Day +3 – Surprise Visitors

Thursday July 19, 2012
Quail Run Lot 15
Moffitt Cancer Center Room 3715

 

It is 74 when I go out to run this morning at 7am.  No rain yesterday for the first time in a long time makes it a tad easier since I don’t have to dodge all the puddles.  But at 74 degrees, that’s only a tad.

After all the stretching and weights and shower and breakfast, I get the clothing organized to take down to the laundry building.  I brought some of David’s clothing home yesterday so I strip my bed and take the clothing from the dirty clothes bag all in my cool little red cart and leave them in a couple of washers for 30 minutes.

I come back and make myself some couscous to take for lunch, wash the dishes then it’s time to walk back down to put the clothing in the dryer.

After a fairly long phone call with a friend having multiple problems in her life, I get the clothes folded, pack David’s things, my things, my lunch, my dinner and head for the hospital.

 

 

When I get to his room,  he is on another saline drip.  He says his sleep was no better last night so there is another sleeping medication ordered for tonight.  He has a small incident of vomiting at lunch and is given zofran to protect against that at dinner.  I suggest that he please be proactive and get this 8 hour nausea med at 11am before lunch since that seems to be the time of most of his nausea.  I find it interesting that he doesn’t seem to have a problem with breakfast.

 

 

Since he is comfortable in the recliner, I decide to turn the sofa around so that I can see him and put out the “footstool” because otherwise it is uncomfortable for me to sit on.  It is too deep and if I sit all the way back in order to give my back some support, my legs dangle in the air.  Ah the really great things about being short!

 

 

 

David points out his new mattress, well mattress topper.  I give it a try and it feels like lying on air.  I wonder if this will help his sleep at all?

 

 

 

We settle in for a quiet afternoon kind of waiting for the harpist.  His nurse Mike comes in to take him off the saline drip.  All of these things, the saline, the blood draws, any other infusions are done through the central line.  I know he’s very glad to be finished, for at least a while, with being a pin cushion.

 

 

There is a knock on the door, we are expecting the harpist, David says come on in, and I am totally surprised to see our friends Jo Beth and Catherine. Maybe you know them or have read their blog RV Crazy Travel Journal.  Isn’t that a great title?

I actually say, “It’s Jo Beth and Catherine!  It’s Jo Beth and Catherine!”  Wow!   They have definitely succeeded in surprising us! 

They had been helping Jo Beth’s mother in New Mexico, went back to their new home base in Texas and have just come this past week to pick up their new full timing rig, a 40’ 2011 Phaeton motor home, aptly name Phiona, at Lazy Days.  It’s just amazing to look up and see people we actually know at his door.  This is a good time for them to visit since in the up coming days he may not feel as much like company.

Just after they come in, the harpist shows up so we make an audience of 4 for her beautiful music.  She tells us that her lap harp has 3 octaves and also stops to use for playing sharps and flats.  It only weighs 7 pounds which is not much heavier than my 3 year old laptop.  She also has a larger harp with  7.5 octaves which she obviously can’t carry around with her.

The sound is so soothing.  She plays 4 lovely songs and goes on to her next appointment.  She says she needs her tuning key because the higher register is playing sharp. She has it tuned to the key of C. None of us has noticed any sharpness.  It has sounded just lovely.

 

 

The view from the patient’s recliner.

 

 

 

After she leaves, Jo Beth and Catherine stay and we talk about their new home, Jo Beth’s mother’s situation, David’s numbers and the country’s problems with fear of socialism among other topics.  They have come bearing gifts.  They brought David a bottle of Biotene a dry mouth oral rinse that Catherine says she had great luck with when she had to undergo radiation for throat cancer 9 years ago.  It helped with the mouth sores.  What a great gift!!  They also brought some hand made vegan treats that I can hardly wait to call my dessert for dinner.  None for David until he comes home IF I’m willing to freeze any for him.  I may need them all to keep my strength up.  J

 

 

Another knock on the door is his case worker.  Jo Beth and Catherine have to go so I give them hugs good by.  No hugging David.  He takes our picture. What a treat to have them come.

  

The case worker is in charge of dealing with all the insurance issues and she has just come to say everything seems in order and to find out what we intend to do when he’s discharged.  (Cindy that will not be next week but the week after hopefully.)  We are still hoping for the 31st and that we will be able to go to the Marriott Residence Inn for a week or 10 days while he has to come into the BMT Clinic daily before moving back to Winnona.   She also wants to set up where his medication prescriptions will be filled during the time at the half way hotel.

 

Time for the walk around the park.  As you can see his numbers have dropped again.  Particularly the white cell count.  While we are walking, I I ask how he feels, he replies “Not normal”.  Well no I guess not.  But he is still able to go for 6 laps although a bit slower today.  He is a little more fatigued.  I suspect if all I did was mostly sit around in this hospital room my energy would flag too.  The hourly interruption to his sleep is also definitely not helping.

 

 

 

He takes a short nap around 5pm but is unfortunately awakened at 5:20 when his nurse comes around to see how he’s doing.  I sure wish they would open up those small window blinds into the hall way that you can see in the far wall of this picture before they “check to see if he needs anything”.  They can put those blinds up from outside his room and look in. What he needs is sleep.   His dinner is delivered 20 minutes later so he’s had two 20 minute naps when what he needs is at least 2 hours.

After dinner I begin reading our new book, also one I’ve already read and loved.  It’s The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kid.  The last two books we read took place in Florida.  This one in South Carolina.

I read until the comics come on and leave for home at 8:00.  He begins taking his last walk of the night and walks with me to the double doors, as far as he is allowed to go. I go through them, he turns around and goes back down the hallway.  I hope it’s not another long night for him.