Day 91

First day of truly being free!  I don't have to go back to the clinic until Tuesday!  Until then I'm free.  We woke up this morning with the goal of packing up as much stuff as possible, in hopes of making it home tonight.  We'll see, it's not like we have a lot of stuff we just need to pack it up and see what fits in the cars.

My stomach actually feels alright today.  I stopped taking the medicine that was supposed to help me and it seems like it might have been a part of the problem.  It's refreshing to feel no discomfort, let's see how long it lasts.  Gosh, I still have so much medicine.  Luckily, I spoke to one of the nurse practitioners, Jill, she accepts donated medicine and supplies which she takes to Romania.  I was relieved to hear that because I would hate to throw away medicine, and I have a lot that I don't need anymore.  Plus,  I have more hospital supplies than I know what to do with.  Jill will take those off my hands too. She told me the gypsies will be very thankful.  You know I love gypsies so I'm happy to help!  Too bad I can't take it there myself I would love to visit Romania and hang out with the gypsies

I forgot to mention yesterday that they stopped my micafungin IV.  Guess, they figure my lungs must be perfect by now.  I did take a chest x-ray yesterday so it should look clean.  I'm just so glad they let me go. They really worked hard yesterday to get all my discharge paperwork together, they even set up my next appointment to see Dr. Miller.  I will go to him for check ups so I don't have to drive up to Duke as often. Originally, they told me I would have to come back every week.  It looks like it won't be that bad.  Plus, the longer I'm out the less visits I'll have to come back for.

I just removed my medical wrist band, I've worn one of these almost every day since February 21.  It's so cool because my body is free of attachments and bandages.  I can't wait to take a shower this morning without using saran wrap!  I might stay in there forever!  Except of course I'll need to get packing!  So with that I'm going to sign off.  Thank you all for your continued support, it's helped me get through all of this.  It has made me realize how blessed I am to have so many wonderful people in my life.  I hope you all have a beautiful day!  Much love from 302.

Day 90 part 2

It's official I signed my discharge paperwork, had my PICC line removed and had a bone marrow biopsy. I finally feel like a normal person again, I don't have any extensions coming out of my body, I'll be able to take a shower without wrapping a part of my body in saran wrap!  Oh my this feels good.  Plus, my biopsy was not bad at all.  A Physician Assistant, Scott, does about 6 biopsy's a week so he has it down.    I felt pain as he gave me a few shots of pain medicine and I could feel him tapping on my bone but other than that it was pretty easy.  I was shocked but Scott really does it perfectly, I'm not even hurting now.
Next Scott took out my PICC line.  Which was easy as well, it's just a weird sensation because he pulled 44 inches of wire out of my arm.  Wow, it's a miracle how advance health care has become.  

I'm ecstatic that I can go home, finally I can move forward with life and I'll be thankful for each day.  Plus, I'm going to focus on studying for the GRE, it's time to work towards getting a masters in teaching.  I've thought about it enough now that I know that's what I want to do.  It will be good for me to be driven towards a goal.

Well that's all for now, I'm going to celebrate with my amazing husband.  Love from apartment 302.

Day 90...for real

So it turns out I had my days mixed up and today is my real day 90.  They are trying to discharge me today!  They did say at least 90 days so at least they are keeping true to their word.  I saw Dr. Horwitz this morning at clinic.  We talked about the few problems I have and he said we could release me today if they wanted but I need to take the discharge class, have a bone marrow biopsy and have my picc line removed.

I love how doctors are so casual about stuff and it's the nurses and staff that have to make everything happen.  So I'm supposed to go back this afternoon for the biopsy and to remove my picc line.  I'll have to come back here on Tuesday to take the discharge class.  As you can imagine I am thrilled!  I've been so ready to go home so it was nice to get the go ahead to be discharged.  Now, we just have to pack up and organize our move back to Charlotte!  Yay!

We took Grandma to the airport this morning.  She should be almost home by now.  It was so nice having her and it was good to be taken care of by my grandmother.  My grandma, Jodie Louis, is quite the woman.  Not only is she always perfectly dressed and put together she is also direct and outgoing.  She's very active which keeps her young and she loves to entertain and be social.  I'm very proud to be her granddaughter.  I am so thankful I've had this time to spend with her.  We love catching up about various family members and friends.  Plus, reminiscing about so many good times we've had together as a family.  I feel bad because I think she got the cranky Jennifer.  I was so upset that I wasn't going home yet that I was kind of in a foul mood on her last day.  I'm sorry Grandma, you gave me wonderful care and you did a lot for us, even though you don't think you did much.  Just having you here was a gift in itself.  Please forgive my cranky behavior, it wasn't meant for you.

It also feels good to be done with the care givers.  I definitely appreciate all of my care givers but it feels good to be able to take care of myself.  It's a sign of my good health and proof that we are moving forward with my new life.  Gosh I can't believe by tonight, I'll be free of any extensions or ports and I'll be done with daily IV treatments.  I'm bummed about the bone marrow biopsy as that always hurts horribly.  However, as the nurse practitioner said it's like a reward, it's a biopsy that won't be followed by more chemo.  I don't know if I would ever think of a biopsy as a reward but maybe that's because I've had three already.

