Pre-Lab Forensics

  It's hard to believe Max has been with his present doctor for three years.  We visited him again Monday, and learned it was time for a bloodwork checkup.
  i knew this was likely, but forgot to prep Max the night before, to not eat breakfast.  So, since fasting is required, we couldn't do the labwork that day, but we did it today.  (Not yesterday - the timing with the rest of his schedule didn't work out right.)

 No Breakfast?

  Last night i did remember to tell Max about the bloodwork, and to put a sign up on our gate, even though i couldn't find the actual STOP sign i've used before.
 Max came upstairs just as i emerged from our room.  i asked him if he'd had breakfast.  Grinning like he'd done something wonderful, Max said, "Yes!"
  Now this looked like a "Yes mode"* answer, but then again, who knows?  i tried to explain, reminding him about the bloodwork,  and he again insisted he'd eaten, still looking pleased with himself.
  Well. We needed this bloodwork, but there's no point if he's not fasting.

The Call

  While Max will put dishes in the dishwasher on request, he never does it without prompting.
  So i checked the sink.  No breakfast dishes.  Did MyGuy happen upon it when he'd finished HIS breakfast, and put it in?
  i called MyGuy.
  It took a few tries - the cellphone usually has no signal in his basement office, and he doesn't use it while driving.  And of course if he hadn't arrived yet, there was no point in calling the office phone.
  i don't remember which phone finally succeeded - it was the 3rd try.  MyGuy said no, he hadn't put a dish in the dishwasher for Max.
  Conclusion:  Max had not eaten his usual cereal.  Had he eaten anything else?  It's a departure from routine, therefore unlikely, but possible.

Written Note

  At this point, i grabbed a piece of paper and wrote something like the image above.  He checked the second line, that he hadn't eaten.
  Was this reliable?  i think so.  Generally, a multiple choice question will get the right answer from Max.
  The fasting option checked, no evidence of dirty dishes.
  It's still possible that Max had indeed eaten, but i'm pretty certain he didn't.

At the Lab

  We got away later than i'd hoped to, though there was still plenty of time to get in & out, have the blood drawn, and get to MsTutor on time.
  Max signed himself in just fine, with prompting for the checkboxes.
  We sat down to wait.
  "Max."
  He promptly went from the waiting room into the lab area.
  Since he hadn't wanted me to come this time, i stayed seated, but realized there was a problem when they called him again.
  Oh duh.  Not the lab yet, but the actual checking in, where we sign the release form & talk about insurance or not.
  i asked him to come back to the window.  The desk worker asked him to come back too.
  It was only a couple minutes until he did.
  He was making distress noises.  i hoped he wasn't going to "go off," and continued as calmly as possible with the checking in.
  He gave May as his birthmonth, not the actual November one.  He's never done that before.
  Then when check in was actually over, we were of course directed to the waiting area again.

Almost Done

  He refused to sit the second time, but stood and made those distress noises.
  Nevertheless, he went in readily when called, and apparently had no difficulty with the actual stick.  He was finished quickly, though he said it was hard.
  i don't know.  It looked like they actually got the blood, what with the blue gauzy band.
  On to Chick-fil-A  and Ms Tutor.


* i don't remember if i've explained "Yes mode" before.  That's when he says "Yes" for some unfathomable reason that has nothing to do with reality.  There's also a "No mode."  It's like he gets stuck in a rut on the given word.