Still in the Pokey

It's Sunday night and I'm still resting (pretty) comfortably at Beaumont. I had my post-walk visitors yesterday, which was very fun. James got to see where I stay and thinks this place is a party. Aunt Sarah bought her some yogurt and grapes, she figured out the buttons for the TV, lights and how to make the bed go up and down in no time. PLUS we had birthday cake for Gigi, whose birthday is today (Monday, by the time you get this). So, she thinks the hospital is essentially a party, at one point saying, "I like this place." Ha. 

They picked me up some salads from Papa Joe's downstairs and friends brought me dinner last night and tonight so it's been nice to get some good food into me.

The shot they are giving me to increase my counts gave me some pretty intense body/bone aches starting when I woke up Saturday morning and it took us until mid-afternoon to connect it. So they were scanning me for blood clots etc. until we figured it out. Once we made the connection I took some Claritin and it took about 24 hours to kick in. When they first gave me the shot Thursday night I asked if I should take a Claritin, which I take after chemo for this very reason and the nurse just said that this drug isn't as bad as the Neulasta. Then I was fine on Friday so that's why it took us a bit to connect it. I wish I had been a little pushier or something and gotten a Claritin and prevented it all, but oh well. A few nurses learned something and now I know. 

Other than that and a horrible headache I was fine yesterday and everyone was hopeful that if my numbers continued to climb I could go home today. Then I woke up today with a fever and really intense nausea. And, though my body aches were gone my super intense headache was still there. I had been hoping it would go away with the body aches. The fever came down in a couple of hours and the headache has improved. When the doctor came in the afternoon he was frustrated that the nurses hadn't called him when I had a fever. He said if I have some kind of virus, during a fever is when the bacteria is the most active and that is the best time to get some blood to test. SO, he said if I get a fever they should take blood to test, and if I didn't have any fevers and my numbers went up, I should be able to go home tomorrow. 

THEN a couple of hours later I spiked another fever. Daniel and the girls came to visit again and while they were here I started feeling a little worse. When they left, the nurse took my temp and it was back at 101. So, they took some blood and we'll see if they can identify what might be trying to take me down. It came down to about 100 on its own, last we checked. Hopefully it doesn't go back up anymore. 

The good new is, last I knew, my white blood cells were up. The nurse told me they went down to 0.1 on Friday, were 0.6 on Saturday and were up to 1.7 today. My neutrophils were .4 or 5 yesterday and were up to 0.9 today. The doctor told me yesterday he wanted them consistently at .5 to go home, but now that I'm having fevers he wants them consistently at 1.0 or higher. 

If they don't find anything and these fevers stop or stay easily contained I think they might send me home tomorrow, but we'll see. As much as OF COURSE I'd rather be home with my family and in my own bed, it is nice to be able to call a nurse and get help for what's ailing me -- special meds for my headache, someone watching my fevers and something straight into the IV when I get nauseous. It definitely spooked me to feel so crummy and have such abysmal numbers Thursday so I feel safe here while I don't feel well. I'll hopefully learn my numbers are up, I have no specific viruses or infections, the fevers will stay at bay and can go home to relax for a few days before chemo on Thursday.

That's about it! I understand I'm continuing to miss some pretty crummy weather out there. Maybe my body's just waiting for sunshine in the forecast to get me out of here. :)