Well that's it for now, I'll keep you all posted.  I hope your hump day is going well.  Much love from apartment 302.

Day 90

Day 90.  I'm still here.  I've got a bit of a stomach issue and I just want to be done with all of this.  I know it's almost done but I'm ready to be on my own back at home with Eric and Buster.  This last week has been hard because I've had this stomach issue but I've been dying to know when I can be released.  Having Eric gone was hard too but he's home now so that's nice.

Grandma and I have to stop by the clinic in an hour or so to get my picc line dressing changed.  I was supposed to have it changed yesterday but we left to quickly.  Plus, I need to talk to the Nurse Practitioner about this new medicine.  I don't know if it's working because I've been feel sick and I puked when I really haven't eaten a whole lot.  This morning it was hard for me to finish all my pills I felt so uneasy.  Well, I'm hoping this means the gunk is getting flushed out of my system.  All this misery must have some reward.

I hope you all enjoyed your Memorial Day weekend.  Have a good start to the week.  Peace out from apartment 302.  

Day 89

Happy Memorial Day!  I'm sitting in clinic waiting for the doctor to come visit and for my labs to come back.  I'm hoping I won't have to receive any supplements today so we can go home.  I want to walk as early as possible, before it gets to hot.  Grandma stays at the house and cleans while I walk, I'm not allowed to be around vacuums or cleaning products.  The apartment has never looked so good, she's cleaning and ironing everything!

I've been feeling sick to my stomach but I know it's just the phlegm and my body getting rid of the chemo effects.  They say nausea is the last symptom to leave, so I may have to deal with this discomfort for a little longer.  At least it's nothing that will keep me in treatment.  I'm hoping to hear that I will be going home on Wednesday.  My reasoning is this, on Tuesday the doctors all get together to discuss all the patients, that's when they can all confirm that I should be released on Wednesday.  I just want to get the ball rolling.  I want to spend the weekend in our own home, that's my goal.

Eric comes home today, his guy vacation has come to an end.  I haven't heard any stories yet but I'm sure they had a good time.  I'll be so happy to have him home, I've missed him a lot.  Plus, I'm ready for us to move out of the apartment and go home.

Well that's all I have for today.  I hope you are enjoying the day off.  Peace out from the clinic.

Day 88

It's a lovely Sunday I took a 35 minute walk this morning, before it got to hot.  Grandma has been very busy, cleaning, doing laundry and cooking dinner.  We are having chicken tetrazzini for dinner, it's one of my favorites from being a kid.  Now I've just sat through five episodes of Mash only to hear Grandma say "well are you done watching this, I'm sick of it." oh boy I've been sick of it since episode one.  It's too bad we don't have any games or cards, I think we are both dying of boredom.

We had french toast again this morning, it's officially the only meal I will clear my plate for.   I've not been eating very much because I still suffer from phlegm and nasty mouth gunk.  It get's in my stomach and makes me feel sick.  However, my bladder and the rest of my body has been great.  The doctor said if my bladder stays under control I should be released early this week.  So far I think I'm right on schedule.  Grandma and I tried to pack up some stuff this weekend but there wasn't really much to pack up.  It should be an easy transition going home.

Well that's it for today.  I hope your Sunday is relaxing.  Much love from apartment 302.

Day 87

Today has been really nice, Grandma and I slept in since we didn't have clinic.  Then Grandma made us some french toast which was awesome.  We enjoyed our coffees and had a nice call with my Mom.  It was a fun morning.  Although, for some reason my phone is not accepting calls, I went to the sprint store, they claim to have fixed it but we'll see.  If you have tried to reach me by phone, try contacting me through facebook or email, jennifer.pyjas@gmail.com.

It was nice to have french toast, when I was a kid spending the night at Grandma & Grandpa's house meant having Grandpa fix you breakfast.  My favorites were french toast and waffles.  He was a great  breakfast maker.  On Sunday he would do all that before Church so our tummy's wouldn't be hungry during service.  I have lots of fond memories with my grandparents because I grew up around them.  Not every one has that anymore.  My brother didn't, he pretty much grow up in Colorado, while I grew up in Kansas.  It's funny how we have two home towns between us.

We are taking it easy the rest of the day but we do plan on cleaning up my bathroom, which Grandma will have to do.  Plus, we want to pack up some of the stuff we don't need since we'll be leaving here soon.  We have gobs of boxes so hopefully that will make it easier to fit everything in the cars for our trip home. We are thinking of coming back up for Buster so we can get settled back in to Charlotte before bringing him back home.  I don' know we'll see how everything goes.

Well that's all I've got for today.  I hope your Saturday is going well.  Love from apartment 302.

Day 86

As I wrote today's post title as day 86, I realized I was hoping to be out of here by this day.  They say expect to be here for 90 days but I was hoping to be an early release.  This stupid polyoma virus has messed up my whole plan.  Oh well, that's life.  I do have some fabulous news, I don't have a catheter anymore!  Yay, no more pee bag!  Since they took the catheter out I didn't have to be irrigated so today we got out of the clinic at 11:30, that's the earliest I've ever left there.  Plus, I don't have to go back to the clinic again until Monday!

