I had to pee badly.
Across from me is the bathroom - just RIGHT THERE. SO CLOSE.
But the doctor says they need a urine sample so I wait. I cross my legs. I uncross my legs. I play with my iphone.
And I wait some more.
Dear Reader, it's a good time to let you know I have kidney problems, as such I had finished drinking four cups of water in one go just about forty-five minutes prior to me sitting uncomfortably in the waiting room.
The have to draw blood and take urine at the same time then presto it tells them something important about my kidney function.
A lady comes to the door -- I am SO HOPEFUL -- but no, she calls this other fellow into the lab room. It's really pretty crowded. Can I make it? I wonder? I eye the sign on the bathroom door and think about going for it, then a small blue haired lady goes inside of it and locks it behind her. She doesn't come right back out. I wonder if she's died in there, maybe gone zomb.
There is a restroom on first floor...if I ran...maybe...
They call my name for the blood work. "YATA"!! I want to scream happy.
From the morning I set out it was cold, about 52 degrees out and raining. With my time in Outpost Portland I plan to hunt down some REAL rain gear, not the improvised stuff I've made myself. It will still be far from perfect most likely but I ring out my sleeves of water when I run these days.
What began as a mild headache kept increasing. "No worries" I thought - with the new diet I didn't have caffeine and I figured it was just that.
I finished with the doctor at noon and was quite nauseated which meant one thing: migraine. I guess everyone gets their own type of migraines, they seem one of those unique mysteries of humanity. With my kidneys and delicate stomach all I could take was crummy old Tylenol and I had to be very careful not to take too much. I would LOVE some Oxycontin pain killer, which I used to have a prescription of for my headaches once upon a time back when it was available.
There was plenty of food stores in Portland 1, or as they were calling themselves, "New Portland" and they still had a banner up that said, "Keep Portland Weird". I wasn't hungry though but as I wound my way through the industriously built community I did find coffee vendors. Leave it to Portland to sell coffee beverages until the end of the world. Despite my upset stomach, the latte was pretty good and the warmth was welcome. We definitely needed a coffee hut in Fort Stevens I decided. Being in New Portland was relaxing and freeing. No responsibilities and a bit of culture.
"There you are! I've been trying to catch up. I missed you at the hospital!" I turned around to see a handsome young kid with lanky blond chops and blue eyes. It was Daniel, one of my old students from the days before everything went to crap.
I gave him a big hug so happy to see him alive and well. I found out that he was raising chickens and he intended to give me a dozen eggs no matter what I said about it. I spent the afternoon with him and then his friends and laughed until my sides ached. It was a good day despite my horrible pain and stomach that kept turning over. I left early because I needed to lay down before I threw up and returned to the hospital where I had a room reserved. A note was under the door.
"Please see Doctor Jividen at your earliest convenience. You are to escort her back to our camp and answer any questions she might have about zombies and our setup. She is to receive your utmost respect Runner 5." -- The Commander
Doctor Jividen it turns out would be one of the most interesting people I ever meet, but that's tomorrow...or whenever this migraine wears off.
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Authors notes: Heavy rain drenches the forest and the temperatures are in the low 50's. The doctor said I needed compression socks for running, that my diet stinks, and I'm waiting on the lab work for my kidneys. I also have to go in for unhappy tests due to a little case of cancer I had three years ago. I'm supposed to get that done yearly but it's not a fun test and the cancer was benign - maybe. This migraine really is killing me so I don't know if I'll write tomorrow or not, sorry! I took some photos of the hospital but they vanished from my phone, so I apologize for just one pic today. Cheers!
