 ©1999-1999 ICFTP What're you, kidding? |
24 May 1999:
I guess it's time to do the first entry from the hospital. I'm sitting here at the little desk, listening to Barenaked Ladies (on my 7500's internal speaker - I'm waiting for Tanya to bring me my new speakers after lunch!) and just kinda cruising along. I'm two chemo treatments into this, and so far it's not bad.
That'll change, of course.
But for now I'm just wandering around the room, back and forth from the bathroom cause they've got me on a constant saline drip, which means that fluid is constantly being taken into my body, which means that I'm constantly peein'. As a matter of fact, I think I'll pee right now. Again. Be right back.
Did my mouth care while I was up. Some yummy stuff to swish, some weird chalky stuff to swallow (to coat my insides so the chemo don't fuck it up too bad) and some truly NASTY junk, baby-shit yellow, to swish and spit. Ick. I spit for hours afterwards.
So, ya'll wondering what this place looks like? There's not a whole lot to it. Come on in, I'll show ya around.
First thing you see when ya walk in is my bed. Man, that thing is comfy! Seriously. Of course it does all the hospital bed tricks, raises, lowers, rolls over, plays dead. It's also a scale, so when they wanna weigh me, all I do is lay there. I can do that really well. Got an exercise bike so I don't atrophy and get all Stephen Hawking lookin' (ok, ok, all you Stephen Hawking fans, put down the blades, put em DOWN) and I've got a nice recliner in case I feel like... reclining.
This is where I'm sitting right now. Kind of a switch from my monster desk at home. Oh well. Notice the hip new Sony ES200 17 inch glowing in a cheerful and happy fashion. Hehehehe, I got the BEST presents for doing this shit! New monitor, new set of Cambridge Soundworks speakers (should be here shortly, with a nice Tanya in tow), Epson digital camera, nine gig hard drive and Mark says he wants to give me the Stumblecam since it's an old serial Quickcam and he wants a USB camera for his IMac! Damn, ya'll!
Oh yeah, dig this. One of my relatives owns stock in Pixar so he sent me their annual report, along with a videotape of Geri's Game! Rock! Hehehehehe, too cool.
Dammit, I gotta pee AGAIN. Agh, why don't ya'll come with me.
Cool, huh? That thing to the left is a portable toilet in case I'm too sick or gotta go too bad to make it to the bathroom from the bed, which is all of eight feet away. Kinda tells you what the next couple of weeks are gonna be like. Yes, the container hanging on the rail is, in fact, full of fluids processed by yours truly. They don't flush NUTHIN' here. They collect it all, urine, feces and vomit. There's a lot of data about what's going on inside your body in your waste, and odd as it may sound, it makes total sense to collect it and analyze it.
Every couple of hours or so they do bloodwork of some sort or another, or administer a drug. If the drug's not in pill form, it goes in through the Hickman catheters in my chest. She's drawing blood out in the picture above. It doesn't hurt at all, but it feels weird when they pump stuff in. Ever drink a really cold Coke on a really hot day? You know how it feels cool inside your chest when it slips down your throat? Same thing.
Well, right now things ain't so bad. It's gonna get worse before it gets better, but I knew that. I'll enjoy the peace while I've got it. Would really enjoy a piece right now. Any takers? Anyone got a nurse's uniform and skill at bluffing their way onto intensive care wards? Send me an application.