Now the doctors are saying they hope I can be released early next week.  That would be great!  They just have to decide if they are going to continue my IV medicine.  If they decide to keep me on it then I'll have to keep my PICC line in but if not they will remove it before I am released.  It will be the first time since October that I won't have some sort of port attached to my body.  So it will only be my bald head that will make me look like I'm sick.  Even though I'm not sick anymore!  Well okay, I have the occasional puking and I have to be careful not to get sick since my immune system is still growing, after all it's only 86 days old, but I'm not sick.

Poor Grandma got to witness me puking last night.  I don't know what got in to me but I puked twice and couldn't eat anything passed lunch.  I slept most of the evening and I feel better now so I guess it was just a fluke.  I did eat a lot of fruit but that's pretty normal for me.  Hopefully, that's the worse thing that Grandma will have to deal with.  As much as I would like to throw out my puke buckets I have a feeling a may need them again randomly.  Even though I'm about to be released from Duke, I'll still have bad days, I may get run down and it's imperative that I don't get sick, that's why I'll have to be so careful about germs.

Well that's all I have for today...whoa I just heard today is national wine day!  Too bad I can't celebrate, that sounds like my kind of party.  Unfortunately, wine and all alcohol are off limits for a year.  Yikes.  Let's hope this year goes by fast.  :) Peace out from apartment 302.

Day 85

Happy Hump Day!  I hope you all are having a fabulous day.  Sorry I missed yesterday's post, I wrote one but some how it didn't save and I didn't realize it until now.  Yesterday, Grandma came to be my next caregiver.  It's so nice to have her here, it's fun to catch up and I always notice things about her that remind me of Mom or things that I do too, it's funny how we pick up traits from our family.  When the three of us get together it's always fun because we look so much alike.

So I've been feeling really good minus the bladder virus and catheter but I'm taking it day by day until they tell me I'm free to go home.  That's what Dr. Horwitz said, it's hard to give me a date of when I'll be released and they want to get the virus under control before they release me.  I had another chest x-ray this week and it came back clear.  They are planning to take me off of the Micafungin but might just wait until I am released, just to be safe.

Now, if I could only get rid of the catheter and urine bag.  I've gotten creative with the pee bag, I can wear it around my calf and get it under one pair of jeans.  The only thing is it's hot here, I want to wear shorts or my new skirt but it's not very decent to walk around with a pee bag strapped to your leg for everyone to see.  Oh well, it's for my health and I'll do whatever I can to get this nasty virus out of my body.

Polyoma virus that's what it's called, I think I misnamed it earlier in my blog posts.  Every nurse or doctor says to me "Oh, Polyoma, I'm so sorry for you."  It's kind of scary and they never want to answer my question about the pain, if it will last 4-6 weeks until the virus runs it's course.  I don't know why I'm so prone to bacteria and virus but I would like to be done with the random minor set backs.  I'm ready to be healthy and back to life at home.

Wow, as I write this Grandma is cleaning up our kitchen and organizing everything so we can eat up the rest of the food here before we go home.  She's definitely the queen of cooking, planning and cleaning, and she's efficient.  She also is quite the party thrower, always good food and great atmosphere.  I was lucky enough to grow up with my Grandparents near by so we spent nearly every Sunday at their house after church and every holiday Grandma would prepare a wonderful meal, she'd set the dining room with a beautiful table decoration.  Invite all the family who lived in town and we would have a great time.  I'm so happy to have those memories and I sure do miss those family dinners.

Well Eric is getting to golf today with his buddies for the first time since summer.  Although one of our friends, Dave Hino, checked his bag but it came all the way to Raleigh while he got off at Charlotte.  So Grandma and I drove to the airport to pick up his bag.  Only I went to the wrong airport!  I used my Garmin and hit points of interest, airports and hit the first one that came up, I didn't know we had two airports.  Luckily we finally made it to the right airport and we found his bag with no problem.  We'll meet up with them at the outlet mall to pass along the bag.  At least I'll get to say hello to Eric and the boys this way.

Well that's it for today, have a great day and be thankful for the good things and people in your life.  Much love from apartment 302.

Day 83

Well today has been a long day but I've felt pretty good, so that's nice.  Eric left tonight for Charlotte, his friends from Buffalo are coming out to visit.  I'm really happy for him, Eric deserves a fun break with his buddies.  He has done so much and had to give up a lot of stuff to take care of me.  I love him so very much and am so thankful for the way he takes care of me.  I'll miss him, he won't be back until next week, but I'm so glad to know he will be with good friends having a good time.

Today at Clinic I was irrigated again, which really helps me out with the pain.  What has been happening is that I have blood clots that get stuck in the tube to the urine bag.  That backs up the whole system which is extremely unpleasant.  I literally have to keep an eye on the tube to make sure it is draining properly, if it's not we have to almost milk the tube like you would a cow.  Anyway, so with irrigating they pump fluid into my bladder and I basically pump it out the catheter.  It flushes out any clots and flushes the bladder itself.  I'll go and have this done every day until we see some improvement in the side effects and the pain goes away.

