Home sweet home.....

I’m going to say it and this time I know Mom will not mind at all. Monday morning I felt like SHIT.  Seriously, it was not good.  I was still having leg cramps (which I was dealing with) but I just had no energy.  Mom got a little inkling when I came down and said I was not going to work or to the meeting I did want to go to (really... I really did…).  I said I was calling Susan and getting an appointment.  And I did. She said you are an hour away, get here as soon as you can.  So after telling Mom, drying my hair (had to as shortly there will be none to dry) and dressing, I walked down the stairs and just plopped. And stayed plopped. Mom yelled for me to let Gwinny out.  I looked at Gwinny; she looked at me.  I had nothing in me to let her out.  She knew, I knew it, but Mom didn’t and all I could think of was she was not going to be happy.  The inkling grew when I told her I didn’t have the energy to let Gwinny out.  Grew even more when she told me to get my coat on and I told her I didn’t have the energy.  Luckily I got to the car and was able to plop.

            Got to the office, offered up my arm in sacrifice to the blood needle and told them they better hold my arm as the way I was feeling I might jump.  Brittany—who can nicely get blood out of a stone, grabbed someone as she just knew and it worked.  I’m thinking, not bad, blood drawn, still feel crappy but at least that was done and over with.  We were sent to the puzzle room to wait for the results (I think you can figure out the puzzle room for yourself).   I plopped and then fell asleep until Susan came in with the results.  This is when it was hitting Mom that I really was not feeling well (she’s a quick study… and yes, I will hear about it). The only day I forget to take my temp and I have to admit it; so Susan makes me go with her.  Well, it was 101.5 and since I run a degree low in that department, it really was a 102.5.  I was escorted into the exam room.  Dr. K comes in, impresses Mom greatly with his “I am so sorry you are feeling bad” comments (which he really does mean) talks, listens, examines and while he is talking again I pick up on a something he said.  Me: You are putting me in the hospital aren’t you? Dr. K.: Yes, you are going and it could be up to 5 days. Me: I knew I should have packed a bag. And 5 days? Dr. K: Yes, you will be there until your fever is gone for 48 hours and your white blood counts (WBC) are at least 500. Me: (big sigh) alright.  He leaves to get it all in motion.  At this point I am thinking I might get to ride in an ambulance.  However, keep in mind Mom is sitting there. She brought me back to earth.  Darn it.  So after Mom drops me off at the front of the hospital and I walk to admitting all on my own; I wait. And I wait.  Since Mom had to go home, she left me (I told her to go for those of you possibly thinking that was cruel) and it was a good thing too as it took 2 hours for a bed. But finally, got one. At least they brought me up in a wheelchair. **Apparently I did not make this clear enough... Mom left to get my things and came back-- something that I should have spelled out. Poor Mom, she got a few questions at church... but anyone who knows her knows she came back--- she would not just abandoned me--while sick.  Maybe another time, but not when I am sick.**

            Without going into too much detail; I met Leigh, my day nurse and angel (and I could be her mother) who loved the fact not only did I have a port, but her name was Portia.  In fact, I had 3 different night nurses and each time Leigh introduced them, she told them I had a port (apparently it is a big deal) and her name was Portia.  Leigh “opened” Portia and the healing began.  She also did 1 blood draw on the arm and that was it for the entire stay as they got everything they needed out of Portia.  I love Portia.  She is wonderful and saved me so many needles.  My fever was gone by Monday night and I was feeling a little better. They were treating everything I had and it was working for the most part. Yes, it is true; they do wake you up all night long.  At 430am, I had a blood draw and Dr K came in around 7 and was a little shocked as my WBC was at 730.  Yes, I was bouncing back.  I told him I had to be home Wednesday as the sick people on the floor would not appreciate me watching the UNC/Duke game at the hospital (boy, it would not have been pretty... good thing I got out). Speaking of the 10^th floor—there is something to be said being the wellest sick person there.  We had room service – and if I did not call in my meal, they called me and I even got a partial massage Tuesday afternoon—life was great! Back to Dr. K.  He was seriously happily surprised and said that as long as my fever did not return and nothing major happened, I was out of there Wednesday.

            I was waiting Wednesday morning and would you believe Becca (Dr. K’s PA) was not as early as the day before.  But when she finally made it, she said I was outta there!  But Dr. K had to let me know my numbers and talk to me.  So me and my shadow (the IV thing that followed me everywhere—I was good at unplugging it and dragging it to the bathroom) go potty and who shows up—yup—Dr.K.  Me: I’ll be out in a minute—your fault anyway with all this liquid you are putting in me. Dr K.: Well, as long as you can hear me, your counts are good and they are…Me:  you know you have to put it in easy speak. Dr. K: your numbers are normal, I’ll go start the paperwork and be back.  Me: okay (laughing too as I knew Becca had already started them). I’m starting to plug in my shadow when he comes back in telling me Becca had done it all (I did not admit to knowing this).  We talked about how this will be my pattern and now we can be proactive. He is also happy I bounced back so fast which bodes well for future treatments.  As he is leaving I said something about overdoing it and he immediately tells me I had NOTHING to do with being so sick and it was the WBC which I have NO control over and it was NOT my fault.  Made me feel better. 

            So last night I got to sleep in my own bed, without my shadow attached to me, no machines beeping, no bed alarm ( incase I fell out of bed—pain in the butt--the alarm, but would have been a pain had I fallen), no one taking my temp, my blood pressure or drawing blood.  Even after that wow ending to the UNC/Duke game, I slept soundly and I slept all night long.  Peace be still.