We're following the advice the PA gave us in the hospital, "Keep it Boring."
So, we're keeping the magnesium infusion going. Step 1 is to have a cup of coffee so that you're awake, although Real Nurses are certainly able to do this in their sleep. And, we're keeping the rash from GVHD under control with the Goop Regimen. We're going to the doc's appointments for the "So far, so good" pronouncements. These vary in level of enthusiasm. One doc who dresses up as Santa for the kiddies gave us a "Ho! Ho! Ho!" in addition to his recommendations. Another doc hardly makes a peep. Life is Good for some definition of good.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Got to practice
Practice that goofy face dogs make when they're scratching an itch with a back leg. It's essentially a wide grin, produced by stretching their bodies around to the point where the scratching will be effective. I find myself itching in random places as the GVHD continues to make me spotty. Probably more than you wanted to know.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Myeloma blog & Cancer Center
While this blog is unabashedly all about Joe's health and recovery, I'd like to mention a very informative blog created by m' colleague, Phil, who is in the process of dominating myeloma, and his wife, Cassie:
http://mmfordummies.blogspot.com/
We're very lucky to be ten minutes away from the U's cancer center, so we can live in our very own house with our very own dog and pop over to the clinic for the regular checkups and tests. The U hospital system tries to make the hospital and clinics pleasant places to be in for us regular visitors. I wonder what the staff think sometimes, though. The cancer clinic has an ocean theme with a couple of aquariums and three large portals which reveal a mural of deep blue ocean and sea creatures. The thing is that there's a nurse's station behind one the portals making the staff look like some of those sea creatures. One day, I waved at the nurse behind the portal and she waved back. I went around the wall to say,"You look like you're in the ocean." and she replied, "Yes, sometimes I make fish faces, but it's too early for that." Never too early for me, though. I made my best fish face for her as I returned to my seat and stopped bothering her.
http://mmfordummies.blogspot.com/
We're very lucky to be ten minutes away from the U's cancer center, so we can live in our very own house with our very own dog and pop over to the clinic for the regular checkups and tests. The U hospital system tries to make the hospital and clinics pleasant places to be in for us regular visitors. I wonder what the staff think sometimes, though. The cancer clinic has an ocean theme with a couple of aquariums and three large portals which reveal a mural of deep blue ocean and sea creatures. The thing is that there's a nurse's station behind one the portals making the staff look like some of those sea creatures. One day, I waved at the nurse behind the portal and she waved back. I went around the wall to say,"You look like you're in the ocean." and she replied, "Yes, sometimes I make fish faces, but it's too early for that." Never too early for me, though. I made my best fish face for her as I returned to my seat and stopped bothering her.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
What's a Little GVHD Among Friends ...
Joe's doing well for Day +23 post transplant. He's got lots and lots of lovely platelets and great looking electrolytes. The docs are monitoring the Graft Vs. Host Disease (GVHD) twice a week; we saw one of the docs who specializes in treating this disease today. A little GVHD is a good thing; helps to fight the cancer.
The pump is behaving itself these days (thanks to a little programming change) so I don't feel like throwing it out the window like the TV in the SCTV intro.
The pump is behaving itself these days (thanks to a little programming change) so I don't feel like throwing it out the window like the TV in the SCTV intro.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Moving Right Along
All's well. Doc's are keeping an eye on things, including the eye, with our visits to the clinic and we have a new IV pump that doesn't error out every ml (I kid you not--made infusing 500 ml such fun). Cheers!
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Fun with Technology
It's been interesting working out the schedule for the daily IV magnesium (needed while Joe's taking immunosuppressant meds), doctor's appointments and nurses visits. I'm glad the home IV pump is idiot proof. Reminds me of the old Dennis Wolfberg schtick about being a teacher in NYC:
"Then they gave me the slow class for six consecutive years. Not special, just slow. I used to think of them as stationary. They grouped them according to intelligence tests. At the low end they used to have categories called, in order, moron, imbecile and it would actually bottom out with idiot. This amused me because, conceivably you could have an imbecile working very hard to become a moron!"
The ear thermometer showed up today. Works just fine.
At our first appointment on Friday, the doc said that Joe was doing well for Day +17 after transplant. We'll have at least a couple of doctor's appointments a week for a while as they evaluate Joe's progress and look for signs of GVHD and infection.
"Then they gave me the slow class for six consecutive years. Not special, just slow. I used to think of them as stationary. They grouped them according to intelligence tests. At the low end they used to have categories called, in order, moron, imbecile and it would actually bottom out with idiot. This amused me because, conceivably you could have an imbecile working very hard to become a moron!"
The ear thermometer showed up today. Works just fine.
At our first appointment on Friday, the doc said that Joe was doing well for Day +17 after transplant. We'll have at least a couple of doctor's appointments a week for a while as they evaluate Joe's progress and look for signs of GVHD and infection.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
"Where ya been?"
That's what Coney wanted to know when Joe got back home today. She's done a great job of holding the fort these last 3 weeks. Things were pretty much as he left them except the bedspread and Coney are a lot cleaner. Onto Phase II of Recovery at home. Yay.
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