Another benefit of being irrigated is they put you in a room with a bed. This morning I slept the whole time.  It was difficult when the irrigation began because I had a rather large clot to flush out but after that they gave me some pain medicine which I believe helped me to sleep.  It was good for me, I don't sleep the night through even with the treatment I'm still up every hour or so.

So anyway I'm going to go bed now, 11:00 is super late for me.  I hope all is well in your lives.  Good night from apartment 302.

Day 82

I'm at clinic enjoying the first feeling of relief I have felt in three days.  They gave me IV pain medicine which works faster and better than the pill form.  They are irrigating my bladder right now as they think I have blood clots that could be the cause of the constant pain.  The clots are blocking the catheter so I constantly feel like I have to go to the bathroom.  It feels like the irrigation is helping and I don't see any more clots right now.  Let's pray this makes my pain go away.  If it doesn't work we may decide to just take it out.  After all, they put the catheter in to help me sleep at night and hopefully, provide some relief but if it's more pain than it's worth, they will take it out.  

As for when I will get released, the doctor says we have to take it day by day.  He won't release me when I'm dealing with this much pain but he believes I should be feeling better by Friday.  I'm betting I'll be released next week.  That's okay to wait longer as long as I feel better, I don't want to deal with the catheter by myself.  It sounds like they will take it out by Friday or earlier if needed.  

I can't wait to take this catheter out, besides being uncomfortable it's not easy to find clothes that will cover up my urine bag.  Plus, I am wearing depends because I'm leaking around the catheter (they say this is normal).  Depends are not small, so I need pants that fit over them as well. I have two pairs of sweat pants that work but the problem is that it's hot here, this week it will be in the 90s.  It's funny to think I'm wearing depends, Eric bought me peach ones, I'm sure he loved buying those!  Never thought he would be buying me depends but we do what we have to do to get through all of this.  Thank God the end is in sight. We are both ready to be home and to start living life again.  

That's it for today, I hope your week is off to a good start.  Much love from the Clinic.

 

Day 81

Hello friends and family, I hope you are out enjoying the weekend.  I've been trying to enjoy mine but this catheter is kicking my ass.  Really, I am miserable.  I have never felt pain like this and it's constant I haven't found anything that can give me some relief.  The catheter is very uncomfortable and I still have bladder spasms and urges, I'll feel like I have to pee but I don't get the relief you normally feel when you've done your business after holding it for a long time.

The catheter makes me cramp and I become very tense around my bladder.  Plus, it feels like it might come out or that it's not in correctly since it drips a lot.  Which is why I wear depends, yes I said depends.  They actually work well, I'm just mad I have to use them because of the leaking.  One of the side effects of my new drugs is your urine turns orange or bright yellow. And the brightly colored pee stains!

Lastly, the most annoying thing is carrying around a pee bag.  It's supposed to conveniently strap on to my thigh and then I could put pants over it and the tubing.  Well the thing falls down constantly, making me worry that the catheter will fall out.

Alright,  I'm done bitching but when you're miserable like me it's necessary to get out my thoughts.  Thank you for being the ears I can speak too.    

On a bright note, I want to thank Clark and Donna Broyles for my new bracelet. It's sliver peace symbols linked together. It goes perfect with the rest of my bracelets and adds to my gypsy look.  I can't thank you enough.

That's it for today, I hope this weekend leaves you feeling peaceful and happy.  Much love from apartment 302.                                                                                            

Day 79

Well tomorrow is day 80, I'm finally to the day when I can start harassing the doctors to release me.  It's becoming more and more possible that I'll get out next week!  The only thing that might slow me down is this virus in my bladder.  It has been so very painful and I haven't slept for two nights straight because I would be visiting the bathroom every hour, all night.  I still have blood in my urine and all the doctors can tell me is to flush it out of my system by constantly drinking water, juice and the occasional Dr. Pepper.  (Okay the docs didn't recommend the Dr. Pepper but I can't give it up.)

To help me to flush my system most effectively my doctor thought it would be best to insert a catheter.  So that's what they did, my last task at clinic today was to install a catheter, not my idea of fun at all.  It's very uncomfortable and it feels strange. When I have the urge to pee it doesn't feel like I am able to get the relief you get from emptying your bladder.  Sorry if this is too much info but I've always been real on this blog, and I write truthfully and from the heart.  If you don't like it than you don't have to read it.   Now let's hope this catheter can help me flush this virus out of my system in no time at all.

Eric flew home this morning, it is so nice to have him home.  The funny thing is, once Carole knew that Eric was coming home Friday morning she felt she shouldn't stay through Saturday.  She wanted to give us more time just the two of us.  So I dropped her off for her flight home before picking Eric up from his red eye flight.  We really enjoyed having Carole as a care giver.  Her relaxed mentality made it seem like we were on a mini vacation.  Bless her heart because I was a grumpy monkey thanks to this UTI and virus.  I was living off pain medicine and really couldn't do much since I always needed quick access to a bathroom.

