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Shannon Rinaldo - Journal

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Posted 2017-08-22T18:14:05Z

Whatever it takes!

Another week, another setback. Yesterday Lois and I got all packed up (again) and headed out to the hospital. We again walked the seven floors in the unairconditioned stairwell. We checked in at the kiosk and then I ran up and down the stairs over and over for a good 15 minutes, keeping my heart rate up around 160. When I was exhausted (and hot) from the stairs, I walked down the hall and then got a text from Lois that my name was up. I went back to the phlebotomist and she then ran in place with me and we did mirrored jumping jacks together until I was finally out of energy. And then she took my blood. She was so much fun! That's the thing about MD Anderson. The people are just so great. They will joke, laugh, exercise, and cry with you. Above all, they never lose patience.  They will do whatever you need to get you through to the next crucial junction. This is the epitome of what healthcare should be.[...]

Posted 2017-08-18T01:43:20Z

Lymphocytes, Neutrophils, and Platelets, Oh My!

Lois and I were up and out early yesterday to get the blood draw. We had our bags containing our lunch, water, and jackets with the expectation we'd be there all day. If you've never spent time in Houston, you may not know that every place tends to over air condition. Of course, outside it's been hovering around a heat index of 107 this week so it feels great to go into a building. Unfortunately, when you spend all day in the hospital, it tends to get cold, even in August. Hence, the jackets. We walked up the seven floors of stairs and I checked in. I ran up and down a few more stairs and then my name was up so I ran in place until I got scanned and the phlebotomist was ready. I was so confident![...]

Posted 2017-08-11T23:43:44Z

I'm turning into a farmer, I think I'm turning into a farmer, I really think so

Not long after my last post, I went to a conference at UC Santa Barbara. I learned a whole lot and met lots of people who do similar work as me, most of them not in my field (which is actually a good thing). If you have been there, you know that the campus is right on the water and is very beautiful. Most of the attendees stayed in the dorm and I could see the water from my window. As I write this I'm trying to figure out if there was anything about being there that reminded me of Tech or Lubbock. I guess if I squinted a little bit when it floods on campus, it might be like being in Santa Barbara. Plus SB had a nice sea breeze, we all know Lubbock can have some pretty forceful wind. Everywhere I went they bent over backwards to accommodate my diet. More than one person used the phrase, "We do this all the time. This is so normal in California." That was nothing like being in Lubbock.[...]