Buck in hospital 20120822
8-22-2012
The nurse just hooked me up for another blood transfusion, so I had her take a pic with my cell phone while she was here. The transfusion's going in through the IV in my left arm and the antibiotics are going in through the port in my upper right chest. You can see the blood in the tube still headed into the machine that regulates flow and pumps it into me.
Hair's nearly all gone at this point. I wish I could just shave the rest off, but I'm not allowed near sharp objects with my blood in its current state (blood thinners make it hard to stop bleeding, even from small cuts).
The green thing in the bed is a fancy heating pad to try to alleviate some of the pain I've been having down there on my left side.
Still able to work and play here though. When I go to the hospital, I move in and get comfy for the long haul. As I'm moving in and setting up my stuff, I have them bring me two tables, which I put together with gaffer's tape. Also, I need a fan, extra blanket, tissues, real washcloths and towels for the bathroom, tissues, hospital pajama bottoms in addition to the gown, and I think that's about it.
I also set up 3 invention prototypes that my sister and I came up with that I won't discuss on the internet until we have the patent process completed. Everyone at the hospital thinks they're the cat's ass though, and agrees it's a totally marketable idea that we could sell by the hundreds or thousands on an ongoing basis to every hospital out there (they're disposable to deal easily with germs, bacteria, etc.), which is pretty exciting feedback. They're intentionally not in the photo.
Got my Galaxy Tab for reading my books and magazines and a few games I like to play on it, totally positionable on a Manfrotto Magic Arm, which is clamped to the table with a Manfrotto Super Clamp, and to the Galaxy Tab itself with a Tether Tools Wallee and Wallee Connect, and I love that arrangement.
Also got my laptop here, mostly for some database work I'm wrapping up, surfing the net, etc. Never really could get used to those chicklet keyboards though - like the tactile feel of a regular keyboard much better. I don't do touchpads either - gotta have my mouse.
The Doc says things are improving on my counts, and he thinks maybe, if that stays on course, I might be able to get out of here in a day or two.
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8-23-2012
Because my cancer is a blood and bone marrow cancer, the treatment causes me to be neutropenic for periods of time, and when that's happening I MUST be in the hospital (you can read why in the wiki link).
Whenever I'm neutropenic, I basically have to stay in a germ and bacteria-free "bubble" created by certain protocols that pretty much confine me to my room, where I'll stay relatively safe. Anyone entering my room has to wash with disinfectant, don special disposable yellow gowns and gloves, and then discard them before they leave the room when they're done. If I want to leave the room, I have to do the same, plus a mask over mouth and nose, and promise to stay at least 3 feet from other people and commonly touched objects that could be loaded with bacteria.
I don't mind the time here in my room since I have all my stuff with me, and even a nice view, but after 3 days of being in my room's bubble, I just needed to take a walk, so I get a nurse to get me all the stuff I need to venture out of the space ship, and in a few minutes, I'm in my Haz-Mat suit:, which is very similar to this:
I grabbed my IV Tree and step out into the hallway, then did 13 laps for a half a mile. My sister was visiting, so she came along with me on my walk and we had a great time laughing and joking about just everything. Along the way, I said, "hey, when we get back, you have to get a picture of me in this so I can post it!" She thought that was a great idea too.
A few laps later though, and I forgot all about it, and when we got back to my room, it wasn't until I'd already discarded all the stuff that I remembered. Oops! Next time. LOL
Anyway, that and the rest of the visit with my sister was the highlight of my day. We were cracking up here over just everything, including the 3 Stooges movie her and her husband just saw last night. I'd already seen it, so we were laughing about parts of it until we were literally in tears.
Then we thought it'd be funny if we made party invitations and gave them to every patient whose door I pass by on my walks, inviting them to a party at the nurse's station at a given time - without telling the nurses, of course.
At first, we thought a toga party, since we all have our sheets. But now, I'm thinking it should be a Zombie Party! We could all come out of our rooms at a given time with our arms out in front of us, a vacant look in our eyes and our slack, drooling mouths repeating over and over, "BRAAAAIIINNNSSS" as we all simultaneously converge on the nurse's station! Hehehe. Yeah, I think that'd be pretty funny.
Still having that pain in my lower left side, but the pain killers are working fine to deal with it when it flares up, and all the docs and nurses agree it's a muscle, rather than an organ since there are no organs in that area now that my spleens back to normal size and back up under my rib cage again, where it belongs. I must have twisted wrong or pulled it somehow somewhere along the line.
Got another blood transfusion last night, then a platelet transfusion today. Doc says things are looking good, and I might get out of here tomorrow.
------------------------------------------------
8-26-2012
After a few blood and platelet transfusions, plus some antibiotics to fight off some intestinal bacteria I picked up that caused the temperature spike that put me in the hospital, I finally got out yesterday.
Got some new meds to take to keep up the antibiotic fight against the intestinal bug, and also a topical ointment antibiotic for my chest port, just in case (the infectious disease doctor seemed to thing it looked kinda red, and doesn't want to take any chances with it.
I've got an appointment for a blood draw tomorrow.
So that's about it for now!
