Good morning My Gentle Readers. I know that technically it’s not morning, it’s 7:35 PM but I woke up from a nap, so it feels like morning. Maybe the problem is that I made breakfast and had my coffee too early. I guess that’s what I should write about. I went for my infusion today. The center where I usually go is closed because of COVID-19 so I had to go to one on the other side of the Bronx. New York State Medicaid is wonderful, they paid for a cab so I didn’t have to choose between walking for an hour and twenty minutes or taking two buses which would take me close to an hour. It’s not the time that worried me, it was being out in public in contact with so many people. The rule is that the cab picks you up an hour before the appointment which meant at 10 AM. Usually my infusions take between two and hour fours. The actual infusion takes only thirty minutes. The rest is waiting for a chair to open and for the infusion to be mixed. The infusions are personalized and don’t have a long shelf, so they only start preparing them once you arrive. As I didn’t expect to get home until one the earliest, and maybe as late as three, I figured I better eat first, thus the early coffee. I don’t think that telling this story as an explanation of why I had coffee early is a decision most writers would make.
The cab company is Agape. Who knows what that means? What if I told you that is pronounced ah-gap-pee or ah-gap-eh? It is a Greco-Christian term referring to love, “the highest form of love, charity” and “the love of God for man and of man for God” [H. G. Liddell; Robert Scott (October 2010). An Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon: Founded Upon the Seventh Edition of Liddell and Scott’s Greek-English Lexicon. Benediction Classics. p. 4]. In Latin it’s Caritas, thus the name of Lorne’s club on Angel. My mediaeval history teacher did an excellent job. I remember these things more than 40 years later. Not the part about Angel, you can thank Joss Whedon for that. This is one of those days I’m letting my mind goes where it wants instead of focusing my writing. This is a shadow of what it likes to be me. Try to write down your thought process. I was going to say it’s probably as convoluted as mine, but I don’t know that. Other people rarely try to express all the detours they mind leads them down. That’s why I’m doing this. Now you know that at least one person’s mind works like this.
It turns out the day was much faster and less frustrating than I expected. The cab not only came right on time but sent me texts when he was seven minutes and one minute away. He arrived within 30 seconds of when I let the building. The I got to the hospital in the expected 15 minutes and checked in. I was wearing my homemade mask, but they gave me a real one, which I proceeded to put on upside down. I have worn this kind of mask many times. I needed them when I took care of my mother. I stupidly rushed so I could take a selfie wearing it. When I got in and asked the nurse if I had it on right, someone on Facebook said I didn’t. she realized what I did, and I reversed it. Much better. Though I often call myself an idiot, this is different. This bothers me, it’s important. I put it on without thinking, and I should have given it thought.
Getting their early did not mean I had to wait around. Instead my wait to get in a chair was far shorter than usual. I don’t know how they manage this as they are only operating at most a quarter of capacity so the patients can keep their distance. Most people getting infusions are there for chemotherapy, they are extremely high risk. I expect that I’m usually the healthiest patient there. I take Entyvio to prevent Crohn’s disease flares. It is an immuno-suppressant that specifically acts on the gut. It can occasionally also affect the mucus membrane of respiratory system, so I am at heightened risk for catching COVID-19. I’m not worried about that. I never catch anything. My immune system appears to work well.
Every nurse and aid I talked to was in such good spirits; that surprised me. I figured they were under high stress. They are under high stress; they are just dealing with it well. I suspect who ever manages that department is doing a great job. I was hooked up to the IV by 11:15. I still had to wait for them to finish mixing the infusion, but I was finished by 12:15, maybe earlier. While I was hooked up to the IV I listened to classical music, read the Times, and took a nap. It was not at all unpleasant. It’s not that different than what I would be doing at home. I was even in a recliner. I called a cab and he came in ten minutes. By chance he was the same driver I had on the way in. He wasn’t sure it was me and I wasn’t sure it was him as we were both wearing masks. It was like meeting an old friend. On the ride in I had my nose buried in my phone. On the way home I enjoyed looking out the window. Spring is coming to the Bronx; the trees are in bloom. I had planned on going for a walk when I got home but I saw so many people were out on my planned route that I thought better of it. Maybe tomorrow will be less beautiful so the paths less crowded.
I accomplished something today. I overcame my anxiety and applied for my pandemic stimulus money. The federal government is doing absolutely no outreach on this. The website has a few issues. There are things that say, “if you are in category A click here.” The problem is that it’s not a live link. You have to go someplace else on the page for the link. I don’t think this is deliberate. I think it’s just a matter of not putting effort into making it worth well. It’s the Trump administration modus operandi. These things are difficult to do, look at the ACA rollout. The difference is that was far more complex, and they made a herculean effort to fix it quickly. This might not sound like much of an accomplishment, but it lies at the heart of my anxiety issues and involved doing a series of triggers. I can’t wait to tell my therapist. She’ll virtually pat me on the head.
Now it’s 8:31 and I haven’t started dinner. I better get to that. I also haven’t made my phone call of the day. Now I have to call someone I know will be up late.
Wise Madness 