the car.  Seems like it should take a lot more than that doesn’t it??   I-275 takes us straight up to I 75 and we retrace our steps to the park.

 

On these long testing and doctor visit days we have taken to having something quick for dinner.   Since today was Whole Foods day and Amy’s Spinach Pizza with Rice Crust was on sale for $5.45, I picked one up for dinner.  It is gluten and dairy free and although a “processed” food product, which I prefer to avoid, was just the thing for two tired vegans.  It was very good. 

 

This is the first time we’ve tried anything with “soy cheese”.  I was impressed although I doubt I’ll make a habit of using the cheese or eating the pizza since there are just too many ingredients on the list.

I’m in agreement with Michael Pollan’s Food Rules. 

Here are a couple more I like:

Don’t eat anything your great grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.
and
Don’t eat anything containing ingredients that are
a)unfamiliar
b) unpronounceable
c) more than 5 in number
d) contain high fructose corns syrup

If you aren’t familiar with Pollan or his work here are a couple of links.
First  Second
I’ve read all of his books and have enjoyed every one. 

 

 

We stop by to see Karen and Al on our after dinner walk and talk with them about books and libraries, kindles and laser eye surgery, medical staff and RV ladder clothes lines.  It is becoming dark and a gorgeous nearly full moon rises in the sky as we leave to walk home.  A nice end to a long day. 

Photo by J. Himebaugh