Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Day 81 - another bone marrow biopsy

Just to let you know I am bone tired tonight and so this will be very short. I did get the thread last night and finished one of the two ends of the pillow this morning. I am so pleased with it. I won't put a picture up until Tommie sees it this weekend because I want her to see it in person before she sees the picture.

Terry and I went up to Lebanon and got my labs which were just about the same as yesterdays--no worse, but no better. Dr. Hill said that he was pretty sure that this was just due to the virus, but that there was a little chance it was due to leukemia relapse and (of course) that is the kind of thing that is best caught and caught early so we should just do the bone marrow biopsy and then we would know. I tried to talk him into putting it off until Friday, but he pointed out that then if I had relapsed we would have lost several days, maybe even more than two because of the intervening weekend. OK, fine.

Beth, the nurse practitioner did it and I told her I'd give her an A+. There was nothing that was painful about it and she confirmed that it's all in the speed of inserting and removing things from the bone marrow space. There were a couple of times when I said to myself, "that could become pain," but it didn't. Her assistant and I prattled on and on about the best restaurants in the SeaCoast and she told me about a great chocolate and bakery shop near Lebanon. I am hopeful that my love of sweets will return and I can visit there in earnest in a few months.

I would like to write more about bone marrow biopsies and pain, but that is not happening tonight.

Also, just in case I need chemo this weekend (I won't; I won't; I won't; the leukemia is not back!), I need a port placed. The nurses who put in the PICC lines said (very nicely) that they do not want to see me again because my anatomy is too weird. The surgeons in Lebanon said they would be happy to put an access device into me next week, but unless it is an emergency, they can't do it this week. So, I called Dr. Mahon and didn't even have to beg. I am sure it was one of the odder phone calls he has gotten from a patient asking him to put in their own device, but he was very gracious and I am getting my VAD tomorrow afternoon.

I hope you are able to get help getting what you need without having to beg. Thank you, Dr. Mahon.

2 comments:

  1. Surely we are praying for you, Mary. Keep your chin up...forge ahead ...tomorrow will be a brighter day. I will be thinking of you. You give so much of yourself to all of us, it's our time to give back to you.

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