Buxie is
feeling better most days. The days he feels poorly is when the nausea is not
well-controlled. The doctors and nurses continue to try new medications and
different schedules for taking them with some good results. I guess -- it’s the second day in a row he’s eaten an
egg mcmuffin with bacon, Brigham and Women’s style.
His hematocrit
is climbing though the platelets are still struggling to rebound. He needed
another transfusion of platelets today. ‘They’ are not worried about this, just
chock it up the effects of chemo and the disease.
After a
good bottoming out of his white cells, a good thing, they too are starting to climb. But Steve’s immune
system is depleted right now, so he’s
still confined to room 7B – 39, and will be for probably two more weeks.
One week
from Tuesday he will have a bone marrow biopsy to see if his bone marrow is
free of the bad white cells. Those cells have received a serious spanking so I don’t
think they’ll show their face again. But in the event there are a few rogue
cells, (as we know, the CIA has been busy with other things and not keeping an
eye on rogue elements), Steve will have to undergo another five days of
chemotherapy before he can come home. This
would be more like a kick in the pants, rather than a serious setback. They
assured us that needing a second round of chemo does not indicate a change in
his prognosis. We are banking on NOT needing the second round of chemo.
Once he is set free, he'll rest up for a few weeks before starting more chemotherapy. We aren't exactly sure about that schedule -- I'll tell you about it later when I know the details.
I have some
new digs, thanks to the hospital and Dana Farber. I am sharing a very nice
apartment with two other people right across the street from the hospital. Mia
and Emily have both stayed with me there – which makes it feel even more homey. The staff here has been so kind and helpful.
Mia, Emily and
I had a wonderful Thanksgiving with the family at my sister Patti’s house in
Milton. We brought turkey and the fixings back to Steve in the hospital, which he loved. That
turkey was worth the $90 Mary paid for it!
Not to
mention that it was so exciting having George Clooney and Madonna join us at
Thanksgiving.
Mia and Emily with my nieces Kellie and Nathalie
The usual suspects crashing the dinner party.
So good to get a positive update today! Gina, there's a level of violence in your descriptions with the CIA, spankings and kicking! Good! Let'em have it! Hope you got my movie recommendations, and Larry's Victor Frankel's link. Love you guys.
ReplyDeleteThe Saturday report:
ReplyDeleteI saw Steve on Saturday and had a long and enjoyable visit. While his circumstances have changed he has not, that is a good thing. He remains irascibly liberal, humorous and possessing that je ne sais qua that makes him who he is. If you haven't seen him lately and are wondering what it is like, he doesn't seem sick, more like he'd had too much fun last night( it has happened). His self-reported improvement in the last few days is impressive. From headache, nausea and pneumonia to feeling good and peeing a lot in just a few days.
His hospital room is as good as they get. Nobody wants to spend a month in the hospital, but if you do this is the place. It is quiet for a hospital room, just the white noise of the air handling equipment, no beeps and buzzes and intercoms. When the nurses stopped in was like having a friend visit, friendly, charming, considerate. Not to mention WiFi and two TV screens, one on the right for Fox, one on the left for Msnbc.
So glad to hear the report from Jack. I hope Steve is in as good shape AFTER Jack's visit as BEFORE, because we know they can find mischief together. And I hope Jack didn't leave any pee samples behind to help Steve look good.
DeleteLove both of you guys. And you, too Gina. That goes without saying. Keep getting better Steve and come home.
Glad to hear that Steve continues to improve, but a $90 turkey? SO GLAD my mom has me eating vegan!
ReplyDelete