At Home

I finally was released on Sunday and am very glad to be home, enjoying another beautiful view out my window, although I'm not sure how thrilled I am about the snow outside. But, with spring coming, I know it will be gone soon. I am amazed at how exhausted I am now that I am home. My goal is just to rest and recuperate to continue to build up my immune system. The more sleeping I do the quicker my white blood cells will come back. And, as always seems to be the case when I get home, my hair is starting to fall out. And just as all my hair had come back from my last treatment. Oh well! I'll be wearing my Cubs World Series cap now that baseball season is soon to begin. Go Cubs!!  And I will see the doctor in about 2 weeks to decide what the next steps will be in my treatment.

On the Rebound/Saturday

Just wanted to send a quick update. I hit rock bottom last Wednesday with my white blood cell count going to just about zero and my immune system wiped out. I felt light headed and extremely fatigued with lots of little issues generally making me feel crummy. I had been getting daily shots to help boost my white blood cells and on Thursday I received a blood transfusion. As a result, my white blood cell count improved significantly on Friday. My appetite has returned and I feel like doing things again. Enjoyed a couple Division 3 basketball games last night on YouTube since Hope College and Augustana College were in the playoffs. Augustana, Terri's alma mater, won and moves on. Hope, my school, was eliminated. 😟 It would have been nice to see them play off against each other.

In the meantime, I continue to enjoy watching the beautiful sunny weather and all the activity in the park and the harbor and on the streets below. I do hear from Terri and the nurses, however, that it is unusually cold for Chicago right now. Guess I don't have to worry about that!   😃

Hopefully, I'll be heading home early next week.

A view Saturday morning from the hospital

Day 11 Update

Keeping hydrated with my Batman water bottle from Drew and Zachary while enjoying photo cards  from Anna, Norah, and Greta as well as good wishes from so many. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Treatment is going as expected with counts dropping. I am feeling more fatigued as a result. Most of the treatment ends today so now it is just a waiting game while dealing with all of the little annoying side effects of any treatment in the hospital. I keep busy with reading, daily devotions, some TV, youTube videos of old sitcoms, word searches, and watching the world go by. Terri and I have relearned how to play gin rummy and solitaire which are great diversions.

Day 9 Waiting

Watching the ship cruise the harbor

Hooray! The chemo infusion finished up late on Tuesday after 4 days of being plugged in to the wall with a medical pole following me around. It is wonderful not to be hooked up 24/7. Now it's just time to wait and see how I respond to the treatment as my immune system rebuilds itself. The doctor wants to keep me in the hospital for at least another week to 10 days to monitor my condition. We'll see how that goes and how I feel. In the meantime, it is a beautiful day, if cold, with the sun shining so I can continue to enjoy the wonderful view from my room. Lake Michigan is fascinating with the change in colors as the sun goes in and out of the clouds. And I just saw the first luncheon cruise ship of the season come around Navy Pier. In March!!  Spring MUST be coming!