Happy Wednesday, the positive Jenn is back! I apologize for the doom and gloom, I sure was a 'Debbie Downer' yesterday. The reality of the length of this process hit me hard yesterday and I was only thinking of the bad things when there really are a lot of good things going on here. For one, Duke is a really nice hospital, the room may be small but it's modern and efficient. I'm on the 9th floor, which is the top floor of the hospital, to get into our ward you have to go through 3 sets of automatic doors that do not open until the previous door is shut, I'm not allowed to go past the first set of doors.
There are only 16 beds in the unit so my nurses only have 2 patients, 3 at the most. I have a u shaped hallway that the Doctors want me to use to walk at least a mile a day (14 laps) and they have a small work out room with a stationary bike, weights and a Wii! Plus, they even have a galley where I can get my own water, drinks and snacks. Which is nice because as most of you know I'm a huge water drinker and snack eater. So far the hospital food has been a little nicer than it was in Charlotte, they have a larger menu and will still get me pizza if I don't like the menu choices. Although, the nurses tell me I'll still get sick of it no matter how good it seems.
There's a quilt on the wall here made up of letters from patients to the nurses, one of them says, "The more I believe in Angels, the more I see everyday." I like that quote and it's so true the people in your lives can touch you just like an Angel, thanks to God's love. I've always loved Angels, my Grandma Ochs, loved Angels too, now she is one of my Angels watching down on me from Heaven. Now she's joined with my Grandpa so I keep adding to my crew of Angels in Heaven.
Now I'm waiting for the doctor to do their rounds, unlike Charlotte, I don't see my doctor every day, here the doctors rotate by month, so only one doctor is on rounds each month. The doctors all work together to treat the patients. I won't really see Dr. Horwitz until I'm checked out of here and start doing my daily trips to the Adult Bone Marrow Clinic. That reminds me, for anyone who is wondering, I am currently at Duke's main hospital. It's not far from the Clinic and our apartment, only four miles which is a lot better than the 30 minutes we were driving to get to the Charlotte hospital.
The last thing I will mention about the room is I now have a flat screen TV, with a build in DVD player, no more VHS tapes like Charlotte! And they have a DVD library that I can use to check out movies which have been donated to the ward. I have Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, The Queen and Eat, Pray, Love. Although, I think I've already seen the Harry Potter one, there's still more on my list so at least I'll be able to pass the time with some movies.
As for the medical news, I am currently getting chemo every six hours, it last about two hours. I haven't had any nausea yet so let's hope it stays that way. I'll keep up the chemo regimen through the 27th, I'll have a day of rest on the 28th and receive my new marrow on the 29th. I did find out my donor is a woman and she has a different blood type so my blood type will change from O+ to A-. Isn't that funny? I bet I'll forget my blood type a few times.
Well that's it for now, thanks for all the continued support and love, it really makes all the difference in keeping my spirits up. I hope you all have a great day, try doing something nice for a stranger, it always makes me feel like a better person. Much love from 9215.
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