It had now been five weeks since my admission into the Bone Marrow Unit here at Hahnemann Hospital. It seemed like forever. The freedom to be able to take a shower now was just amazing. I hardly had the strength to get there but with the nurses assistance and a shower seat, it was heaven. Like the one hour out of twenty-four a solitary confinement prisoner gets to exercise. The short walk to the hall shower was very taxing. The biggest issue I had though was getting my gown off and on. The Hickman Catheter and IV tubes were a real pain in the ass! I always spent as much time allowed away from the bubble.
The big blackboard in front of my bed was changing everyday. The positive updates of all of my blood counts incrementally rising was music to my eyes, so they say? Dr. Dave came by as usual and recited the statistics for me with his positive “We’re getting there!” He listened to my lungs, my heart and gave me a visual inspection on his daily rounds. There was the usual army of med students and Oncology residents with him with their questions and remarks. I felt like a test dummy all of the time. Everything was about the stats though. The stats let me know the condition of my marrow and how the DNA was morphing into that of my brother. The stats let me know that sometime soon the blood and platelet transfusions would begin to slow down. The stats would let me know when I would be well enough to be cut loose and be able to go home. The stats were key. The stats enveloped my life at the moment.
So… the day to day continued. Wake up, check out the time on the Inquirer clock tower, watch tv, field the phone calls, try to eat, more bloodwork, try to rest, see Lor, talk to Nicky and oh yeah….get my eyeful of those Baby Back- Baby Back Ribs on the tube! It just doesn’t stop!
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