Sent: Monday, November 01, 1999 6:43 AM
Subject: 4 am blood draws

They take blood samples every day thru my chest tubes.  This is not done 
simply to prevent me from getting a good nights sleep.  The draws are timed 
so that the lab results are available for the staff meetings every AM.  They 
use the results to plan the day's regimen of fluids and other drugs that I 
get.  

Some days, like right now, they have had problem getting blood to flow out of 
the tubes and into the attached syringes.  If at first it doesn't work, I do 
things like shake all over, cough, raise and lower my arms, and in extreme 
cases, do the funky chicken.  This usually does the trick.  Today, that 
didn't work, so they flush the line with heparin, an anti-coagulant, and come 
back in ten minutes of so.  This usually does the trick.  Eureka,  it worked. 
 People have suggested that I have been preparing for this transplant my 
whole life, the vegetarianism, running, giving blood, etc.  Looks like even 
my weird dancing style honed over many minutes in various bars in places like 
Murphysboro, Illinois in the late 60s and early 70s did the trick tonight.  
The particular move that worked tonight was the put both hands up over your 
head and shake, shake, shake.  Isn't life strange.

Now I can go back to sleep.

Dave