Bryce
First, I’d like to thank everyone that prayed, emailed, texted, called, offered advice, etc after my last post. I found a calm on Tuesday and Wednesday that I’d been lacking the previous week, and the stay in the hospital was much more bearable. So, thank you.
Released
Wednesday started with a bedside bone marrow biopsy. Of the procedures experienced thus far, the biopsies have been the “best”. There’s an initial stinging similar to getting stung multiple times by a wasp which is unpleasant but afterwards it’s mainly pressure. This biopsy was accompanied with a shot of morphine that knocked me out six hours; best sleep I had in 20 days.
On Thursday the APRN, who’s my favorite member of my care team, entered my room 1pm with Mary Beth on speaker and announced the initial pass of the biopsy showed “no obvious signs of cancer”, and I was FREE TO LEAVE. It was a magnificent moment. Like everything leukemia related, we won’t know the full results of the biopsy until next week, but I’m living this weekend like I don’t have cancer.
Mary Beth busted through the cancer ward door’s at 4:30. It was the most beautiful sight; second to our wedding day. I cried on both.
Home Life
I’ve been home two nights and am adjusting to life on the outside. It’s been wonderful being home, waking up in my bed next to MB, having the freedom to get my own food/water, and resting. The downside is I’m still neutropenic, highly susceptible to infection, and live plants and flowers can still kill me. It’s difficult going from living in a bubble to returning home; there’s comfort in being in the bubble. A nurse told me the story about farmer Bob who was neutropenic, cut his grass, got an infection and died. A different patient used well water to flush his picc line in hopes of getting an infection to secure more pain meds; the nurse didn’t specify but I think he survived. Right now I’m afraid of grass clippings but will figure out how to balance the grass and well water risks/rewards as we go through more cycles.
Butt Update
If you’ve ever been to Japan, then you know their toilet hygiene is on another level. The bidets are intimidating at first, but as Sheryl Sandberg says, “lean in”. I’ve wanted one since our trip last fall, and Mary Beth surprised me with a bidet attachment. Butt still intact and 🙂
Metrics that Matter
- Physical feels: 8/10
- Emotional feels: 8.5/10
- Cumulative hours of chemo: 67.33
- Butt: still intact
