Calm
Definition:
- a quiet and peaceful state or condition
- a peaceful mental or emotional state
Day 15+ Can't believe it's been two weeks and one day since the stem cell transplant. It's been a roller coaster and we have many more days ahead, but we have made it through the desert...
Jim is looking so good. He has a way to go on his energy, but he gets better every day. He is enjoying work this week and already has a full week scheduled for next. When he drives up the driveway I see he is exhausted, but when he gets out of his vehicle, his energy seems renewed at just being home. He is calm.
He is only on one antibiotic now and it is pill form. He takes it three times a week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. He will be on it for three months. His daily pill slots have less and less in them each day. Especially after going to the drug store every day this week to get something new.
I took off work yesterday. I drove halfway down the drive after dressing for it... Then I backed right back into the garage and closed the door. I think my mental state needed a break as my physical being was losing grip. Today, my day off, I have been catching up on some things on my laptop. I will go in Saturday to print then off. One day off and it makes me a month behind. LOL I did get payroll taxes done this week, but I still have month end close, Sunday school reports, finalizing editing on budgets, entering contributions for last week....and the list goes on. But, I enjoy it. Just as Jim enjoys his...
His labs are increasing well, but his WBC, as they prepared us, has been going up and down. Not drastically... Thursday's results -- WBC 7.6 (Wed was 8.32); hemoglobin 9.6 (Wed was 9.2); platelets 52 (Wed was 38); CRP 14.9 (Wed was 22.4). We are happy about these.
His appetite is not good at all. He feels hungry, but when I put it before him, he takes only a couple of bites. Can't tell you how much food I have put down the disposal. When we got home Wednesday we discussed things he was hungry for. We had some hot pockets and mini pizzas in the freezer. He say he wanted two hot pockets and one pizza (that's four pieces). I looked at him while I was in the freezer with that "Hmmmmmm, I don't think so" look. He looked back and adamantly said, "I'm HUNGRY... I want to eat!".
I kinda got excited for a minute about that exclamation, but in the back of my mind I knew his eyes were bigger than his stomach. Before I finish this story, I will tell you I did not say to him, "I told you so."
He did eat two drumsticks before the pizzas were ready. For that I am thankful. Fixed his glass of L-Glutamine and he drank it. I brought the pizzas and pockets in and he took one bite of each and sat them down. He apologized.
He took a yogurt to bed with us, but he went to sleep before eating it. I woke him up after about an hour and told him he really needed to try to eat it. He did half. Things just don't have any taste to him. I told him it would come back soon. One day when he is massively hungry he will sit down and eat the whole plate. We have seen that before.
We got the notice today that we see Dr. Zangari on Tuesday. I'm thinking he will schedule a PET, MRI and bone marrow biopsy. Maybe it won't be for a month. Jim needs a break. AND, get this.... he wouldn't be able to do it next week because he has to be in Shreveport at 5:00 a.m. on Wednesday for a start up. Then, he has to be back here by Wednesday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. for labs.
Yesssssssss, I've very worried about this trip. He would have to leave here at midnight on Tuesday to accomplish this feat. I offered to take Wednesday off and drive him down... He was absolute about that not happening... So, I'm going to have to remain calm about it and trust that he will do whatever to take care of himself. Can't keep this good man down!!!
Everyone at the clinic is so amazed with his progress. They don't fail to tell him that. Nurses that have taken care of him the last few weeks always stop in at whatever POD he is in and brag on him. Especially his woman, Edith!
I'm going to labs with him tomorrow since it's Saturday. He has changed his clinic to 3:00 p.m. again so he can work all during the days. I will run by work and print off my reports I did today. We won't be with our friends on the trip this weekend, but maybe we can do something together, like going out to dinner, to make up for that. We have a good time together anyway...if we are around others or just alone... Mostly -- alone...
Good Afternoon and Love -- Pepper
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