They nurse had Deb's meds all laid out this morning. This helps speed up the day.

The day started up pretty good for Deb and she was in and out of the chemo clinic in a matter of hours. Her white blood count came up tremendously to 2.76.  3-12 is normal. She still needs to avoid crowds and wear her mask another day or so until she is fully recovered. We have three infusers of strong antibiotics to get us through the night. They are giving her gut distress and general miseries. She can't wait to be unhooked from meds. Of course, 'nurse' Vern gets tired of hooking and unhooking them.

The fittings on the lines must be sterile since they connect directly into her heart area. No germs allowed! Alcohol pads are used to clean up a fitting. You scub while you sing Happy Birthday twice. When removing a line you have to flush it with saline then Heparin, which keeps the blood from clotting.

Today we met and visited with a couple of classmates who moved her from Southern France. They were Americans who retired at age 50 in a small town near the Spainish border. After getting treated for myeloma in France, they were eventually referred to the UAMS clinic. After deciding this was the place for them, they moved to Arkansas and bought a place here.

We sat in the cluster with our friends from Chattanooga, the Hietts. The father, who is approaching ninety, is a WWII Army Vet. The son, John, who is  the patient, is a Vietnam Vet who retired from the Navy. His mom is a British War Bride. John's cousin is from Macon, Ga and comes to caregive on rotation.

Tomorrow-8 am in the chemo clinic after a night of infuser changes.

Blessings all!