No Complaints So Far...

It's kind of strange to have so much free time on our hands, but nice.  This post is just to give folks an idea of what we're experiencing right now on a daily basis & to give an idea of the hospital environment.

Ray's 1st night of receiving chemo (Sunday) went well. He dosed on & off between the all night visits by the nurse. I'm sure that he didn't get much sleep but the next day he said he felt just fine & didn't even take a nap. He has his laptop & is playing a lot of "Spider" card solitaire to pass the time. Plus he's been watching his beloved Cincinnati Red's baseball games.

Me on the other hand hardly got any rest that first night. The pullout sleeper is a nice size but it's hard as a rock. Plus being in this new environment will take a little getting use to. I decided when I got up the next morning to go home & get the thick foam waffle pad from one our spare beds, along with my nice king size body pillow. Gosh did I get lots of looks carrying that large bedroll in here. While at home, I was able to sneak in a much needed short nap before heading back to the hospital. 

We've had lots of people popping in throughout the day, each with their own bits of information & instructions. The case worker to explain how she'll help us with any insurance issues we may have, the social worker to offer any aid she can with dealing with numerous things, the physical therapist who visits each day to run Ray through a half hour workout, & the Chaplin to offer his spiritual comforting, to name a few. Each & every morning a whole group of doctors, nurses, aides, etc. appear together for a brief check on Ray. Usually 6 to 8 of them lining up around us in the room. And all throughout the day his assigned nurse & tech are in here checking on things & seeing to this, that & the other.

Today they strapped a new apparatus on Ray that he'll wear over his shoulder for the whole time he's here. It contains the anti-rejection meds that will continually pump into his body to hopefully prevent his body from rejecting the donor cells when he receives them. We'll refer to it as his "Man Purse". As if dealing with the awkward port in his chest when taking his daily shower wasn't enough, now he's got this purse too. Oh well.

Ray playing on his computer with his "Man Purse" strapped on him.

The man-purse has a box held in a plastic pouch that has a tube running from it into one of the ports in his chest. 

 If you're picturing Ray laying around all day in a hospital bed, that's not how it is. They want him to get up  and out of bed & dressed everyday. Knowing this I bought him several sweat pants for comfort & several button down shirts so the port is easily accessible by the nurses. As instructed, Ray walks at least two miles a day & I usually accompany him. Although he is confined to this isolated unit of the hospital, he can walk out in it's halls & was told that eleven trips up & down the hall equals one mile. They want him to walk every day even when the extreme fatigue sets in as a result of the chemo & transplant.

Meals here are pretty nice with a large variety of choices.We make a pretty large selection from the menu for Ray, that he usually can't finish eating all of. That works out nicely for me because I can eat his leftovers. Otherwise they'll just throw them away. I also brought some snacks & drinks from home. They have a nice little common lounge on the wing with a refrigerator we can put things in. I am not permitted to use Ray's private bathroom but they have a couple of restrooms just outside the door that are handy to me. And if I actually stayed here 24/7 (as some families need to do) they have a very nice shower area available for them. We are so fortunate to live close whereby I can simply run home to shower, pick up things I may need, or do laundry, etc.

Yesterday I had a small headache most of the day (I think from lack of sleep) so last night after the nurse got Ray's chemo started, I popped two Motrin PM's & retired to my newly made - now comfy bed & slept very well, thankfully.While I slept, Ray received his 2nd round of chemo & that went fine. I'd hear the nurse come in throughout the night but it really didn't bother me. She kept the lights down to a minimum & whispered to Ray. Who would have ever thought I'd be ok with another woman whispering to my husband in bed & in semi-darkness!? LOL 

There are about a dozen other transplant patients on this floor right now & as I over hear some of their stories, I must count my blessings & be ever so thankful that we live so close to the hospital. Some live hours away & therefore the caregivers are pretty much confined to staying in the room. And they must find a laundry mat to do their laundry. After a patient is released from the hospital, they must remain within a 15 to 20 min. drive from the hospital for the next 100 days & continue with frequent hospital appointments, sometimes daily. I on the other hand, can easily & quickly go home if I want to, knowing that I can return quickly if need be. I overheard a group of 4 people today say that they are from Puerto Rica & don't even have a car here! And unfortunately insurance usually doesn't pay for hotel stays, which even with a discount for hospital guests, runs about $100 per night! Yes indeed; we are mighty fortunate to be where we are right now.