May 19, 2009 10:45 PM 9 days to go

Down to single digits now and it's also a red letter day for one of my granddaughters as it is her birthday. Unfortunately, I cannot be at the celebration at her home. But, there is always next year. It's nice to be able to write that down. Six months ago, who knew what next year would bring!

I got confirmation today that my catheter will be removed tomorrow. As with all things, there are pluses and minuses to this - but the pluses far outweigh the minuses. The major plus is that there will no longer be any need to purchase supplies in order to be able to flush it everyday. Of course, it also eliminates the possibility for infection as that was always a concern. Even though I never encountered anything close to an infection, I had heard stories of those who did.

The only minus is that from now on, when I go to the clinic, I'll have to be stabbed for my blood tests. Since we're almost to the once a month phase, that's no big deal. Normally, I would have waited until next week(the last of my weekly appointments) but I am now out of supplies and ordering a months worth(the minimum amount) makes no sense for one week.

I am getting to enjoy a few more things in life as I took my grandson to his baseball game and watched him play. Of course, I have to sit off to the side and avoid contact with people - but that's a small price to pay.

I am feeling fine and looking forward to tomorrow even though it will be our typical 5 AM start.

The removal procedure is quick, they tell me, and there is no real wait. Just show up and they'll do it.

So I envision another relatively short day at the clinic.

We'll see...

Bob