2000
| November 5, 2000 He's back in the hospital - third time - my younger now-19-year-old son. This was for heavy-duty chemo (post-phoned so often that he is in week 11 of 104 for treatment even thought it's been four months). He was supposed to be out Saturday. Then Sunday. Now maybe Monday. And we are supposed to fly out of here on Wednesday - to the RT convention. At this moment - we are still going. I have to go. I shipped 1000 posters, 300 calendars and 100 novels (Jettison). I am bringing bookmarks. I think Troy is bringing photos. And try leaving the house by 4AM (no sleep that night!) I still haven't called for a shuttle - Synopsys to the SJ airport - only way to do it. And to confirm wheelchair-assist in the airport. And to confirm we have a wheelchair at the hotel - or we bring our own. This is all new to me - I've never done it this way before. And to add to the confusion - my good suitcase is in LA with the Fabio stuff and the big suitcase has a broken handle. And I never got it fixed. No time. His feet and legs and face swelled up - retaining fluid - because they are pumping it in very fast. We got diuretics started yesterday. The fluid is to flush the caustic chemo out (it goes in - kills everything - and then they get it back out - before his kidneys get hurt). They are adjusting electrolytes. I am feeding him bananas. He had trouble standing in the shower - his feet do not bend when swollen - and his knees aren't too good either. The foot pain is back - we had him up and walking around in the hospital with a walker three times before the swelling. We are trying to rebuild wasted muscles. He even managed a bath before the swelling - actually got down and soaked. Getting him out was a marvel - he pushed up when on his knees and I got behind him and hoisted. Who needs the gym? His color is good. His sense of humor pops in and out along with depression. But he will be at risk on the flight - because of pressurization. He will have blood and platelets on Tuesday. Tank him up. He will be neutropenic and fly with a medical mask. (You can't touch him without washing your hands. He is likely to catch something else. He is to be in the mask in crowds. I have to take his temperature often. We fly with lots of pills and phone numbers.) We have a cancer center 2 miles from the hotel. He will need to go there on Friday and get blood. Re-tanking before the return flight. And we will come home and right back to the clinic here. Oh yes. Nose clamps. It is risky to take him but his mental state would not be good if he doesn't get to go. Catch-22. And who would I leave him with???? We have had a busy two weeks. He's up one day and down the next. When dehydrated, he is prone to collapse. This has caused some scary moments. I now know - if he is not drinking enough - yank his butt into the clinic. I also know that when he has mucus - give him Benadryl. Stops the vomiting. Feed him bananas (potassium). Plus he has pills for potassium and magnesium (what you lose) and I give him 7-Up and Gatorade. The excessive swelling prompted a chest x-ray - to check his lungs, and lots of monitors - he's wired up like a Christmas tree. He's back on 6MP - which requires no eating for two hours ahead and 1 hour after taking it. So I stayed last night and made him frozen lasagna for dinner at midnight - the one with meat sauce. It was midnight because he had had a momentary relapse in thinking and scarfed a Reese's Pieces. I am going in today armed with candy and crackers and frozen dinners. I eat there too. My waistline attests to that. I bring bread and candy and popcorn and beef jerky and ice cream. Anything to tempt him to eat. I even bought a crumb coffee cake and Hawaiian sweet sandwich rolls. I may make a sandwich. I may make two. Of course I am not in the gym - went Friday. Am stiff as a board. Today, I took the old rabbit in for Euthanasia (it was almost completely paralyzed). I had wanted it to just die on its own but it was hanging on. I couldn't take it sooner because my son has not got the full use of his legs at this point and he identified too closely with the rabbit's condition. So I cleared the deck so to speak before my son is due home. And lugged around 40lbs of cat litter home. And fetched groceries - after spending almost two hours running around the oversized supermarket. Need all those I-don't-know-where-the-other-ones-are little travel bottles and stuff. Today's exercise. Couple that with dragging stuff from the parking lot into the hospital (daily activity). Took the drape off the dress I was making and like the result - I am using the gold metal shoulder drape - the one Fabio almost strangled me with - as the drape for this bean-pole black velveteen column dress. This will be the third costume for this drape. Star Fleet insignia and 4" heels. Shave my eyebrows and viola - T'Zara - right off the pages of my novel. I am to be escorted in an author parade - by my cover model of course - Troy Sutter. Everyone else will be in Venetian dress. Nothing like being different. I have his red vest from the cover. I will remind him to bring his leather pants! Made a back-up velvet dress - but they said it was 60" fabric - it was 45" - so the dress is short - and looks breathtaking. I just can't sit in it. Of course I am back in size 16 (I have made it to 12/14) because of sitting on my butt in the hospital and snacking. And because I have only made the gym once a week for the past month instead of three times. I am going to lose my muscles if I don't get back in there regularly. I have promised myself to do this. My waist is the problem - gets big when I go off Medifast and eat real food and don't exercise. I can still leg lift 265lbs and probably more. I am still at 110 assist on the Dipper and 60 lbs on the back exercises and 56 on the ab machine. Biceps I can do 40/30 combo. Shoulder press (heavy machine) plus 40 lbs. I did 45 minutes on the treadmill - and almost did not break a sweat - doing 3.3 MPH. Time to move up the speed. When I get home. I have promised myself. And every time I drag the wheelchair around I am grateful that I work out. I would not be surviving this ordeal. And my son needs me. I hope he can travel. Because if I have to go without him, I will go crazy. I need to touch him everyday. He'd rather I was there 24 hours a day. Besides, he likes people. |
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