Day 16 Bone Marrow Test

Heidi Doesn't like Port Maintenance Procedures

Whoever was counting days yesterday must have been drinking because I think I called it Day 14.  Fortunately I'm drinking again tonight.  The entire day counting thing just requires higher math than I can muster these days.  I hereby declare that until the Stone IPA wears off, it's Day 16.

I stayed here last night on a rollaway cot.  Not real comfortable and not real restful.  The nurses have a way of coming in many times during the night.  Late last night the nurse decided the port needle was seven days old and had to be replaced.  Cool because I was here to witness it.  Not so cool because it was an hour past my bedtime.  But it is very clear to everyone here that it is not about me.  And when I state that, understand that the english language is not sufficient to illustrate the gravity of such an understatement. 



This is what it looks like without the external needle inserted



I set up my cot out of the way and they went about their invasive business throughout the night treating me like something between a piece of furniture and a freeway lane-closed sign.  That's okay, I got to stay the night with Heidi.  One complaint, though.  All my fantasies about sleeping over with Heidi and her cute girlfriends were tiring for a different reason.  <sigh>  That's okay, I got to stay the night with Heidi.

The Day 14 bone marrow extraction occurred today.  Please don't make me do the day counting thing again because I'm out of beer.  We're hoping for preliminary results Friday, but final results won't be here until next week.  If Daunarubicin and Cytarabine did their job, it should be clear of leukemia cells.  Then all she has to do is recover from this round of poison.  That is expected to take 1 to 2 more weeks here in the hospital.  Subsequently will be the next round, a one-week bout of cytarabine.

 

Needle Going In.  There's a Drop of Water on the End



Her white blood count is at 0.2 today, the lowest yet.  The Absolute Nutrophil Count (ANC), has been at zero the last two days.  The doctors said all along that day 14 would be the low point in her immune system and so far that is true.  Hopefully tomorrow she will start climbing.  

Check out the photo to the left showing the new needle going in.  Heidi doesn't like to watch that stuff.  I was kinda worried that the camera flash would disorient the nurse and he'd miss the mark or fall backward or he'd jump up and stick the other nurse.  Fortunately this is not an episode of The Three Stooges visit the Hospital. 

Trying to Remain Calm during the Port Maintenance Procedure



No fever today, which is great news.  Maybe the double antibiotic cocktail they give her thrice daily is doing its job.  Personally, I'd rather have a double Tanqueray martini, especially when it's time to count days.  Or perhaps the grass-roots movement to stop touching the drinking cup lip zone is taking hold. 

Back in the Window Seat





Heidi received 2 more pints of red blood cells today.  That makes 10 pints of reds and 2 pints of platelets total so far.  Have you gone to http://givelife.org/ yet?  Yay to Laurie L., super-duper blood donor, who gave today.