A few days in ...

So far, the hospital stay has been fairly simple. I won’t say uneventful because a lot has happened in a short time. In our last post I was able to show off my sexy socks. Not long after we took that pic, my first chemo drug was given. It was a drug called Rituximab and it took most of the night for it to be administered. In fact, I woke up the next morning and it still wasn’t complete. That didn’t stop the hospital stay event train from rolling on though. 

There was a doctor from the surgical area waiting to take me down for my port installation. A very entertaining argument was taking place. The Oncology nurses appear to be very protective and territorial over their patients. They did not want me to leave until the infusion was complete. The surgery staff wanted me to be wheeled down and the infusion to finish while they prepped me for surgery so I would not disrupt their schedule. After arguing for ten more minutes, the nurses relented as long as one of them was allowed to stay with me the entire time I was in the other department ... the entire time!!

So away we went, the nurse, the doctor, the transporter (a fancy title for someone who pushes gurneys), and me. I’m sure we made quite an entertaining parade as we traversed the hospital maze. I was pretty out of it still. I had been given morphine for my back pain late in the night and it had kicked my butt. Turns out I was also having a reaction to the Rituximab, but no one realized it until after the port was installed (or no one mentioned it to my overprotective nurse? Hmmm). Anyway, I was running a fever of almost 104 when I woke up in the recovery room. High, but not unusual for that drug infusion I’m told. 

So they treated me for high fever and returned me to my room. I had just gotten settled and my breakfast tray (with coffee!!) arrived at the same time as another transporter. To my despair, the coffee had to wait. This time, they rushed me to imaging for an echocardiogram. Chemo drugs tend to be hard on the heart so the idea was to get a baseline reading to ensure I had good enough heart health to even begin. An hour later, I was wheeled back into my room and finally got to that coffee!!

The rest of the day passed in a flurry of blood draws (thank heavens for the port and no more sticks with a needle), innumerable checks of vitals, including a bunch of extra temperature checks. It took a few hours for my temp to fall back to normal, and they were vigilant about checking and pumping Tylenol into me. 

Jim and my parents came to visit. It was nice as we got to enjoy lunch together. The Nutrition Department is serious about their meals. There has consistently been enough food on my tray each meal to feed me for entire day. I was able to convince Jim to eat some of my lunch that day. I felt bad but I couldn’t do that loaded platter justice. Of course, we later found out that they keep track of what is eaten to monitor the patient’s nutrient intake. Oops!!! It is rather sad to see the wasted food remaining when I’m finished with each meal. 

The echocardiogram results weren’t returned until late that evening. Once we got the approval, my next step in the chemo process began. This began three twenty-four hour sessions of chemo cocktail. Along with the infusion has come a variety of other drugs - some to counteract the energy depleting effects of the chemo, some to counterbalance my fluctuating chemical levels as the chemo depleted and adds chemicals from and to my body, and a host of other reasons. Im sure it’s a chemist’s dream to figure all of this out!

At this point, I’ve been here about 3 1/2 days. I’ve been blessed to have many, many friends and family visit which has definitely helped the time to pass more quickly than it could. Many others have taken the time to call and text. Thank you to all who have provided meal options for my family. Those gift cards will definitely be put to use soon! I appreciate all of you so much! 

I am so surrounded by blessings that there is really very little for me to complain about. I’ve even had students send me presents (letters that were written and shared to my Google Drive, personalized flower pot and plant, a giant card signed by the entire staff) - thank you to all of my educator friends who have been making deliveries! Our students are amazing young people!!!

I would be remiss in not mentioning the staff here at St. Agnes. They are phenomenal! The nurses work 12-hour shifts. They are patient, optimistic and smiling every time I encounter them. I mention their patience because you can imagine how many questions I ask! 🤪. These nurses are educators at heart. They answer everything, and have even taken to explaining my blood panel results each time a new one comes in. I think they enjoy sharing their knowledge and I find it fascinating how all of these chemo processes interact. It’s a win-win situation. 

Today is my birthday but because if work schedules and other responsibilities all the kids, their friends, and my parents brought Mexican food and cake last night. We had a nice little party in the “apartment” adjacent to my room. 

There’s not much else to share right now. We are still waiting for results from last Tuesday’s PET scan as well as the remaining bone marrow tests. The oncologist did update us on my time here. I will stay until Monday. That’s probably good though - it gives me a couple more days with the meds that inhibit the chemo side effects. Dr. Lemon told me to expect Tuesday to be much more challenging as the effects will begin to kick in. My stubborn side is already preparing to fight back! LOL

Finally, I wish a Happy Mother’s Day to all of my family and friends who are moms - whether that is being a mother of your own child(ren), your fur babies, or the surrogate mom to a classroom full of kids! You all rock!!!

Much love and thanks to all of you!!! ❤️❤️❤️