First Week Out of the Rat Maze

Who is Counting?

Pam and her New Friends

Since Pam's less than smooth and far less than fun discharge from the hospital last week, things have pretty great.  Today is Day 52:42:8.

• 52 Days since hospital admission
• 42 days since the transplant
• 8 days since discharge
• 92 days before Pam can be left alone

And, just in the last week:

• She is now able to eat adequately without blowing chunks, so her IV nutrition has been discontinued.
• Her last anti-fungal IV medication has also been discontinued.
• Her gut GVHD has responded well to steroids, so the dose is being decreased.
• She doesn't need red blood or platelet transfusions nearly as often.  She hasn't had blood or platelets since discharge, over a week ago!!!
• Our condo no longer looks like the 9th Ward in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.... looks more like a couple of weeks after Hugo.
• I am now able to track all of her medications on a one page spreadsheet.

Excuuuuuse Me!

Getting Ready
to Go Out on the Town

Pam still has to go to the clinic 2 or 3 times a week to get blood draws and get her fluids topped off as necessary.  Last Saturday, while driving her to the infusion clinic, I didn't see a guy who was waiting to cross at a cross walk.  It was my fault, "my bad" as they say. So, to teach me a lesson about my mistake, he bashed in the rear view mirror of our car.  After I realized what happened, I opened my window and apologized profusely, but I guess he was having a bad day.  In response to my repeated apologies, he made the same gesture I resist making to anyone wearing a Boise State T shirt.  I felt badly for the guy after I reflected on it, because there can only be one conclusion:  He has Terminal Butt-Itch complicated by Waste of Skin-itis.

We both shook our heads and laughed the rest of the way to OHSU.  What else can you do?

So, back to our hero: she still needs someone with her 24/7.  We are very thankful that Pam's Mom, Bonnie, is staying with us during the week.  I am able to get to the office and put on sporadic pretenses of productivity. 

Bonus: I am only getting on Bonnie's nerves a little.  There is still time.