Well that's it for today, I hope you are ready for a great weekend!  Peace out from apartment 302.

Day 78

Woo hoo, day 78 is here and my doctor continues to tell me he expects to release me next week.  I am so excited to see what happens.  It sounds like me and Grandma will stay in Durham through the end of the month.  Only because Eric is having all his friends visiting in Charlotte and there is no more room in the house.  I wish I could go home right away but this is the way that makes the most sense.

Plus, I hate delaying my reunion with Buster but we've made it this long, what's one more week?  My original plan was to be home by the first week of June.  So I'll definitely get my wish and be able to really start my new life in a great summer while monitoring my immune system.  Buster will keep me active and we will rebuild our Mama & Son relationship.

Carole has been a great care giver, she has made some great dishes. First a Caprese salad, which was awesome, then Mushroom & beef stroganoff, one of my favorites!  It's been great to have fabulous food.  Plus, Carole has been taking care of everything since it hurts just to move so she has taken on all our errands, picking up prescriptions and all kinds of stuff.  I am thankful she is here during this time because she can relate to how I feel and she feels horrible for me.  Even the nurses at clinic feel bad for me since this is such a painful and lengthy virus.  No treatment just waiting it out, this totally sucks.  Just one more thing to conquer before getting released back in to life.

Well that's it for today, I will continue to lay low and try to manage my pain.  I will try to get some sleep as I was up every hour last night going to the bathroom.  But the doctors say I have to flush this out of my system, they gave me extra fluid yesterday and I've been drinking a good amount of water.  It just hurts to go to the bathroom so it's extra annoying and it makes me cranky.  Your prayers for a quick recovery would be greatly appreciated.  Love and peace from apartment 302.

Day 77

Man, I am in pain.  This urinary track infection is kicking my ass.  I was up every hour last night to pee, which is painful in itself.  The pain doesn't go away no matter how many pain killers I take.  It hurts to walk, sit and stand.  I'm pretty miserable, please excuse my bitching but it makes me feel a little better to share my feelings.  So I've been laying low today.  I am at clinic getting extra fluid to hopefully flush out this virus, plus magnesium and my antibiotic.  This will be my last day on the antibiotic which doesn't really seem to be working.  I also had to get a chest x-ray so I got a late start at clinic.  The last thing I wanted to do was run around to the Duke clinics and then back to the Bone Marrow clinic.  But this is what you have to do.

Carole is at home cleaning which is much appreciated.  I can't be around when the vacuum is going and I can't be around cleaning products.  I think I've already mentioned this in a previous blog.  Oh well chemo brain is a valid excuse, which I use quite often.  I'm hoping to see my doctor again today, especially since he's talking about sending me home soon!  I'm afraid to believe him because I don't want to get my hopes up.

Ahh finally the IV pain reliever has started to do it's job.  This is the first relief that I've had in three days.  If only I could give that to myself.  I'm a big fan of IV medicine since it works faster.

I just heard from the car guy and the jeep is finally fixed.  Yesterday, he called to tell me that they ordered the wrong window so we had to wait until today.  At least it's fixed, what an ordeal though, we thought we would have had the jeep back on Monday.

Well that's it for today, I hope you all are having a fabulous Wednesday.  Signing off from the clinic.

Day 76

Well, it turns out not only do I have a staff bacteria I also have the polyomavirus virus.  The virus has no treatment and you just have to ride it out which can take up to 5 weeks.  Bummer, I'm tired of getting bacteria's and ailments.  However, at least it's not something worse.

I actually heard some great news today, straight from Dr. Horwitz.  I asked when he thought I might be able to go home.  He shocked me by saying possibly next week!  I asked him to repeat that so I could be sure.  Now I'm just going to hold tight, not get my hopes up and just pray he's right.  I would love to go home, I can't wait to pick up Buster and go back home.  Going home means moving forward with our life.

After receiving my antibiotic at clinic I had an eye doctor appointment, well we were 15 minutes late to the appointment but they took me straight in.  The eye doctor said my eye is getting better, I still have some spots but they are smaller than they were last time.  She wants me to get rechecked next month to make sure they continue to get better.

It's a beautiful day here today, Carole's enjoying some time by the pool while I enjoy some down time of my own.  It's working out quite well, she's a great care giver but also knows how to give me some "me" time which is greatly appreciated.

We were expecting to get the jeep back but I got a call from the shop and they ordered the wrong glass so they won't get the right glass until tomorrow.  It's just one thing after another with these guys, at least this time they called to tell me.  So we've been cruising around in the Cadillac, which is super fun.  It's a nice ride so I enjoy driving it around.

Well that's it for today, I hope you are happy and enjoying life.  Much love from 302.

Day 75

Well, I'm at clinic and it turns out I have another bacterial infection.  Nothing major but it requires daily treatment by IV so for a week I'll have daily clinic visits.  The doctor told me I must be trying to have the most bacterial infections than any other patient.  This one is a staff bacteria which is common after transplant.  Other than that I'm feeling alright.

