01/27/2016:
03:00: I am up. Wanted to sleep to 3:30, but once your up your up.
03:30: My wife and dad drive me to the airport and drop me off. I am going to see how taking the first flight out of MSY (New Orleans) Airport works for my Houston schedule and MD Anderson. I arrive at the airport at 03:45. My flight is for 05:15. I find out TSA doesn’t start processing passengers until 04:00, so I stand in line for 15 minutes.
04:07: I check-in with my ID and phone boarding pass.
04:15: I am through security. My gate is all the way at the end of the concourse. Concourse D is really nice with a horse shoe configuration with 9 gates at the end. I take a seat at my gate and begin catching up on my blog. Since the server was down 2 weeks ago on my last visit I did email drafts to keep my blog up to date and just need to copy and paste to fill in which I will do on this trip.
04:35: Just sitting at the gate. Fuel man just finished fueling the plane.
04:47: Call to start boarding plane and line up in lines.
04:55: On the plane in my seat.
05:10: We push back.
05:17: Take-off.
06:17: Touch-down.
06:20: Off the plane.
06:30: On the skyway.
06:33: Off the skyway.
06:35: Bathroom break.
06:40: Bathroom break done and numbing cream on. Waiting on the bus.
06:45: 102 Bus arrives.
06:50: 102 Bus departs for downtown.
07:45: Off the bus at milam and Texas at. Walking to light rail station.
07:49: At light rail station.
07:50: On light rail.
08:15: Off the light rail.
08:18: In the Duncan building.
08:20: I check in at the Diagnostic Center for blood work in the may’s clinic.
08:30: I am told that I need to go to floor 6 the lymphoma center to get my blood work because I am scheduled there. So I head over the skywalk to the main building floor 6.
08:45: I check in on the iPad for fast access for lab work. I have a seat.
08:47: I am called up for my wristband and normal follow up paperwork for me to fill out.
08:54: I get a text to go to door D for my vitals. They are taken, and then back to the waiting area for blood work.
09:00: I am called into the back for blood work.
09:09: My phone is ringing and it is the MD Anderson number so I answer. It is Michael asking if I am in the lobby or where I am at. I tell him I am in the lab getting my blood work done. He tells me he will come meet me.
09:15: Michael goes over all of the preliminary questions on the follow up sheet I have while waiting for the blood work to be drawn.
09:20: Blood work is done. Michael and I walk over to the patient room.
09:25: They, the PA comes and sees me. He checks me out. Everything looks good and sounds good. I ask Abey if I should follow up with any more antibiotics. He says no. I tell him I am still coughing, but it is a dry cough. He said that could last a little bit up to possibly a month. He says he can order more cough syrup for me. I tell him I have some. He tells me to email him if I need a script and gives me his card with his email.
09:42: The research nurse covering for Emily comes and visits me. No problem with her drug or anything so it’s a quick visit and she gives me my paperwork to fill out for her symptoms from the drug for the next two weeks.
09:47: Dr. Rodriguez comes in. She ask me how I was doing and if any problems with the last treatment. I told her all went well. She asks me if I saw my Tulane doctor yet. I told her I have appointment next Thursday with her. We got into talking about the route to take to and from the airport as the metro is a lot cheaper than taxis and other methods of transportation. She said she would have to look that up more. She said that my orders were ready to sign. She just had to wait on my blood work before signing the orders. I told her that was fine. I was going to go get my port accessed and then go check in at the research center for my infusion.
10:05: I check in on the 8th floor at Wound Care etc to get my port accessed.
10:25: Just sitting in the waiting room catching up the blog for today.
10:33: I am called to the back and my port is accessed.
10:40: All accessed. Off to the transactional research center for my infusion.
10:45: I check in.
11:00: I am taken into the back. Vitals, etc. I get room 8.
11:40: My nurse comes in and checks on me, see if I a accessed. She is just waiting on the drug.
12:00: My nurse returns with my drug, but the machine won’t work. She tries changing out the side pump, and that doesn’t work, so she goes and grabs a new machine. Meanwhile room service comes around and I order my lunch. Soup, Turkey Sandwich, Baked Lays Chips, Cookies, a Diet Dr. Pepper, and an iced tea.
12:08: My medicine is pumping. 1 Hour of pumping to go.
13:10: All done pumping.
13:15: All done flushing.
13:20: I am deaccessed and ready to go. Shutting down my laptop and packing up.
13:30: I take a detour by Rotary House and stop for a bathroom break.
13:45: I stop by the yogurt fusion and think about getting one, but opt out because I just ate lunch and not feeling it. I take a relaxed scrolling through the pickens building to the skywalk, then through the may’s clinic and Duncan building heading back to the light rail to get back to the airport at a relaxed pace this time.
14:01: Out of the Duncan building. Walking to the light rail.
14:06: I purchase my light rail ticket. The next rail arrives as I finish and I jump on.
14:32: Off the light rail.
14:36: At the bus stop.
14:48: On the 102 express bus to the airport.
14:51: On the I-45 HOV lane.
15:30: At the airport.
15:40: Through security.
15:45: On the skyway.
15:50: Off the skyway.
15:55: At the gate.
17:30: Sitting in my seat in the front row next to the window.
17:45: Closing the door and about to push back. See you in NOLA.
17:49: Pushing back from the gate.
17:55: In line to take off.
17:59: We are #4 for departure.
18:04: On the runway.
18:05: Take-off.
18:50: Touchdown.
18:55: Off the plane.
19:00: Waiting outside the airport for my ride.
