WBC counts and platelets stabilized....

Waited all day for a doc to come by and give us a status on the counts. That would determine whether or not Carol could come home. She made two trips down the hallway with a walker yesterday, and two trips to the bathroom under her own power. That may seem minimal, but for someone that has been so weak, it was a landmark!

Her WBC and platelet counts have stabilized and it appears the transfusion gave her body the boost needed to catch up. That was the prerequisite for her getting to come home. That news gave her a huge morale boost. Having her home comes with a whole new set of challenges, but at least she'll be out of that hospital! Maybe she can actually get some sleep now.

The doc gave the order for the home health care, so I need to get that going. I'll call them back today and set up a meeting for tomorrow so they can assess our needs. She is still weak, but she really has had no activity for three weeks, so that is to be expected. I hope they send her home with a script for the MArinol so she will eat this time. She refused the Marinol and the pain medicine yesterday morning and she didn't eat much at all, so that told me the stuff really works. She took both of them last evening around 6:30 and she had no IVs tethering her, so going to the bathroom was gonna be much easier.

Sitting in a hospital room with a mask on, inhaling your own breath for long periods is so uncomfortable! I'm so glad she finally got stable. The doc said the chemo was working and the lesions were shrinking and the liver functions continue to improve. Looks like the program is on track. No more masks and she will be on an unrestricted diet again, as well. Hospital food sucks!

I'm so hoping the next round of chemo goes a little smoother. The double whammy of radiation and chemo was almost too much for her to handle, but was necessary. We've got a couple of weeks to build her back up. They could monitor her counts in the hospital daily, but I can't do that at home and I do not know what the RN from the home health people will be able to do. At least she/he can monitor her health and make informed decisions and I won't feel so helpless.

Her sister can go back to her family and return to a normal life for a while, at least. I was so fortunate for her to be here to help.
Now that the home health people will be around to help out with things will give me some respite as well. I just hope she continues to improve and get well.

A guy at the hospital came in Carol's room yesterday to ask her how she thought the nursing staff was doing and what they could do to improve her stay. Overall, the daytime staff was absolutely great, but Carol said the night shift staff left much to be desired, and she unloaded on him. Ha! I knew she was feeling better when that happened. She worked in a hospital herself for many years.

But, I take into consideration the hospital occupancy has been near capacity since the first of the year, and the staff have been really taxed. They have to put out the hottest fires, too, and immediate attention is not always possible. I think her biggest gripe was that the night nurses would come in and move stuff around and forget to replace them where Carol could reach things like her water, lip balm, the telephone, etc. When you are tethered by IVs and monitors, one is at the mercy of others.


Okay, I'm gonna stop here. I tend to get long-winded of late.