I dropped Eric off at the airport at 4:00 am, he's headed to California for the week.  We picked up Carole, my step mom, yesterday she'll be helping me this week.  Next week will be my Grandma and she is my last care giver because I should be going home soon!  I can't wait to move back home and of course to have my Buster boy back.

We are still waiting to get the jeep back.  The place that is supposed to be fixing my jeep, broke my back window so now we are waiting for them to get the glass to replace their mistake.  That's why I had to wake up so early to take Eric to the airport.  Good thing we have two cars.

There's not much more to say, I hope you all have a good Monday.  Much love from the clinic.

Day 73

It's Hunger Games day!  We are going to the movie at 10:30, of course Eric is bummed to learn the movie is 2.5 hours long.  I told him to get over it, he promised he would see it with me.  He agreed as he should.  :) We woke up and drove to Dunkin, I'm enjoying my coffee now.

Today my cousin, Colby, is marrying his lovely bride Angelica.  My whole family is there with them in Austin, it will be quite an affair, I wish I could be there.  The doctor wouldn't let me go, plus, I'm not supposed to fly.  So I'll wait to see photos and hear stories, I know everyone will have a fun time.  I wish them the best and I hope they enjoy every minute of this day.  I remember our wedding day went by way too fast.  I wish I could relive that day.

Yesterday, Eric and I did some shopping at the outlet mall, it was nice.  We found some good stuff for good prices.  I got a new dress and skirt, I've been living in sweats for three months.  I can't wait to wear them.  It will be nice to feel girly again.  Having a bald head makes you feel kind of boyish.

Well that's it for today, I hope you have a fabulous Saturday.  I know I will!  Peace out from apartment 302.  

Day 72

Happy Friday!  I'm at clinic getting some magnesium, I didn't need potassium so that's good.  I don't like getting magnesium it makes you feel hot, like my insides are on fire.  But it's necessary, it's what keeps your muscles moving.  Other than that I just feel kind of tired, and achy.  My mouth is still very annoying, I have a constant bad taste in my mouth and more phlegm than I can handle.  The doctor says there's nothing they can do about that, I just have to wait for my skin to finish sloughing off.  My skin on my body looks to be sloughing off as well, I'm slowly loosing my tan but I have lots more freckles in it's place.

Today we are finally getting the jeep fixed.  The back door and window have been broken for awhile now.  The door won't open and the window kept sliding down.  We ended up taking it to a near by gas station and the guy is pretty nice, and he gave us a fair price.  It will be nice to have the jeep back to normal.

We went to Charlotte yesterday, it was good to be home and check on the house.  I don't think the neighbor has been feeding our fish, when we left we had four now we have two. Just add that to the list of awesome things they do for us. The two who died had been with us for awhile, one was the runt and the other was the bully.  I'm glad to see the bully go but I feel bad for the runt.  I think our snake fish, Jake, ate them I can see fish bones in his cave.

Well that's it for today, thanks for reading.  Have a good Friday!  Peace out from the clinic.

Day 71

Day 71, can't wait til it's day 80 so I can start bugging my doctors about going home.  Today Eric and I are making a trip to Charlotte.  He needs to cut the grass and we are going to drop off and pick up some things.  Plus, he wants to clean house before his Buffalo Boys come out for a visit in two weeks.  It will be my first time back home since this all started.  It will be nice to see the house and check on our fish.  Our neighbor is supposed to be taking care of them for us.  Although the neighbor hasn't checked in with me for awhile and they seem to think that letting the grass grow tall is normal.  Most neighbors would take care of cutting the lawn for us but not ours.  Just another reason why we don't really like them.  I swear we have the rudest neighbors, no wonder why we want to move.

Anyway, I'm feeling better today just sore from sleep, I used to love our bed pillows but now I've decided they are too squishy, Eric and I wake up with all kinds of aches and pains.  Although maybe it's a sign of us getting older, we aren't kids anymore.

I'm really missing Buster, I just can't wait to get him home and have my buddy back.  I want him to know his mama loves him so much.  I worry about him even though I know he is fine, he's in a good home but it's not our home.  At least he has a fun playmate, Keiffer, loves playing with him and they have the same amount of energy.  I'm so lucky we have Keiffer's family to help us out.

Well not much else to say today.  Hopefully, we make it to Charlotte without any problems.  I hope you all have a splendid day.  Much love from apartment 302.

Day 69

Slept in this morning, woke up without an alarm, man it's nice not having to go to Clinic every day.  We've even been out to run our errands.  Now, I'm just waiting on Eric to fix lunch while my Micafungin pumps through my PICC line.  We are having roast beef with horseradish sauce with tator tots, yum.  All is well here we have no complaints.  I'm feeling great, no nausea or bad fevers I think I'm pretty healthy.

Tomorrow Eric and I plan on doing a little shopping on his lunch break.  It's so nice having freedom to do things.  Well I guess there's not too much to report.  I hope you all have a fantastic day.  Peace out from apartment 302.

