Released from Hospital
Finally after four full weeks at the Moffitt Cancer Center, Ray was released to go home! Granted we have to return EVERY day for couple of
weeks & then the visits should decrease somewhat over time. Ray was slightly nervous leaving his hosp rm &
comfort level where he had 24/7 nurses at his beck & call but he's
adjusting.
The doctors will continue to
monitor him closely for any issues that crop up & we're told they
usually do as he continues to battle the side effects of the intense chemo he had. Plus they will be on the lookout for any signs of rejection & GVHD (Graft versus Host Disease) whereby the donor cells attempt to attack Ray's body. The good thing is that because Ray's donor was a 10 for 10 match & the same blood type, those type of issues are somewhat less likely. Keep those prayers coming folks!
Several of the issues Ray had as a result of the chemo (not the transplant itself) are subsiding. The mouth/throat sores are less painful although not completely gone yet. Most of the horrible blistering on his hands have now burst & drained. The top layer of skin is peeling off in huge chunks exposing a second layer of new skin. We are treating his hands with antibiotic creams & keeping the hands dressed with gauze until all the open wounds have completely healed. This is very cumbersome for Ray because it limits what he can do without the complete use of his hands & the need to keep the bandaging dry, such as bathing, brushing teeth, using bathroom, etc. But I'm able to assist him when needed.
Some newer developments now include a lot of itching on his back where a rash appeared so we keep smearing hydro-cortisone cream on there. His arms also had a pretty healthy rash & that top layer of skin has completely peeled off now. But of great concern for us right now is the pain & blistering that is beginning to occur on the bottom of his feet making walking more challenging. We fear that may go the way his hands did with the blisters getting worse & eventually bursting.
Because of his bandaged hands, he can't manage buttons & zippers so after we got home yesterday I realized that I needed to make a run to get him some shorts with elastic waistbands. The doctors want him to take daily walks for exercise so he needed a few long sleeve shirts too. Any sun exposure is a no-no. And because of the issue with his feet, I also picked him up a new pair of slippers that that he can slide on & that has a lot more cushioning to them. A big thank you to my backup caregiver, Donna Holbrook, who came quickly to sit with Ray while I ran those errands. Donna & I learned in the Caregiver Class that Ray should not be left alone for any length of time over the next couple of months so Donna is going to be my lifesaver when I must run errands.
So many precautions we must still follow; Lots of pills to keep track of, everything must be sanitized & cleaned daily, (I have sanatizer & disinfectant wipes EVERYWHERE) his temperature checked at least twice a day, foods prepared in special ways, etc. He still has a lot of swelling in his legs, feet & stomach from fluid retention that we are hoping subsides soon. We try to keep his feet elevated as much as possible day & night.
Thankfully our insurance coverage has been good about taking care of many things like the walker, periodic home nurse visits, medical supplies I need here at home for Ray (bandaging supplies, syringes to flush his catheter lines in his chest, etc.)
How does Ray feel now that's he's at home? I can probably better answer that after a week has passed. As expected he is very weak & shaky of course & probably will be for awhile yet. Right now I'd imagine he's still nervous but I'm hoping that with the daily monitoring that will be done each day during the hospital visits, that will ease his mind. And mine too! But as of right now, we're GOOD!
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