elainegrey

Written on Thursday morning Mar 13

Let's see: last Monday's blood draw was still within normal range. Visit with my primary care provider (via telepresence, yay) was a nice chat and i was offered a nice stack of possibilities other than hospitalization should the need arise for me to receive the  IVIg antibody infusion again.

Let's not have that happen. My work has incredibly good insurance when combined with the care available locally, but even knowing it has no direct impact to my pocketbook, I'm still in shock to see the cost of the treatment as a line item. I am also in shock to see the discount that is written off the bill due to the insurer. Maybe when the revolution comes we can have a sane way of handling health care.

Surely there is some correlation with the line item cost of the treatment and the cost to produce and distribute the antibodies.

I also got a slightly more clear hand wavy explanation for why the antibodies from other people help overwhelm the spleen and protect the platelets -- they apparently attack my confused antibodies that are attacking the platelets? And provide some camouflage?

Anyhow, i envision a future of rare flares identified before i get too low a platelet count. (I kept saying platelets instead of petechiae during the appointment. Great. I've scrambled primary keys on two more rows in my vocabulary. This happens too often at work but fortunately people have patience with it.

Saturday i add: i have had a good call with a therapist and will have a formal intake appointment Monday. Our primary goal will be to work on what does  "I don'wanna do anything but sit on the couch with the computer" mean: when is it time for me to kick myself into gear and when is it time to rest? (And when is it time to go get a blood draw.)

I also had  a pleasant call with the UHC Nurse educator who did check to see if there were any better weekend options for blood draws for me.

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Driving around provides visual confirmation of spring, but it just arrived here yesterday with a sudden high of 84°.  Violets opened, and i had a handful on my lunch salad. (Local wild violets taste like lettuce: neither the floral fragrance or sweetness is present. But PURPLE!) The plants were killed back by the cold, so there aren't that many violet greens yet. (I looked in the garden and there's a chance the scented European violet plants survived the weeds of last year.) The saucer magnolia now has pink buds all over. Red maple is blooming - too high for me to try any flower clusters. Spicebush buds are pretty bland, but once they open the sweetness is there. I didn't notice a spicy note. I could imagine adding those to a salad.

Saturday i add: by the end of Thursday the early daffs are blooming in the back yard. I feel like i had more early yellows but only one clump is blooming. A yellow daff that was from some forced grocery store display is blooming at the base of the east tulip poplar, hidden by the log "fence". I found tiny bluets blooming (Houstonia pusilla), a tiny spring flower i am used to seeing in mid February  -- and i am very excited because i thought i had mulched them out of existence.