Day 70

Well today I feel like I was hit by a train.  I didn't sleep well because I've been taking magnesium pills and they kept me up all night visiting the restroom.  Luckily, my doctor told me I could stop them since they aren't worth the trouble.  Instead, I'll just have to get magnesium at the clinic through the IV.  I hate taking magnesium it makes you feel like you have a fire burning inside your body.  One time I had a nurse mistakenly flush it through me really fast and it burned so bad I had to scream.  Now I get it almost every other day but you never get used to the feeling.

The only other thing that is bothering me is my mouth, apparently it is sloughing off the chemo damage.  It makes me have a bad taste and texture in my mouth and you can see a sort of film all over my gums and the roof of my mouth.  The doctor says this is the body's way of healing and it will go away eventually.  My skin seems to be healing it's constantly shedding but it's nice new skin underneath the chemo burn.

Today, I finally asked my nurse practitioner when I might be able to think about going home.  She laughed because it's only day 70.  However, she did tell me to give her 10 days and then I can start bugging her.  They say it's typically around day 90 but I'm hoping it will be less than that.  She did say that if I keep doing so well than it could be earlier.  I've been wanting to ask but have been holding back on relentlessly asking every day.  The end is in sight and I'm ready to pick up Buster and go home.

Well that's it for today, I hope you all have a great day.  Peace out from the clinic.

Day 68

Monday, back to the clinic I'm waiting for lab results while taking my micafungin.  I'm beginning to like saying that one, and it's been the one medicine I've been on since leaving the hospital.  I don't know how long I'll have to keep taking it since my lungs feel fine to me, I guess they just want to make sure they are perfectly clear.

I'm still smiling from my wonderful weekend off, it was just so nice even though we didn't do much it was nice to not have to do anything.  We watched a lot of Grimm, what will we do when we run out of episodes?  I don't really watch a lot of TV so when it's on it's usually on ESPN or the Golf channel.  My preference is for E!, TNT or USA.  I like reruns even if I've already seen them and of course I love some good gossip and fashion.

I heard from Buster's foster family, that's what I've decided to call them.  They told me that Buster is now big enough to jump their fence and just the other day he jumped the fence in pursuit of a baby stroller.  Once he reached the stroller he jumped up and started licking the poor child, of course, the mother was freaking out.  Luckily, Buster had nothing but love for the child but I'm sure it was a bit scary too.  Oh boy, while I'm glad he loves kids, I'll have to make sure he doesn't make a habit of attacking strollers.

Pretty soon Keith (foster dad) will take Buster to get nudered, it's time, as beautiful as he is I don't want to be a grand mama.  I'm hoping it won't be long before I will be reunited with my baby.  I sure hope he remembers me and isn't mad at me for leaving him.  We'll see...

That's it for today, I hope your week starts off on the right foot. Peace out from the Clinic.  

Day 67

Happy Sunday, as my dear friend Kelley Devine would say, it's Sunday Fun day!  Sorry I didn't write yesterday, I was enjoying my first day of freedom.  Eric and I meant to sleep in but our bodies are still on clinic schedule so we woke up and did one of our old favorite things, went to Dunkin Donuts and took a ride through the country side.  It was awesome, it was my first Dunkin in a long time and it was a beautiful morning.

Next we went home and prepared for the Kentucky Derby!  I love the derby and so does Eric, he likes the betting and I like the horses.  He has taught me how to read the racing forms so I can make an educated pick.  I had one horse place, Dullahan, but we didn't win very much.  It's still fun, I can't imagine what it would be like to win big!

Well Eric and I have already done the grocery shopping and now I'm back home taking my Micafungin.  It's rainy here so we'll probably just stay in, a nice quiet Sunday.  I've very much enjoyed my time off from Clinic and hopefully I'll have more Clinic free weekends to enjoy!  I hope your weekend has been great, much love from apartment 302.

Day 65

It's official, I don't have to go to Clinic all weekend!  I am so excited, we can sleep in and do whatever we want!  I will give myself my Micafungin each day but that's it nothing extra.  I'll be back in Clinic on Monday and I might get to go to every other day if my lab counts look good.

Cynthia left this morning, we are sad to see her go, she was a great help and it was really nice to get to know her more.  Of course, we're family but I haven't been around her a lot and we've never spent this much time together.  Just another example of the good things that have come from all of this, I never would have had the chance to spend so much time with Cynthia.  Lots of blessings come every day.

When I finish up with Clinic I'll go home to meet a home nurse who will confirm that I know what I'm doing with my IV.  Once that's complete I'll be done for the day.  It will be just Eric and I for this coming week since he won't be traveling.  It will be nice to be just the two of us, although I'm sure we will miss having meals being cooked for us.  Hopefully, we will get to the movies and finally see the Hunger Games.  That would be fun.  It's supposed to be hot so we'll lay low.  It was 90 something yesterday, Cynthia and I hiked around the gardens in the heat, of course I wore lots of sunscreen and a big hat.  My skin still has a really brown color, Eric commented today how tan I look.  The doctors tell me eventually it will fade, right now I don't mind being tan especially since it's finally evened out.  In the beginning I was really splotchy almost purple in places.

