Tuesday, 6/9/09
Monday was a very busy day on a lot of fronts, so I didn't have an opportunity to post.
Pete is still doing well, though he was a little more fatigued yesterday. He received blood, platelets, magnesium, and potassium.
His kidney function has improved so much that it's almost at normal levels. It hasn't been that since probably 2007. His CRP was at 15 and normal is under 10. He didn't improve his white count yesterday, but it doubled each day over the weekend. I'm waiting to see today's labs. I haven't seen a nurse yet and there wasn't one left on the table as there normally is when I arrive each morning.
Pete said he needed to have a break of just a couple of weeks at home before starting more chemo. He told the doctor that and she didn't see a problem with that, but said that right now he has to work with physical therapy to get his strength back. She has been a little disappointed I think that he hasn't had any physical therapy with the exception of one day.
Yesterday PT came and had him do some exercises and helped him to get up into the chair and stand for a brief minute. He started hyperventilating at standing, which is not like him. He sat up for several hours in the recliner and then some of the transport people came and lifted him back into bed.
His appetite had improved late last week and over the weekend, but yesterday was gone again. The doctor said that was because his liver function number had increased slightly yesterday and she wasn't sure why, but that she was giving him another antibiotic. She said that would affect appetite.
Physical therapy will be working with him all week. The woman assigned to him is of very strong character and will be tough on him, which he needs. I think it will be good.
We still don't know the results of Friday's bone marrow biopsy. We had hoped to hear yesterday, but hopefully today. This will tell if more chemo is needed once his white count gets to 1.0. The other test with the bone marrow will tell if the chromosomes are normal or there are some out of whack. That tells if the Myeloma is growing.
Our doctor has really been good at taking her time and communicating with us. We've also had the good fortune to have a couple of really outstanding techs or nursing aides over the weekend and yesterday. We'd had several good ones, but last week we got the type that are in a hurry or don't really treat Peter like he is a human. We avoid as much contact as possible with them. We've already experienced their poor handling during clean ups and sponge baths. I'll take care of it myself alone if one of them is assigned. I have even reminded one or two as has Peter personally that he is a human being, not an object!
Now that Peter is awake more, he is now interested in t.v. again. Unfortunately, since we are only temporarily in the old wing of the hospital, there are no remotes for the t.v.'s. We even had two techs look all over and try to find one and call maintenance for help, with no success. So when I am here, I have to get up and down to change the channel or volume. When I am not here, he either has to leave it on one channel and ask a nurse to turn it off when someone happens to be in the room or to have me turn it off when I leave at night. Hopefully we'll move back to the new hospital soon.
I'll try to post more on labs and bone marrow biopsy when I receive the information.
Pete is still doing well, though he was a little more fatigued yesterday. He received blood, platelets, magnesium, and potassium.
His kidney function has improved so much that it's almost at normal levels. It hasn't been that since probably 2007. His CRP was at 15 and normal is under 10. He didn't improve his white count yesterday, but it doubled each day over the weekend. I'm waiting to see today's labs. I haven't seen a nurse yet and there wasn't one left on the table as there normally is when I arrive each morning.
Pete said he needed to have a break of just a couple of weeks at home before starting more chemo. He told the doctor that and she didn't see a problem with that, but said that right now he has to work with physical therapy to get his strength back. She has been a little disappointed I think that he hasn't had any physical therapy with the exception of one day.
Yesterday PT came and had him do some exercises and helped him to get up into the chair and stand for a brief minute. He started hyperventilating at standing, which is not like him. He sat up for several hours in the recliner and then some of the transport people came and lifted him back into bed.
His appetite had improved late last week and over the weekend, but yesterday was gone again. The doctor said that was because his liver function number had increased slightly yesterday and she wasn't sure why, but that she was giving him another antibiotic. She said that would affect appetite.
Physical therapy will be working with him all week. The woman assigned to him is of very strong character and will be tough on him, which he needs. I think it will be good.
We still don't know the results of Friday's bone marrow biopsy. We had hoped to hear yesterday, but hopefully today. This will tell if more chemo is needed once his white count gets to 1.0. The other test with the bone marrow will tell if the chromosomes are normal or there are some out of whack. That tells if the Myeloma is growing.
Our doctor has really been good at taking her time and communicating with us. We've also had the good fortune to have a couple of really outstanding techs or nursing aides over the weekend and yesterday. We'd had several good ones, but last week we got the type that are in a hurry or don't really treat Peter like he is a human. We avoid as much contact as possible with them. We've already experienced their poor handling during clean ups and sponge baths. I'll take care of it myself alone if one of them is assigned. I have even reminded one or two as has Peter personally that he is a human being, not an object!
Now that Peter is awake more, he is now interested in t.v. again. Unfortunately, since we are only temporarily in the old wing of the hospital, there are no remotes for the t.v.'s. We even had two techs look all over and try to find one and call maintenance for help, with no success. So when I am here, I have to get up and down to change the channel or volume. When I am not here, he either has to leave it on one channel and ask a nurse to turn it off when someone happens to be in the room or to have me turn it off when I leave at night. Hopefully we'll move back to the new hospital soon.
I'll try to post more on labs and bone marrow biopsy when I receive the information.
posted by BethPowell at 9:56 AM
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