When I got to the hospital this morning Jimmy had already had his chemo and he was sitting up in bed, glasses on and working on his laptop with sport on in the background on television. He was looking very relaxed and is very pleased that the area where they put the Hickman line in is no longer uncomfortable and his neck was feeling much better too.
The only thing that he really complained about is the fact that they do his vitals every two hours right through the night so he didn't sleep very well and said that it was a long night. Dr Fine had said yesterday that she would write up a script for sleeping tablets but Jimmy says they never gave him one so I suggested that he ask for one tonight. Maybe he'll be a little groggy and not wake up properly each time they come around and at least fall back to sleep a bit quicker.
He is plugged into a whole lot of machines today and this is to keep tabs on his heart etc. while he is having these 2 days of chemo. They also gave him 2 injections for nausea while I was there and so far so good as he is not feeling nauseous at all.
I think tomorrow will be much like today was and then on Friday they put his stem cells back. We say goodbye to his old immune system and hello to a new one!
Here are some photos of his ward.
 |
| This is Jimmy's view of Devils Peak from his bed. Excuse the bad photo but the window is very dirty and they don't open. He has been looking for the Zebra but not seen any yet. |
My other news is that today my baby turned 16! Emma was a bit disheartened having to start the first day of school on her birthday but her friends all remembered and she ended up having a very special day. We went out for some Sushi to celebrate this evening and Megan phoned Emma on FaceTime to wish her while we were out, which was a lovely surprise.
And then of course it is just typical how life works. Jimmy has been gone for 2 days and the irrigation system has stopped working, our motorised gate is not opening or closing and the dog is vomiting everywhere.
But as the saying goes "When life gives you lemons make lemonade"........cheers :)
4 comments:
Hi Viv, well Jimmy's SCT beginning sounds a lot like mine... altho I sure didn't get a window view with the potential of seeing ZEBRAS!!! Having a window is very therapeutic! And i sure didn't get an exer-cycle in my room! Sounds like he's at a 5-star hotel! From what I recall the first several days went smoothly, and I wondered what all the fuss was about prepping me... then the slow crash happens as the immune system crashes, but the new stemmies will move in, and his system will build back up again. Of course you had drama on the home front... that's the way it always happens. You'll do fine, and happy BD to your baby girl. They grow up so fast! Thinking about you and Jimmy daily, and tell him to take meds to feel good, prevent nausea, etc. He doesn't have to be "superman". And when his appetite lessens, I remember my hubby brought me fruit-popsicles to quench my thirst also. Whatever it takes to feel ok, and get strong... that's the mission. Looking forward to your next update! xoxo Julie
Well done on your positive attitude Vivienne :) Not looking too shabby in that outfit either. Hoping Jimmy stays infection free. Sharon
Hi Julie,
It's wonderful having you on here giving tips and a little window in to what we can expect. I think that exer-cycle is there for me as my bum seems to be getting larger haha. I am in nothing but awe for Prof Novitzky, Dr Fine, and the staff at UCTPAH. I was telling Dr Fine today about you and how we have linked up via our blogs and how impressed you are with our whole set up. She says that Prof Novitzky is one of the top Oncologists in the world and he has patients coming from all over the globe for treatment. We are very lucky indeed.
I hope you are coping with your stronger Rev dosages.
Viv
Thanks Sharon. I tried to slip out today in my new attire to go get a take-away coffee and thought I would come back into Isolation and change out of these into a new set but I was stopped at the door. I had to dress back into my own clothes and when I came back, dress back into a new set of scrubs. That hospital is so huge that I got completely lost between 4 sets of lifts and this was all on F floor! And to think there are 7 floors all together.
xx
Post a Comment