The nurse just hooked me up for another blood transfusion, so I had her take a pic with my cell phone while she was here. The transfusion's going in through the IV in my left arm and the antibiotics are going in through the port in my upper right chest. You can see the blood in the tube still headed into the machine that regulates flow and pumps it into me.
Hair's nearly all gone at this point. I wish I could just shave the rest off, but I'm not allowed near sharp objects with my blood in its current state (blood thinners make it hard to stop bleeding, even from small cuts).
The green thing in the bed is a fancy heating pad to try to alleviate some of the pain I've been having down there on my left side.
Still able to work and play here though. When I go to the hospital, I move in and get comfy for the long haul. As I'm moving in and setting up my stuff, I have them bring me two tables, which I put together with gaffer's tape. Also, I need a fan, extra blanket, tissues, real washcloths and towels for the bathroom, tissues, hospital pajama bottoms in addition to the gown, and I think that's about it.
I also set up 3 invention prototypes that my sister and I came up with that I won't discuss on the internet until we have the patent process completed. Everyone at the hospital thinks they're the cat's ass though, and agrees it's a totally marketable idea that we could sell by the hundreds or thousands on an ongoing basis to every hospital out there (they're disposable to deal easily with germs, bacteria, etc.), which is pretty exciting feedback. They're intentionally not in the photo.
Got my Galaxy Tab for reading my books and magazines and a few games I like to play on it, totally positionable on a Manfrotto Magic Arm, which is clamped to the table with a Manfrotto Super Clamp, and to the Galaxy Tab itself with a Tether Tools Wallee and Wallee Connect, and I love that arrangement.
Also got my laptop here, mostly for some database work I'm wrapping up, surfing the net, etc. Never really could get used to those chicklet keyboards though - like the tactile feel of a regular keyboard much better. I don't do touchpads either - gotta have my mouse.
The Doc says things are improving on my counts, and he thinks maybe, if that stays on course, I might be able to get out of here in a day or two.
----------------------------------------------
8-23-2012
Because my cancer is a blood and bone marrow cancer, the treatment causes me to be neutropenic for periods of time, and when that's happening I MUST be in the hospital (you can read why in the wiki link).
Whenever I'm neutropenic, I basically have to stay in a germ and bacteria-free "bubble" created by certain protocols that pretty much confine me to my room, where I'll stay relatively safe. Anyone entering my room has to wash with disinfectant, don special disposable yellow gowns and gloves, and then discard them before they leave the room when they're done. If I want to leave the room, I have to do the same, plus a mask over mouth and nose, and promise to stay at least 3 feet from other people and commonly touched objects that could be loaded with bacteria.
I don't mind the time here in my room since I have all my stuff with me, and even a nice view, but after 3 days of being in my room's bubble, I just needed to take a walk, so I get a nurse to get me all the stuff I need to venture out of the space ship, and in a few minutes, I'm in my Haz-Mat suit:, which is very similar to this:
I grabbed my IV Tree and step out into the hallway, then did 13 laps for a half a mile. My sister was visiting, so she came along with me on my walk and we had a great time laughing and joking about just everything. Along the way, I said, "hey, when we get back, you have to get a picture of me in this so I can post it!" She thought that was a great idea too.
A few laps later though, and I forgot all about it, and when we got back to my room, it wasn't until I'd already discarded all the stuff that I remembered. Oops! Next time. LOL
Anyway, that and the rest of the visit with my sister was the highlight of my day. We were cracking up here over just everything, including the 3 Stooges movie her and her husband just saw last night. I'd already seen it, so we were laughing about parts of it until we were literally in tears.
Then we thought it'd be funny if we made party invitations and gave them to every patient whose door I pass by on my walks, inviting them to a party at the nurse's station at a given time - without telling the nurses, of course.
At first, we thought a toga party, since we all have our sheets. But now, I'm thinking it should be a Zombie Party! We could all come out of our rooms at a given time with our arms out in front of us, a vacant look in our eyes and our slack, drooling mouths repeating over and over, "BRAAAAIIINNNSSS" as we all simultaneously converge on the nurse's station! Hehehe. Yeah, I think that'd be pretty funny.
Still having that pain in my lower left side, but the pain killers are working fine to deal with it when it flares up, and all the docs and nurses agree it's a muscle, rather than an organ since there are no organs in that area now that my spleens back to normal size and back up under my rib cage again, where it belongs. I must have twisted wrong or pulled it somehow somewhere along the line.
Got another blood transfusion last night, then a platelet transfusion today. Doc says things are looking good, and I might get out of here tomorrow.
------------------------------------------------
8-26-2012
After a few blood and platelet transfusions, plus some antibiotics to fight off some intestinal bacteria I picked up that caused the temperature spike that put me in the hospital, I finally got out yesterday.
Got some new meds to take to keep up the antibiotic fight against the intestinal bug, and also a topical ointment antibiotic for my chest port, just in case (the infectious disease doctor seemed to thing it looked kinda red, and doesn't want to take any chances with it.
I've got an appointment for a blood draw tomorrow.
So that's about it for now!
posted by Buckster @ 5:20 PM
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