More of the same

This past week, I've been doing more of the same schedule.  Every day or so I'm back at the hospital getting fluids and a checkup. After a few hours there, I come back to the apartment, and usually dad and I will go for a walk around Richmond or on the canal. That's good, since I'm getting to spend a lot of time with him that wouldn't otherwise be possible.  We've seen a lot of Richmond, including Monument Avenue, Hollywood Cemetery, Bell Island,  and Downtown.

Health wise, I'm doing ok. Just playing by the numbers, I'm moving along nicely. The only exception is my blood pressure, which has been pretty low. This has made it a little sketchy for me to stand up suddenly, I seem to have a tendency to pass out. Last week, I stood up to take a plate to the kitchen and 'whack!', I was on the floor before I knew what hit me. Just a busted lip, and a bruised hand - so no major injuries, if you exclude pride.

The family had some kind of cold this week, so I haven't had visitors, but I'm looking forward to having them out, or for me to get home. As nice as the apartment in Richmond is, it's still not home. I don't think I'm a city guy, at heart.

On the Canal

Medically, this week has been fairly uneventful. I'm still visiting the hospital and watching my numbers, which are on an upward trend, I'm happy to say. Right now I'm focusing on getting my weight back up. It took a little bit of a dive while I was in the hospital. It's ok though - I can think of worse tasks I'd have to do for recovery.  :) Bring on the pasta!

On Sunday, Jane came out to visit with the girls. I can't tell you how good it was to see them. It's been a month or more since I'd last seen them, and getting a chance to hear and see them again was a real blessing. It seems like they've grown. We took a walk to Bell's Island, which is just a hop, skip, and a jump from the apartment. Since we're on the Canal walk, it's very easy to go from here to there, as well as downtown. This is a great location.

Last week, dad and I ran into my uncle John while on the Canal walk. That was cool, because John has worked in a plant by the canal for years and so he was able to give us a rundown of the history of the area. It was great to see him and just chat for a bit.

I'm playing the Wii pretty much constantly when I'm not at the hospital or out for a walk. With the next few days promising to be rainy and cold, I expect I'll get a chance to use it even more. That device is amazing - it is incredibly diverting.

Thanks again to everyone. I hope to be on my way back soon, and I look forward to seeing and speaking with you all.

'Ouch' or 'Ick'

Today I had my second port removed. This port was the double lumen which was installed in February to allow the collection and reinsertion of stem cells. I'm not sure whether I described it before. The double lumen is a two tubed line which hung out of my chest. The two tubes merge inside the body to become a single 2 cm tube, which is routed into the jugular vein. Removal was necessary because the external portions of the line are a potential route for infection. I also have a second, subcutaneous port, which makes this one redundant. 

While the surgery to put the port in was done under sedation, the extraction procedure is considered minor, and requires only a local anesthetic. As with most procedures I've had which require a local, the anesthetizing was the most painful part. What followed was much stranger. The physician's assistant forcibly wrestled the line from my chest, just pulling in various directions until the line slid out. The whole operation took around 20 minutes, and when she was done, there was a foot of tubing on the table - most of which had been in my neck just a few minutes earlier. I'm not sure whether it was an 'ouch' or an 'ick' moment.

Yesterday, I played my Wii for most of the day. The Wii Fit was a loads of fun, and I was surprised at how easily it wore me out. I think I'll do the same this afternoon.

Rainy Weekend

The weekend was rainy, and apart from the scheduled trip to the hospital, I didn't get out at all. On the bright side, Jane came out yesterday and visited for the afternoon. While she wasn't able to bring the girls, I really enjoyed seeing her.

In other good news, I had today 'off', meaning that I didn't have to go to the hospital , and have been allowed to just rest in the apartment. I can use it. Surprisingly, even after just sitting around all day, I'm pretty exhausted.

Tomorrow, I'm scheduled to have one of my IV lines removed. This is also good news, since the lines are a hassle - they can't get wet and need to remain sterile at all times.  I'm pretty happy about being restored to my old, non-tubed self.

In Wii news - I've unpacked and started playing. Thanks to my friends, I have an incredible assortment of games and controllers.  Yesterday, Jane brought yet another controller from my friends at work. It's the 'Wii Fit' and I haven't unpacked it yet, but it looks especially promising for fun. She also brought along a 'World At War' game and a gun controller from some friends from school. Way cool too. Of the games I've played so far - and I've barely scratched the surface - my favorite has to be Super Mario Galaxy. It's a mind-bending game - loads of fun.

Thanks again to everyone for the games and support and prayers. Apologies to anyone I haven't contacted through email - I'm running a little behind.

