Getting ready for Ohio or am I tough enough?

By the end of this first week of the year I will have had one bone marrow biopsy and one bone marrow aspiration, two blood draws, one infusion, one clinic visit, and one upper endoscopy (EGD), all as prep for the clinical trial at Ohio State University.

In between, I have been filling out the necessary multiple forms and collecting medical records from all over that they requested and getting offers of help by phone and email about accommodations and travel and food and a synagogue.

Nothing, not one item, is in the done column yet. It is all in process. It's all getting close

The big issue: No word yet from Blue Shield on whether they will cover the cost of the consult, but I am moving ahead as if it's a done deal. What choice do I have?

I am supposed to love this journey, but what I really want is to just reach the destination.

I am beginning to suspect that the OSU investigators really don't want all these lab and pathology findings and paperwork. They are secretly using this whirlwind of activity as a surrogate to see if I am tough enough to handle the rigors of the repetitive travel needed for the trial in Columbus this winter.

I am tough enough, but only because I am getting a bunch of help.