Monday, October 12, 2009

The Waiting is the Hardest Part



Tom Petty was right - waiting is hard.

Friday I had labs drawn, a follow-up to last month's labs wherein I set a record-high ALT and AST. Blood was drawn for transplant center's standing lab order and a handful of other tests, as well as a few tests for my local internist; altogether, the tech drew about 10 tubes (no exaggeration). Additionally, I had to bring in 24-hour urine collection (THAT was fun) which will be used to gauge kidney function - an important factor to check for liver transplant patients because many experience kidney damage after the transplant.

Now, I wait. I know many of the test results will be available today, including the ALT and AST. I'm hoping I can hold on until tomorrow to call and request a copy of whatever results are currently available; sometimes, though, I get "squirrely" and can't wait.

Today I'll channel some patience and keep myself busy. As Petty wrote and sang in the song, "Don't let it kill you baby, don't let it get to you." And hey, this isn't nearly as hard as waiting for the call about my liver transplant, right?

Photo by Pedro Simão; Song and lyrics by Tom Petty