On Monday, February 4, Lucy and I went for a scheduled trip to OSU Medical in Columbus. I was being re-evaluated for a kidney transplant. It was not a pleasant trip.I had some misgivings about the trip, mainly because the 1994 Ford Econoline E-150 van started acting up. It started out by making extraneous noises which I couldn't place. Lucy also heard it and commented on it. I hoped it wasn't the transmission but I don't know enough about cars and trucks to make an educated guess. There was one point where I thought of taking it to Monro to get checked out, but I didn't feel good so I didn't follow through. It would have been better if I had made the effort.
Anyway, going out the door, at 6 a.m. it was risky because I was walking with crutches and there was slick ice everywhere, and dark. I gingerly walked out to the van and backed it around closer to the house so Lucy could get on on her wheelchair. Going out the lane, there was a little noise in the direction of the transmission but it wasn't too pronounced and soon went away as the van warmed up. We took off and headed for Route 30 East and then south on Interstate 71. The Route 71 entrance is only a couple miles from our place. According to Mapquest, our destination was 71 miles away. Our appointment was at 8 a.m. The van was running OK.
We arrived early and waited about 20 minutes for the doors to open. Others had arrived early too, and waited in the lobby. When the doors opened I signed in and waited. When my name was called I gave them needed information and was told to go to Room 135. It would be a full day.
There were a few other kidney recipients and donors, and I had my own donor, who arrived a few minutes after the office was opened. Esther is Lucy's cousin and she offered to donate a kidney after she saw my plea for a kidney donation in a Christmas letter over a year ago. I had been to Columbus in October 2005 for an evaluation and was encouraged to try to get friends or relatives to donate. It's not easy to ask for someone's kidney, but there are kind people around who are willing to go through the process to aid a friend. Otherwise, you can wait several years for one--from someone who passed on.
I started getting severe headaches as the process went on. Chalk it up to tension, or in need of chiropractic treatment, but I did not feel good because of it. I didn't have a chiropractic treatment for several weeks, ever since I broke my leg on December 7. But I slogged through the day and was glad we were finished around 12:30 instead of the 3 p.m. that they forecast.
We went scouting for lunch afterwards. We found ourselves onto Northwest Boulevard and then came to a mall which had a cafeteria. MCL Restaurant which we never saw before but decided to investigate. It was worth it because we had the best food you could eat at a restaurant since it was touted to be homemade. The display was magnificent. We spent more than we intended to but we learned that there are value meals which are less expensive. Most of it was sold ala carte.
I got a little lost on the way of out Columbus but eventually found Route 315 and the Interstate 71 north. It was then that I started feeling the vibrations and the sluggish driving. I thought maybe a tire was low so I stopped at a rest stop and checked. All the tires were OK.
But I was starting to get worried. I don't know that much about vehicles. I have a 69 Datsun years ago and worked on it, but now cars are too complicated and I let the mechanics work them over--at a price.
As we drove north it started to get foggy, and at 2:30 in the afternoon! Unusual. It added to the anxiety I experienced and I prayed to get home safe and sound. I kept it on 60 mph which helped assuage the added noise, but it was slow progress anyway. Every time I was climbing a hill the noise increased somewhere.
Lucy, meanwhile, didn't say anything. She sensed that I was not keen on entertaining a back seat driver this time. I don't know if she was reading or sleeping, or having enough sense to not add to my concern. We finally made it home and was I relieved! No breakdowns; of me or the van.
A couple days later I mentioned it to Jason and he took it for a test drive, and determined that it might be the universal joint. And a couple of days later I drove it to Monro in Mansfield and they also took it for a test drive, and determined that it was the universal joint, which was a relief because I was half afraid it was the transmission.
Another client asked if they had any coupons to deduct from the bill, so when my bill came I asked if they had any coupons or AAA discounts. He deducted 10% off my bill for the AAA discount. It pays to ask.
So all my worry was half needless. I should have taken the opportunity to get it checked out when I thought of it before the trip. It might not have saved me a headache but I would have had a nicer drive. My headache disappeared when I had an overdue chiropractic treatment a couple days later.
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