Tests an Appointment and a Wedding

06Jul

Friday morning and off we go to what’s fondly referred to as the “Old South” campus of the hospital for Carman’s pumonary function tests. When I moved to London in the late 70’s, this grand dame of a building was in desparate straights and all the talk was around the need for a new building with modern amenities for better patient care...and no mold, falling down ceilings, etc. So here we are some 35 years later...arriving there for our appointment. We are luck enough to score a parking spot right out front, so that removes the long walk challenge - now we just have to deal with the flight of stairs up to the front door. We conquer the stairs and have a rest, then move inside the building and into the elevator to the lower level. When the elevator doors open we are met with a blast of stale superheated air in a hallway void of air conditioning (outside temp is about 35C). I can hardly catch my breath, let alone the challenge for Carman  to do so, and now we must make the 3-400m trek down the hall and around the corner to the Pulmonary Function Lab...anyone seeing the irony here?

I feel for the staff who are working in this environment every day (the lastest news is that they’ll be moving to the new digs in December) and still manage to smile at us when we arrive. We were here for tests in January 2010 and while Carman was having x-rays, I went searching for a washroom...the sign on the wall was a listed record of the cleaning schedule. It proudly stated that the room was last cleaned 09Aug2008...now wouldn’t you think it would be better to just remove the sign than to have that information prominently displayed? Truly, I didn’t need the sign to know the room had been missed on the janitorial schedule...it made me long for some of the lesser gas station facilities I’ve seen!

We get thru the doors into the Lab hallway and the technician has set up a couple of fans to help move the air a bit. The lab itself and it’s waiting room are both air conditioned so there is some relief there. Then Carman is taken back into the hallway to complete his 6 minute walk test. 

Richard was wonderful with Carman, very friendly and upbeat, in spite of the adverse conditions of his work environment. He did Carman’s blood gasses, pulmonary function (blowing into a tube, holding your breath, releasing it quickly and then again slowly) which are very challenging to do when you have compromised lungs - and I could hear him encouraging Carman along the way from where I sat in the waiting room.  He covered a greater distance (390m on nasal prongs with 8L flow) than he had the day before at physio (357m on Venturi mask with 50% flow) but  finished at a lower oxygen saturation 82% vs. 93%. Fortunately, his recovery time is still fairly quick once he sits to rest.

The tests took a bit longer than planned so by the time we retraced our steps to the car and drove to the other campus, we were going to be late for our appointment with Dr. Mehta. I dropped Carman at the door, and we had to choose between the wheelchair ramp (a switchback style, long inclined walk) or the slight of 6 stairs to the front door. He opted for the stairs, so I got him to sit on his Rollator there, while I went to park the car. All these time consuming tasks didn’t turn out to be a problem though, as there were 2 other patients ahead of us when we arrived. This worked in our favour and gave us a chance to catch up with Mary, Dr. Mehta’s assistant (and an extraordinairy coordinator of appointments to have on your team, I might add).

Dr. M reviewed the test results with us, and was generally pleased - function has not dropped since March, which we thought had happened; and the physio is helping Carman to get stronger in spite of his low lung function. He filled Dr. M in on his physio program and schedule and how he’d been feeling since March. Dr. M praised his efforts at physio 3 times a week and then...oh, oh...the conversation went like this:

Dr. M...“So tell me Carman, what are you doing the other 4 days of the week?”

CH... “Well not too much, really.” (he said quietly)

PH... “I think you’ll need to be more specific, Honey.” (she said sweetly)

CH... “Um, well, ok...nothing!”   BUSTED!!!

Dr. M... “Thank you Pamela”

So then they have “the conversation” (here I’m having 10x deja vu)...bless him because Dr. M tells Carman the story of how important physical activity is (especially with his chronic lung disease) every visit, with the same gentle enthusiasm. Carman has responded, on each of the last 10 occasions, in the same manner - nodding his agreement and committing to get to it. Maybe, just maybe...11 is golden and he’ll really do it.

We have hugs and good-byes until next visit and head out to get some lunch, a nap, a change of clothes and attend a wedding! By the time we get to our temporary home, Carman will have only about 20 minutes for napping after we have lunch. Then it’s time to hit the shower and start the process of getting into a suit for the first time (except to try it on at the store) in a couple of years. Showering, shaving, dressing are all very taxing activities when you can’t get your breath, so these require careful planning and sometimes separation thru the space of the day, to avoid completely exhausting oneself. I had ironed and prepped everything in the morning before we headed to the hopsital so everything was staged and ready to roll. We were ready to go and in the vehicle when Dj and Matt arrived for the drive to the wedding.

The outdoor ceremony, at 5pm was lovely, although it was around 39C and very humid...we were watching the updos slowly sag and the shirt backs deepen in colour as the poor men melted in their seats. We really felt for the wedding party, the groomsmen and Doug all in 3-piece black tuxes and Laura in a full length gown. It really was one of the most relaxed and fun weddings I’ve been too and we were so happy to be able to be part of it!

The line of the night came from the DJ (and I’m not sure he meant it to sound the way it did). After Doug & Laura had the first waltz he announced on the mic that he’d be playing anotheer waltz and suggested “whether you brought a beautiful date or your wife...you should get up on the dance floor for this one!” We all laughed and then Carman enjoyed a waltz with his beautiful daughter, while Matt got stuck with the wife. Later in the evening, Carman and I had a waltz as well. These are akin to the waltzes you might have witnessed in high school, (except for the Rollator and O2 stroller & tubing) where the partners drape themselves together and shuffle on the spot. Turning or travelling the floor, just results in the dancers being coiled in tubing. In any case, it was lovely! On the way back to our seats, Carman did a little Rollator twist to boot! Needless to say, he was one tired puppy by the time we left...like Cinderella after the ball, he melted into the bed!