In case anyone was wondering, being home is far better than being in the hospital.
It took most of a week, but my sleep has returned to normal. The food in the hospital was pretty good, but the food at home is better. My appetite has not returned to normal, but I usually get in three meals a day.
I still don't have much energy or muscle strength. I added a few 30-second jogs to one of my morning walks a few days ago. Exhausting. My hemoglobin levels are still low, but not low enough to require transfusion, thankfully.
I have a large unexplained bruise on my arm, and my legs are covered with petechiae, which look like red freckles but are actually tiny superficial hemorrhages caused by low platelet counts. But not low enough to require transfusion, thankfully.
The critical blood count, the absolute neutrophil count, continues to tease me. I left the hospital at 50. It was 50 again on Monday. It was back 0 on Thursday, which means I have no internal protection against infection. I test again this Monday. Can't get worse!
My doctor in Chicago reminds me to be patient, because it still might take another couple of weeks to see the neutrophils come back. I can be patient. I used to coach seven-year-olds in soccer.
Well, if you can be a patient patient, then I guess we can be patient bystanders. Hang in there. We're all sending big, neutrophil-laden wishes.
ReplyDeleteWhere's that magic slide when you need it?
xoxo
KKBG
I have a tough time believing that you don't miss those odd concoctions you used to put together during your extended stay. OK - maybe not so tough a time believing it... Definitely better to be home. JNR
ReplyDeleteI wanna know who's cooking at home--i.e., is your cooking better than hospital food, or is it Jan's cooking to which you referred? In any event, hospitals set the bar for food quality very low, in my experience. So perhaps I should send my family for an extended hospital stay, and then they'll come back appreciating anything I might cook, rather than complaining that it's late, it's too spicy, it's good strange-looking green sprigs in it . . . . :-)
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