UCSF

As a longterm guinea pig for UCSF, today I went in for nearly five hours of all kinds of testing as a lupus patient for my part for the good of humanity. (Ed. to add: I’ve always been able to do it long distance before, but this time they needed me there in person.) My daughter (bless her) gave up her day and drove me.

Coming through Golden Gate Park, I could see tall buildings on the top of a tall hill, and said, “I bet it’s that one.” It was.

Now imagine being on the 12th floor of the hospital, looking out the window, and looking UP at the trees. Yes we were way up above the top of a hillside–but there was a taller hillside right beyond it, densely green with tall eucalyptuses. Cool.

Four years ago today I was wheeled into Stanford Hospital after an intense turn for the worse with nobody expecting me ever to come out again. Refractory Crohn’s. Today I walked into Merritt Hospital, enjoyed the view, knit a little between phases, gave the blood, got through their muscle, cognitive, etc tests and body scan and enjoyed the company of some really fine people on this planet that I wouldn’t have gotten a chance to meet any other way. And walked out with my dark glasses into the foggy late afternoon–

–and to my surprise didn’t have to close my eyes for pain nor sudden intense whiteout effects. They felt fine.