A Sure Sign

I received a sure sign that Pam is getting better. She called me at work and asked if I could pick up her makeup at home before coming to the hospital this evening. "It would make me feel better" she says.  I can't imagine how or why, but I stopped by the condo on the way back to the hospital and got her makeup as requested.

On to significant, but less reliable signs of her recovery:  Her platelets and red blood cell count are normal.  By tomorrow, her white blood count will more than likely be normal and she will no longer be neutropenic, meaning we will no longer have to wear these silly masks in the hospital room.

She may get out of the hospital within a couple of days.  Possibly Sunday, more likely Monday.  She is both excited and apprehensive.  After all of the rough nights she has had, it is difficult for her to believe that she will improve enough in just a couple of days to be ready to live at home without constant medical care.

She is obviously better... more energetic and less pain..  She is still not eating very much, but she is at least eating a little. She had a little bowl of cream of wheat this morning, 2/3 of a boiled egg and a Boost, some canned pear for lunch, a Boost and a tablespoon of tuna salad for dinner.  Because of her ravenous appetite, they are going to begin to taper her TPN (food in her IV).

They are also going to see if they can begin to decrease her pain meds so she is no longer reliant on the PCA (patient controlled pain medication with a "magic button").  If she can eat a little solid food and supplement her diet with Boost, she should be fine.

We still don't really know about next steps.  She will, finally, get her bone marrow biopsy as an outpatient, and her oncologist will decide on a treatment plan from there.

Some of the great nurses:

Kris

 

Kris is 6 foot 3, played college volleyball.  Great sense of humor.








Carla

Carla is one of the daytime charge nurses.  Never really finishes a sentence, because she is running off to another room to do something.

Sydney

 Sydney came down to take care of Pam when she was in ICU and spilled stuff all over the place when she was changing out Pam's chemo... she always announced herself as "the clumsy nurse" every time we saw her from that time on.






Carly

Carly is her nurse this evening... took care of Pam last night when she had a bad night with all kinds of "bathroom issues". 

Did it all in good humor.

Long Walk

Pam and I took a long walk about 10:30 PM.  Everything was nice and quiet.

The oncology ward, where she has spend most of her time, is on the fourth floor of the hospital.  We walked around the wings on the fourth floor, then went down to the third floor and visited the little chapel. I also showed her the ICU waiting room on the third floor where I spent a lot of time.  We walked the length of the hospital on the third floor, down the elevator to the first floor where I showed her the cafeteria and where I park my bike.

The cafeteria was closed, but one of the hospital workers passing us in the hall thought we were looking for something to eat.  "Are you looking for the cafeteria?"  When we answered no, we were just walking, she said... "Oh, I was just wondering, I just went to the store across the street and I have a banana."  Very touching.

I know this is the most boring travelogue you have ever heard, but it was exiciting to us.

So, she is walking and eating, a little.  Blood counts are improving and are almost normal.  We just need to get adequate white blood cells and her pain under control and she can come home.