Latest clinic visit

The last couple of weeks haven't been the best as far as how Sawyer has been feeling: more nauseous, lost a few more pounds, backache and headache and low energy. Food smells also bother him.
Yesterday's visit to the clinic in Rochester went well. Sawyer had another spinal tap (two more yet to go this month). We're finally figuring out the routine to lessen the headache and backache from the procedure -- coffee and Tylenol right afterward along with a Thermacare back heat wrap and some stretches.
His blood counts were right on the margin yesterday so the decision was made to give him another blood transfusion (for red blood cells). We could have waited and come back later in the week for it but it made sense to just stay the extra time since we were already there. While it's time consuming (about 4 hours to receive the 2 units of blood) it's worthwhile since it gives him some color back in his cheeks and boosts his energy level. I've said it before but it's worth repeating -- kudos to everyone that donates blood, it's certainly put to good use!
The clinic at the hospital looks very much like walking into a doctor's office. There's the typical waiting room, receptionist desk, chairs, magazines and toys for the kids. Once we get called back (which is fairly quickly) Sawyer gets weighed, height measured, temperature and blood pressure taken and then we go into the typical exam room. The nurse then usually accesses his port (we put numbing cream on when we get to the parking garage to lessen the needle prick). We talk with the nurse practitioner who answers any new questions we have and reviews what's going to happen for the appointment as well as a look forward toward the upcoming weeks.
If he gets a spinal tap, he goes to another room where he lays down on a bed and gets hooked to a couple of monitors and chats with the nurse and doctor who will knock him out and perform the procedure. He doesn't even need to get undressed. Mark and I typically step out at this point since the room is small and we kind of get in the way with the various personnel trying to their jobs. Usually within half an hour everything is done and Sawyer is awake. He might lay in that bed for an hour to recover (best to stay laying down for an hour to lessen the headache) or he might move down the hall into one of their treatment/infusion rooms.
These rooms are about the size of the exam room but they have large recliner chairs for the patients and a couple other chairs for family, as well as sinks, a few cupboards and a television with DVD player. They try to make everyone as comfortable as possible since some of the drug and blood transfusions take multiple hours to infuse into the system. Sawyer was able to recline the chair and snooze for a bit until they were ready with the blood transfusion. Then he sat up, go hooked up to the IV and read a book on his iTouch for the afternoon. I went down to the hospital coffee shop in the late morning for coffee and a scone for him, and then out about lunchtime to Bruegger's Bagels to get lunch for both of us. I had to eat my Western bagel sandwich in another room since the smell of the onion and peppers was too strong for him.
I also had a book to read so the afternoon slipped away as we both were lost in our imaginations. Sawyer did a quick Skype to one of his teachers just to touch base and make sure the connection was working well for future discussions.
We're looking forward to the next couple of weeks since his chemo regime will be lighter (still have to go every week) and he should be feeling more like himself for a little while. He may even feel up to making an appearance or two at school. Probably some half days at first so he doesn't wear himself out too much. But it would be good for him to get back and catch up with everyone!