Day +12

I swear the nurse team likes to sneak in and take blood, just for fun…and earlier every day!  Which is not really a problem since I hardly ever sleep, it is nice to have a little company every couple of hours 🙂

It is very apparent that my side effects need a lot of Dr. attention because one stops in around 7:00 to review the labs that they took in the wee hours of the morning.  Today is great because the reversal has started and numbers are growing!  slight increase but that is what we all needed to see to confirm engraftment.   Final confirmation is that the crazy, red lizard looking rash that took over my body is a good thing~~Engraftment Rash is proof of the cell reproduction process.  Although one of my Dr.’s called mine “angry”.  Interesting word chose, I thought.  Maybe it was angry because it had to wake up too early, since they did not expect it for another 2 days.

I think it is going to be quiet for about an hour, so I order room service for breakfast, set up a nice corner chair for our Monday conference call and turn my ipad on to some music in the other corner.  Lounged out with the breakfast tray in my lap, I dial into the Central Midwest Conference Call, to check in and say hi to the team.  Then I mute the phone, eat breakfast and then WHAT???  Darn it, the Dr. comes back in with another Dr.  So I apologize, turn off the cell, hand off the tray to one of them and the other Dr. sits in my bed.  Should I turn off the music, I asked.  “No, it is fine, like this song.” he says.  We discuss the rash again and the med plan for the day to get it under control.  I am impressed with their consultative approach. It makes me feel special to know that when I am there, I will see 2-3 Dr’s 2-4 times a day.   Unbelievable, genuine concern and curiosity  for what was happening to me and what I was dealing with.  I thanked them and they had a hard time accepting it.  They kept telling me that I was doing all of the hard work and thanks to me for doing it all and having such a great attitude.  I replied with ” Why wouldn’t I when I get to stay in the Four Seasons of Mayo?   they just give me huge smiles and off they go.  ( I had told them what I do for work and how I know the luxury business very well and Mayo Clinic is right there too )

Next step a whole bunch of IV drips to continue the war on the rash and to calm it down.  Steroids and antibiotics.  These are just so easy and do not effect me in any way and I can drag the IV tree anywhere, so I don’t pay any attention to it.

THEN IT GOT REALLY GOOD- my wait list massage therapist showed up and gave me an incredibly relaxing massage, in my private room with a view!  She has access to my labs, so can adjust therapy pressure.  Highly trained to work on the cancer transplant floors.  Lizzie, You must come see me tomorrow.  What a Perk.

So now the Mayo Clinic is definitely the Mayo Spa, to me,

Sean & Lauren stopped by for a couple hours and bought me a Fire HD 8 tablet!   It is to be solely used for movies, games, and music…or FUN ENTERTAINMENT..NO CINTAS .. I do not have any personal gadget that does not have Cintas involved, so they thought I needed this new device and it is super exciting.  THANKS !

After they left, I found out I needed to transfer rooms and move from the out-patient pod to the in-patient pod, since I really was in-patient.  I told the I still wanted a large room with a view to maintain the standard they had set in my current room.

I packed up and Connee came back to assist with the move.   I was escorted over to it and shown 2 windows, not just 1, that look at a beautiful brick wall.  “But the birds like to hang out on this corner, so if you look down about 3 floors you can see them” is what the nurse told me. She tried and it did let more light shine in, so what could I do.  Loved the new room.   Than back to the onslaught of meds, lotion for rash, prune juice for digestion, and meds to help me fall asleep, which is needed to counteract the steroids that give me a huge buzz and insomnia.

I am still in awe of the amount of meds running into me and how they can mix and match and I can feel great?!   Seriously tired, but I can deal with that.  Nurse Ken took care of me and had me take a sleep med at 8:00 to get me started and then again at 10:00 and it WORKED!  I slept until he gently woke my at 2:30 to sneak blood for labs, and told me I was dreaming and  I had to go back to sleep.  which I did and slept to 5:30 .  Best night in a week.

Thanks to all of you that send texts to keep me laughing and smiling and feeling love and support all day long!   It truly is helpful.  Such a great distraction from what is happening at that moment in the room .