Sisters and Livers

It was a short workday yesterday, and we’ll have another today. I’m not complaining, mind you. I’m just waiting for the great cosmic system of checks and balances to even things up. Well, come what may, I’ll enjoy this respite now while I can.

I finally heard from the Younger Sister yesterday afternoon. I’d been calling and leaving messages for her for several weeks, trying to find out how she made out with an MRI she had to get for a sinus infection she’s been suffering from for months. Her sinuses weren’t draining, and her doctor wanted to see if surgical intervention was necessary. Of course, no news is good news, and it turned out that her MRI went fine and no surgery is required.

She however does want me to ask my doctor about when she or my other sister should go for testing to see if they would be a match to be living donors. To be honest, I don’t quite understand what she wants, but I told her I’d ask. First she said that she wanted to get all the tests done at once, and could my doctor make arrangements for it. Well, I know that the hospital actually wants all the tests to be done at once, and they said that they would do the testing. Why she’s trying to circumvent that I’ve no idea, nor do I know why she isn’t asking them herself in instead of employing Dr. Liver and me as her go-betweens. Then she went on to say she wanted Dr. Liver to tell her when the testing should be done. To my knowledge, the tests can be done anytime, and the results are then held on file until needed. She seems to think that the tests shouldn’t be done until I’m bad enough that we have no choice but to use a living donor, and she wants Dr. Liver to make that determination. I tried to explain to her that is wasn’t supposed to work that way, and that Dr. Liver was highly unlikely to want to take it upon himself to set our timing for us, but I told her I’d ask. I’m going to feel like a fool, but I’ll ask.

To be honest, the more I talk with Younger Sister, the less I feel she’s appropriate for this surgery. She’s spoken to several specialists at the Big City Hospital who have explained the procedure and testing to her, and she still doesn’t seem to get it. When I try to explain things I can tell she isn’t listening to me. It’s as if she wants someone to take care of all the details for her so she doesn’t have to think about them, and then she’ll just show up when ordered. Considering the risks involved with this procedure, I’m not sure that I’m comfortable with this approach of hers.

To further complicate things, she and the Elder Sister have yet to come to an agreement on who gets tested first. She wouldn’t discuss that with me on the phone, which tells me that this is still straining their relationship. I’m just as happy not getting further involved in the dispute, but it’s starting to wear thin. If, after three months, they still can’t find a way to agree on this, then I’m not sure either of them are appropriate donors.

I heard from my friend Rattie who’s serving time in the modern equivalent of indentured servitude in an internship in North Carolina. For those of you following my escapades, she’s the same person whom I helped to pack last June, just before things started to get strange for me. She too has volunteered half her liver, and she’s my blood group as well. It’s the third time she’s brought it up, so I know she’s serious. Dr. Twenty Cats has also reminded me that half her liver has my name on it if I want it. I will never know what I’ve done to deserve friends like this.

OK. Enough about the liver already. The weekend is upon us, and I am determined that this is the weekend my taxes get done. With any luck there’s a rebate out there with my name on it, and I’m foolish not to put in for it as soon as possible.

I’ve had a building urge to go somewhere for a weekend. Nothing fancy, nowhere far. I was thinking of going to the beach while it is still off-season. It would probably be more fun if I waited until migration was underway, when the horseshoe crabs are running. But by then it will be more crowded and more expensive. I don’t know, maybe the beach isn’t the best idea. I could go up to the mountains, but I’ve had enough snow for this year, and that’s all the mountains have to offer. I toyed with Washington D.C. as another idea. I just don’t know if I’d have the stamina to do everything I’d want to do there. Still, to take the Metroliner down, stay somewhere near the Smithsonian plaza, poke around in some of the museums … ah well, if I did that I could forget “cheap”. I just want to get away from everything for a bit. I wonder