Good News!

Spring photos.

Today I went to the new University of Minnesota Clinics and Surgery Center for my Entyvio (vedolizumab) infusion, my only remaining Crohn's medication. The new center is attractive, though not quite as great as I had thought it would be.

I know that a lot of staff who have been toiling for years in dark quarters were looking forward to windows. Well, there are windows all right but many of them let in light but provide no view of the outside.

The treatment room lacked some organization and processes seem to lack uniformity. I was surprised that the sharps disposal container requires a visual check to determine whether it needs emptying. Surely it would be possible generate an electronic alert or notification when the container is x% full. There's still a lot of work to be done before systems satisfy staff and patient needs, but the new smell is wonderful and everything is so clean.

As always, I had some lab tests and for the first time since I became a frequent flyer at Fairview and U of M clinics, all my blood work was normal. My hemoglobin is now 12.1 and the recently problem white blood count is 4.1, both finally within standard range. Dr. Howard, my gastroenterologist, messaged me that the labs looked "amazing".

Although "amazing" is certainly an overused word, the news really was amazing and I am thrilled.