Jim left this afternoon to return to the jury (for those of you who don't know Jim has been on a jury in Oakland for the past three months - yes you read that correctly - with an unknown amount of time to go) so I am on my own with Sile this week. Let's start with the good news. The Numbers: White blood count was 1.1, above the critical 1.0 threshold! Platelets were also up at 32, indicating a real trend! All very encouraging.
The bad news is the return of severe back pain. Sile suffered several compression fractures of the vertebrae in her lower spine shortly after the onset of her blood problems two years ago. This was extremely painful at the time (one nurse compared it unfavorably to childbirth) but has not been an issue for a while. Dr. Nakamura indicated early on that the transplant treatment may aggravate existing problems, and it's possible that is what is going on now. In any case, Sile is, as Jim so aptly put it, in a pit of misery. The only silver lining is that the persistent intestinal distress has, thankfully, faded into the background a bit.
I left Sile in the hands of a very caring and attentive nurse named Patricia with the confidence that she'll be well cared for and the hopes that we can begin climbing out of this trough tomorrow!
I've passed this sight several times walking from the parking lot to the entrance of the hospital but stopped tonight to investigate. These cards hang from trees all around the hospital grounds and represent good wishes and prayers for folks in the hospital.
Some samples:
Please give Sile my love and tell her we are all praying for her recovery.
ReplyDeleteLaurie Miles