Ready, Get Set, Go: Day 1 & 2 of the Mayo journey
- Alexis Fritz
- Mar 25
- 4 min read
Day 1 of my health research has officially kicked off, and it started with a bang! I thought I was being organized by putting my appointments in my phone calendar, however, I accidentally set it to New York time 🤦🏻♀️ instead of Minnesota time. So, we strolled in at 7 am, so proud to be “on time,” but we were supposed to be there at 6 am. So, not the cool kids…. Really the pain in the asses. Luckily, this is the Midwest where everyone is overly kind & understanding. The staff worked their magic and got me back on schedule. Mind you, if this was New York, the staff would have booted me out of the hospital and told me to come back in eight months because of the patient waitlist!
We got to rock the amazing hoodies Alex had made for us which say, “Shit Show Besties” they were a huge hit amongst the Mayo crowd. We did determine that the common age groups at the hospital are babies/ children and then skips to the elderly….. oh and one 42 year old, ME.
I’m so grateful for my amazing village! First up, there’s Victoria, my partner in crime, who not only got my ass to LGA but made sure my bags were checked and I had a wheelchair before she left. She kept the smiles coming during the flight, texting me memes and giving me strict safety tips to observe during my trip. Then there’s Alex, my bestie for 25 years, who made the trek all the way from Florida to be there to help, make me laugh as well as ensure I follow all the rules until Wednesday. Little did she know she’d master the art of wheelchair-driving during her visit…..yes, she had a few encounters with walls, but by the end of the day, she was spinning me around like a pro!
We ended Day 1 with me in my Dino Pajamas and Alex giving me a foot mask (she said this a one time treatment there are no second visits to this spa!) To top it off, she wore minion glasses while performing the services. Alex also provided beautiful lip masks…. A first for me.
Day 1 was an actual marathon, packed with 8 hours and 7 tests—so draining! It was all about the heart, with every possible cardiac test to prep for my chat with the cardiovascular specialist tomorrow afternoon. Fun fact of the day, a 4th spinal fracture was discovered, lucky me. Also, about to enjoy my last supper and Pannekoeken, it really is a thing, a Dutch treat before my carnivore diet to prep for the PET scans. For those who know, this IS my food nightmare!
Day 2 started again at the crack ass of dawn, at the Mayo Clinic by 6:45am. First stop was to donate 19 viles of blood to a lovely phlebotomist, for every blood test imaginable!
Next, was a whole bunch of discussion regarding my urine. I had to give a sample at the hospital and then bring a beautiful plastic red container back to the hotel to do a 24 hour collection.
The doctors at Mayo were sympathetic to my extreme back pain from the fractures and ordered more pain meds to a pharmacy located in the freaking hospital. This place is like a damn mall; everything you medically need under one roof….. which by the way is super clean, not a piece of trash on the floor…..just like NY.(insert sarcasm)
Back at the hotel now, I ate my 3 scrambled eggs soaked in butter and am collecting pee. Alex helped me prep questions for all of the upcoming consultations, due to my medically induced stage fright. In other news, looks like the kidney infection came back to say hello, so I’m waiting to hear the plan of action to kill that shit!
Otherwise this afternoon, we get to have a character interaction with the cardiovascular specialist. This will provide details about the operation of my cold ass heart and how to defrost it…… all those that love me or at least tolerate me, can only hope that defrosting is a possibility 🤪🥴.
Thank you so much for all those who have been texting, calling and messaging…… love to hear from you all and your support helps me to keep pushing forward on this carpeted, 18 floor road!
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