A Hard Monday-Labs and Pix Deb Shot

Click on pix to enlarge

Deb had some breakfast then we went to the hospital for her special anti-pneumonia treatment. There was some confusion about the location and I was having to wheel Deb in a wheelchair today because she was so weak. So we were sent from the East side of the hospital to the West side only to be told Deb's treatment would be where we had just come from.  I think I got my aerobics in today!

After that treatment,  we came back home and Deb slept until time to go into the chemo clinic at 2:30. She finished about 7 pm tonight. She sat in cluster with the Turkish family and our young Austrian gal. She had been back in Austria to see her young son, then had to return for treatment. The Turkish family will have several more weeks of treatment then go home for six weeks.

I've never been in prison but I suspect the feeling is similar when one is released to go home after a long clinic stay! The new condo is helping us deal with that felling of total separation when you are away for a long time.

One of the belly shots all ready to be savored

They usually save the best for last; sort of a dessert-med. Deb gets to have a shot in her belly which is put in very slowly. Perhaps they know people would leave if they started with a belly-shot?  Would you?  Yesterday she got two of them. You know its coming when the nurse sweetly asks "which side do you want it in?" Deb has quarter-sized bruises all over her tummy. Pictures not available because Vern wants to live!

Deb wanted her special cool supper again tonight: cottage cheese mixed with banana and Cheerios.
Vern had something else!

{interruption while we troubleshot the warning from the infusion bag. Deb had already gone to bed}

Labs here are a very big thing. Deb had eleven tubes of blood drawn and analyzed today before she got her meds. Of course, the main chemo is 24/ 7 thru the bag we tote everywhere. Last week we saw a man get tripped up by his tubes and snatch needles, lines and bandages out of his arm. Bad form!

We get copies of the lab reports every day. A normal range is listed so you can tell if that item is normal, low, or high.

The major subtitles of the labs are:

Hematology-ten items measured
Automated Differential-13 items
Platelet Analysis-2 items
Coagulation-2 major items
Coagulation -General
Special Coagulation Tests-
Chemistry Basic-9 items
Liver Function-6 items
Misc Chemistries-5 items
Nitrogen Protein Compounds-3 items
Hormones and Tumor Markers
Immunology
Serum Protein Electrophoresis-10 items
Serum Immunofixation-2 items
Quantitative Serum Immunoglobulins-10 items
Molecular Diagnostics-6 items

Somewhere there must be a small army of lab techs processing this stuff!

Deb shot some pix of me which she asked to be posted.

Practicing so I can get to next year's Toad Suck Carnival-Yes, there really is one out here!

Doing some business

My bed away from bed. Chairs were designed for seven feet and taller.