 ©1999-1999 ICFTP What're you, kidding? |
Here we are, day two on the Unit. It's not so bad, kids, so don't sweat it. Yet. Got my computer all set up good, got all the software I need, a great digital camera, some absolutely kick-ass speakers, lots of CDs, some books to read. Thought for a little while I was gonna get to tap into the hospital's LAN and surf at network speeds, but the hospital IS department rejected my request for access. Security issues. Dammit.
There's a daily routine to follow here, of course. Get up in the morning, shower, mouth care four times a day. Various and sundry medicines. I'm always hooked up to my friend the IV tree. Four lines run from my chest, across the floor, up the stand, into the pumps and into the bags of whatever they decide to pump into me today.
That damn tree follows me wherever I go, and that damn pump beeps at me whenever it wants attention. It's like a puppy. It's not exactly a complicated piece of equipment, and it's labelled clearly, but every time I do the things it obviously wants me to do, a nurse slaps my hand. Well, I did accidentally give myself 100 miligrams of saline in a flush and Sandra said it should've been more like twenty, but hey. IT WAS BEEPING. IT WOULDN'T SHUT UP. It has a silence button, but it's like the snooze button - only shuts the thing up for a few precious moments. I always end up screaming for a nurse.
"HELP! It won't shut up! Make it STOP!"
Speaking of nurses, the folks here couldn't be cooler. They're treating me right, so you guys can stop planning the commando raid to rescue me. I want to be here, really I do. Well, ok, maybe I don't, but I need to be here. At least that's what they tell me. I never actually SAW any leukemia. They just took my blood away into a dark room, giggled to each other and then came out, poking each other in the side, going "Let's tell him he's got leukemia and see how far we can go with it."
Yes, all four of those bags drip into little old me. They are, from left to right - 0.9% Sodium Chloride, Busulfex (which is labelled HAZARDOUS DRUG - refer to safe handling procedure - dispose of properly - yep, that would be the chemo), Dopamine (to make me pee - they've got one bag to put fluid in me and one to get it out!) and another bag of Sodim Chloride (also known as saline). They're always there, trailing behind me. Someone needs to design a better caster for em to roll on, cause they NEVER want to roll straight.
Another daily routine is cleaning my catheters after my shower. No big deal, except when the tape gets stuck real hard to my chest. Ouch. That's Sandra the Super Nurse peeling my flesh, uh, I mean the bandage from my chest. Thank god I'm not hirsute.
Did ya'll know that hospital scrubs make the best pajamas?
Wondering about the chemo? They bring in a new jar every six hours or so (whether I'm awake or not, don't matter to them), hang it on the tree and hook it into the line and it starts a-drippin. I don't really feel it, just a slowly increasing feeling of crappiness. I'm into my seventh or eigth dose (out of sixteen, I just found out) now, and it's not so bad. It takes a while for the stuff to build up in your system. It's weird to just hang around and let the slowly destroy you from the inside out so you can get better.
I want to thank everyone that's been sending me email and writing back and forth. You guys (and gals) are making a real difference to me. When the morning flies by because I am happily reading and answering email, it's a morning that I didn't spend thinking that it sucks to be in a hospital room attached to a bunch of IV lines and peeing every five minutes.You kids are wonderful, keep it up!
Special shout out to the family at the Porch - I miss you all horribly. Please grab a kitten or member of the opposite sex and pet it with absolute abondon. Ya'll are never far from my heart.
And to Tanya, who is with me as much as she can be and still keep her job - (smootch) Thanks, babe.
Well, I'm outta here. They just shot me full of Ativan, and this stuff kicks my ass. I thought Dark Side of the Moon was appropriate, so I'm gonna go lie in a drugged daze and listen to Floyd. You know, like we used to.
See ya