July 4, 2003
All,
Happy 4th of July everybody! The food riots I predicted yesterday did not materialize. Although a couple of patients including myself didn't get breakfast the first time around. All joking aside, as I listen to the nurses, doctors and staff, going about their work outside, I'm reminded of all dedicated professionals who are out there, taking care of things, even though today is a holiday, for the rest of us. I am very grateful to the staff here, for their excellent care. We should all remember the police officers, firefighters and military personnel who are out there standing the watch so we can play.
Bob and his family left for home today. They will probably be back in a couple weeks. It was great visiting with them. They took Menchie out to dinner, giving her a much needed break as my full time caregiver. Menchie has been a real trooper and I need to be careful to not burn her out.
On the medical front, the last day has been the hardest day so far. Shortly after lunch yesterday, a catheter was put in my neck. This was a rather painful procedure and it pretty well took the wind out of my sails thru the rest of the day. I started feeling better late in the evening, especially after they took out the other IV and the PICC line. So my arms are now free, it's much more comfortable. Then this morning I started suffering from severe diarrhea with occasional light headedness. The 100 lbs nurses are concerned about getting me back to my bed if I fainted. As the morning has passed, I've been feeling better but still weak. The doctor has been encouraging, saying that my response to the treatment has been far better than normal. He said most people are feeling a lot worse than me by this time. I have about 5 more hours of chemotherapy left, after which I will be free to wander around the hospital a little. Warning notices will be posted that I am coming:-)))) My blood counts are all good, no transfusions today.
Lab Results |
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Blood Cell Type |
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|
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| WBC | 4.5 | .6 | .6 | .6 |
| RBC | 4.30 | 2.08 | 2.44 | 2.41 |
| HGB | 13.9 | 7.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 |
| PLT | 130 | 18 | 15 | 33 |
Again, have a great 4th of July! Shoot out a roman candle for me.
Ted Wilcox
tw@wilcoxent.com