Well that's it for today, I hope you all are having a fabulous Friday.  TGIF right?  Much love from the Clinic.  

Day 64

I'm sitting in Clinic waiting to get my lab results back.  In a half hour I'll meet with a nurse who will teach me how to give myself the Micafungin IV.  This way tomorrow I'll be able to do it again by myself, I'll still have to come to Clinic but that's just for labs and if I have any questions.  If all goes well we will have a whole weekend with out Clinic!

Eric gets home from Greenville today and tonight we are having Cynthia's roast.  Eric loves roast so he is very excited.  It will be a nice evening before Cynthia has to go home tomorrow.  Yesterday, she cleaned the apartment, bathrooms and everything!  It was so nice of her and it feels good to be in a clean place.  Plus, this means less for Eric to worry about since I'm not allowed to clean.  It's weird since I feel better I want to be able to do more like cooking and cleaning but I can't for awhile.  Not that I'm bummed that I can't clean but I do miss cooking.

After Clinic, Cynthia and I are going to the Duke gardens, we haven't made it over there yet so I'm excited to show her all the flowers.  I'm expecting to learn a lot since she knows the names of many flowers.  She's already taught me a lot, I know the names of most of the trees and shrubs in my apartment complex.  I can't wait to take Eric for a walk and tell him all the names of everything.  He may think it's funny but I like it, plus, I'm such a tree lover it's fun to know what their names.

Well that's all I have to report for today, I hope you all are having a great week!  Much love from the Clinic.

Day 63

Wow, I'm at the Clinic and have just learned that I get to stop taking "the nastiness"!  Turns out that's what has been causing my liver to be so "pissed off".  They have decided to put me back on the IV drug for my lungs but they are going to set me up so that I can give the IV to myself at home!  Isn't that crazy?  They will bring a nurse in tomorrow who will teach me how to do it and then they will deliver the medicine to the apartment weekly.  This means I'll have some days off from Clinic, finally!  I'll still have to come Monday, Wednesday, Friday for lab checks but as I need less they will cut down my weekly visits.  Another cool thing is I might get to have the weekend off from Clinic all together!  That would be so nice, to have an actual weekend where we don't have to work around Clinic.

In other news, my liver ultra sound came back looking good, that's how they know it's strictly the medicine that is causing problems.  That was a relief because a part of me was worried there might be a new problem to deal with.  Overall, I just have to kick the lung fungus and make sure I don't get any other bacteria infections in my blood.  I feel great so I'll just keep up with my medicines and my daily walks and count the days until they finally let me go home.

I'm really enjoying having Cynthia here, yesterday we went for a walk in our complex and she taught me the names of most of the flowers and trees that we saw.  I love that stuff and I've been wondering what all these pretty trees and flowers were.  Hopefully, we'll get to the Duke gardens today and she can teach me a whole lot more.

Also, Cynthia has been a great help with the insurance, she used to work in insurance/medical billing so she knows a lot.  We got a new bill from Duke yesterday and she helped me figure out if we need to pay it or not.  It's amazing how complicating all the billing can be but she has taught me that you never pay the bill until you see what the insurance expects you to pay.  Which requires a little research but luckily I have a great website where I can track all my claims.  So once again I've been blessed with another great care giver.

That's it for today, I hope your day is going well, it's the middle of the week so the weekend is in sight!  Much love from the Clinic.  

Day 62 part 2

Great news, I don't have to take my daily IV drug that I was taking for my lungs.  It turns out the liquid medicine I refer to as "the nastiness" has absorbed enough in my body that it will take care of the rest of my lung fungus.  This is awesome because it should mean I can get some days off from clinic!  Of course I'll still have to take "the nastiness" four times a day but I'll take that over an hour on the IV any day!

Second great thing, I didn't need any extra IV's, for once my magnesium and potassium counts were high! Cynthia and I were back home from the clinic and the ultra sound by 12:30, which is the earliest I've ever made it home.  I have no idea what to do with a whole afternoon!  Awe the little things make me so happy.

Hope your day is going well, peace out from apartment 302!

Day 62

Well this morning started off with a minor emergency.  I got out of the shower and noticed my picc line was bleeding pretty bad.  Cynthia called the Clinic right away and they said come straight in so we did.  Turns out it's not uncommon in the first 72 hours for this to happen and all they had to do was change my dressing.  The bleeding stopped and I'm all fixed up now.  It was just a little freaky to see my own blood and not being able to address the actual site of the bleeding.  Overall, it was really no big deal but it did show how efficient the Clinic works.  When I walked in every one already knew I was coming and they ushered me right in without checking in and they fixed me up right away.  It's amazing how well the staff and doctors work together within the entire bone marrow transplant center.

Now I'm just waiting to get my antibiotics and get my lab results to see if I need anything extra.  After that I have an ultrasound on my liver.  All these antibiotics and medications have done a number on my liver, as my doctor says "your liver is really pissed off".  They want to check it out and make sure there is nothing else.

Well they just released me to go get my ultra sound so I'm signing off.  Maybe I'll write a little more later.