Room with a (much better) view

We've moved into the apartment now, and wow, what a change. The apartment Jane found is right on the canal, next to the railroad and the canal walk. It has a magnificent view of downtown Richmond, which is really comforting. It's the skyline I remember from when I was a kid and we'd visit the city, and while it's not the most impressive in the world, I can't think of any city I'd rather wake up to see. Please pardon the nostalgia.

I still make a trip to the hospital every day to have blood tests, get fluids or blood, and generally be monitored. The trips seem to run 4-5 hours and consist largely of my waiting for fluid to run into me. I'm suffering some heavy duty chemo brain, and am not able to concentrate especially well, so I've made it my mission to watch as many Hitchcock movies as the Netflix will permit. So far I've gone through Dial M for Murder, Marnie, and The Man Who Knew Too Much. I've seen all of these, but watching them again is relaxing.

The nurses here are wonderful, and have been so supportive and positive, it has made a tremendous difference in my treatment. Honestly, I don't see how they're able to do it. 

Last Hospital Day

I'm writing as I await my final discharge orders. I've received all of the instructions for release and my appointment for tomorrow. I've been getting huge infusions of saline to get my blood pressure (which has been chronically low since I arrived) up to an acceptable level. The doc says that my body is already producing platelets - which is a few weeks earlier than expected.  I take this to mean that I'm ready to leave - at a cellular level. :)

Thanks again to all those who visited, and sent emails, and comments to the blog. And super special thanks to Jane and Rebecca who made all of those very nice nightgowns. This has been a tough three weeks, and knowing I have so many friends out there rooting for me has made all of the difference. 

Now I'm going to go to the apartment to hook up the Wii! :)

Ready to leave

Out of the Slough

It's been a dark three weeks, but the end is in sight. The past two or three days have been particularly tough, as I've been going stir crazy in this place. On top of that, I've been missing Jane and the kids something fierce. 

On the bright side, during rounds this morning, the doctor and his crew informed me that I have reached the end of my stay at their hospital. Tomorrow, I'm to go to an extended stay residence in Richmond. I'll still have to visit the hospital each day to have more infusions and tests, but at least I'll be able to get out and about. There's the whole world to walk around in, instead of just one floor of the hospital.

I can't wait.

The Oysterium

In the 'Transplant' post, I noted that during the transplant process I experienced the strong taste of oysters and garlic. This taste is caused by dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), which is a preservative (technically, a cryoprotectant) used to protect the stem cells during their storage prior to the transplant. The taste of DMSO only seems to remain in the mouth for as long as the stem cells are being infused, but the smell is another matter. After the infusion, the odor of oysters remains for days as the body metabolizes it. This may seem like a small detail, but it's funny how powerful the smell is. For 2 or 3 days following transplant, the odor remains in the room and leaks into the surrounding halls. I could only faintly detect my own scent, but during the past week, we've had some new transplant patients move onto the floor.

Mind you, I'm not complaining - every person that comes onto this floor has had or will have that odor. It goes with the territory. Also, I like oysters as much as the next man. But man, when you get up in the morning, and are hit with a wave of that smell - oh boy. Having a dodgy stomach from the chemo doesn't help either, of course.

I just thought I'd share one more little detail of hospital life.  All that being said, I can't wait to go to the Urbanna Oyster Festival this fall. I do love oyster fritters :)

A few days missing

Well, first, I have to apologise for leaving my readers hanging for the better part of 5 days. To be completely honest, I have not been feeling up to writing.  I think you have to get pretty far up through the hierarchy of needs to get to the need for 'gratuitous self expression'. At any rate, since Saturday I've been hit pretty hard by the side effects of chemo/radiation and the transplant.  So while I have received all your emails and comments, I've just haven't had the energy to reply.

As a side note, there is a back story on the 'Mosaic of Hope'.  The Mosaic is a blackboard-like material, and was intended to be filled with white painted tiles decorated by the denizens of floor 10. When the project was put together, the nurses found that the magnets which they planned to use to hold the tiles to the wall were not strong enough, and that the tiles would drop onto the corridor floor at the slightest provocation. For safety's sake, they removed the tiles. So we are left with a Mosaic which appears to have little hope left in it. On the bright side, the nurses and staff are all very friendly and have been making my stay here as bearable as possible. 

Also, in breaking news, I'm clean shaven again. The hair started falling out Tues, and I wasn't willing to let nature take its course on that. 

Well, I guess that's all the news that's fit to print. Thanks all for keeping me in your thoughts and prayers - I look forward to posting more over the next few days.