September 7, 2012
Wahoo! I am happy to report that I am in my own bed with my snuggly little Alice Eloise! Good thing, too, because I imagine everyone on the hematology/oncology floor has heard enough about my precious doodley-pie! Often times when a newcomer would enter my room, I would ask “Do you like dogs?” and, like any proud parent, I would whip out my phone to show off some adorable puppy pictures. And when I was looney after my bone marrow biopsy, I kept giving her commands, such as “Alice, hug!” “Alice, bring Dilaudid!” And, although it is typically out of character for me express much anger, due to my anesthesia-altered frame of mind, I was becoming frustrated that my pain could not be addressed. This led me to command, “Alice, smack some sense into these crazy human beings!”. But of course, my gentle little one would never smack anyone!
Anyway, I think Alice was amazed to see me upon my return home. Our reunion was just about the sweetest cuddle fest imaginable, much akin to this charming video of that well-known lion reunion. I rarely get teary-eyed. But this video ALMOST gets me every time I watch it.
Now for a recap of the past few days of my hospital admission. The blood transfusion did boost my hemoglobin a bit. They only drew my labs twice since then, and my counts were still very low, so I am concerned that they will be causing problems again. But for now, I am just enjoying being home!
And as my mom reported, I had no paralysis following my bone marrow biopsy! I just loved my anesthesiologist to pieces! Just one of the sweetest people I have ever met. She actually listened to the concerns that my parents and I had. And I was pleasantly surprised to find that she seemed to have a pretty thorough knowledge of the adverse effects that anesthesia can have on mito patients. Taking everything into consideration, we took our best shot at selecting a good combo of anesthetics for me. And as one of the many major bonuses of being in a children’s hospital, upon my request they were able to dig up a root beer scented mask for my laughing gas! As I was drifting into my la-la land, I began to wonder how long one had to be a doctor before they were allowed to watch Rachael Ray while performing surgical procedures. I know it was my first time having Rachael in on such a thing! Personally, I thought it was a nice touch.
Anyway, although there was no paralysis, I was in MUCH more pain following my biopsy than I usually am after such procedures. So you can imagine that I was unprepared when the attending doc was talking about shipping me out the door that very day. But thankfully Dr. Wilson knows me better than that, and realizes that my recovery time is longer than the average person’s. It was decided that they would up my Dilaudid, hoping that the added pain control would be enough to get me out the door the next day. Well, it worked! I’m still pretty sore, but it ‘s getting better. I am hoping that now that we have found a proper combination of anesthetics for me, we can adjust the amounts and find that perfect balance to avoid paralysis yet still adress pain!
The results of my biopsy have not returned, but from the initial view of the sample, Dr. Wilson doesn’t see HLH actively flaring in my bone marrow. Hopefully the further testing will reveal what has been going on! I am already running fevers again. And while I am not sure what is wrong, I can feel that something is just not right. So let’s just say the hospital bag is not being unpacked quite yet.
Oh, and that picture up there? The sign says “Walk with the knowledge that you are never alone,” a quote of my favorite actress, Audrey Hepburn. Isn’t my fiancé the sweetest? Which one is my fiancé, you ask? Well, you may remember this story, but when I was in Orlando last year, my good friend Eric gathered a large group of his fraternity brothers and came to the Ronald McDonald House to surprise me with a lovely serenade. They also presented me with a lavalier, one of my most prized possessions. A lavalier is often given as a predecessor to a marriage proposal. So I am not certain precisely which handsome fellow is my fiancé. But to all the gentlemen of Phi Delta Theta, just know I think very highly of you! Just a few nights ago, Eric pulled off one of his world-famous surprises by bringing together these thoughtful young men from my favorite fraternity to put a smile on my face once again. I love you, Phi Delta Theta!
And thank you to everyone who has been keeping me in their prayers, especially this week! He’s a good guy, that God. He has that perfect timing thing down pat! Amazingly I stayed out of the hospital throughout the hectic time of our home renovation. It’s never fun being in the hospital, but I trust that God has things figured out. He’s just trying to get those doctor’s up to speed!
