Hospitalization 4

Wendy was much improved today, but still cannot abide to swallow. Taking a couple of mouthfulls of ginger ale or grapefruit juice is considered something worthy of praise by her nurses. Until she can swallow with ease and take her required 2 litres of liquid daily, she will be on an IV line.

Wendy had two half containers of yoghurt today. A bit more than yesterday.

She was well enough to play cribbage tonight We traded wins and quit. Dams! I thought for sure I could beat her in her weakened state.

Wendy took some time last night to write out a "Mea Culpa" for her doctor, in which she admitted her part in letting the infection go so far. I think she was just worried that the doctor would not think well of Wendy for getting so sick without coming in for an assessment.

So, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but it may be Monday or Tuesday before Wendy can come home. She has to be able to swallow, drink and eat before they'll let her go.

Joyce is stranded in Dorval because her flight was cancelled due to freezing rain here. We're hoping she'll get here tongith or tomorrow some time.

Harvey

Hospitalization 3

In the past 36 hours (has it only been that long?) Wendy has been hooked up to 2 IV pumps and as many as five bags of various solutions at once. She's had red cells, platelets, regular saline, calcium, magnesium, potassium, various powerful anti-biotics, and some pre-meds to assist in the acceptance of other medications. Very complicated. This evening they removed her second IV line and put a bandaid over it. So tonight, Wednesday, she's down to one pump, one IV line and two bags.

Thay also moved her into a private room. Dr. Brunelle was concerned that her roommate's visitors might bring some virulent bug into the room. and right now, nearly any bug can be virultent for Wendy. Her new room faces the west and we watched the sunset tonight.

They gave Wendy a suction wand, like the dentist uses to wixk away excess saliva, to suction the mucus the infection produces. It saves Wendy a great deal of pain not having to swallow. She can still barely speak above a whisper so we're doing a lot of note making.

I think she's on the mend. I came home with a couple of pages of "Things to Do Before Joyce Arrives" . She also made a joke about this being a very arcane way of getting out of the liine-up at the Oncology outpatient registration desk.

Thank you all for your good thoughts and well wishes.

Hospitalization, Part 2

Wendy had chest X-rays yesterday and they showed her lungs clear of any obstructions to the infection has been downgraded to Bronchitis. Wendy had a restless night due to the coughing and the frequent (every 2 hours) check for vital signs. She seems quite a bit better this morning and gave me a list of things to do before her sister, Joyce, arrives tomorrow.

Wendy is still getting various fluids, including blood products, intravenously. She stall can't speak very well and seems content to just lay back and relax.

I'm headed back with some yoghurt and books. Reading is always a good sign. Thanks to everyone who sent their best wishes, they gave both of us a lift.

Harvey

Hospitalization

At the end of radiation therapy, Wendy had a sore throat, as predicted. The soreness did not fade as hoped and got to the point Wendy could barely swallow. In the past few days she has been unable to eat and even drinking was barely possible. After her blood test on Monday (her haemoglobin was low, another side effect of chemo) she was scheduled for a blood transfusion ths morning, but when she arrived they detected that she had a temperature and referred her to her oncologist. While waiting to register Wendy passed out (I was lucky to catch her and gently lower her to the floor.) Four nurses and a doctor quickly responded and soon had on saline drip and on a gurney. She's been admitted to Saint John Regional Hospital with a provisional diagnosis of pneumonia. Up to this time (3 pm Tuesday) they've given her at least five liters of saline and a very large dose of powerful antibiotics.

With the infusion of liquids, the congestion is loosening up, and as painful as coughing is, it is helping her clear her lungs.

She will be in the hospital at least overnight and perhaps longer considering her low haemoglopin count and she still needs her blood transfusion. I'm just home to gather some things for a hospital stay and will be returning soon.

I will post more when there is more.
Harvey

Feeding the Tender Tummy, part 3

Wendy's tender tummy, easily upset by strong meat cooking smells, has been further exacerbated this past couple of weeks by the side effects of her radiation treatments. Since the radiation was on her neck, her throat has become very tender, making swallowing rough foods difficult. Whle Jello-O is soothing, it hardly constitutes a balanced diet. She's been eating hot cereal for breakfasts (Red River Cereal and Oatmeal) and an odd assortment of vegetarian foods for other meals. We had frozen Spanikopita the other night, but these small frozen tidbits are damned expensive. We tried a curried chickpea dish a while back and it seemed to work. I worked up a recipe for a big pot that cost about the same as a single serving from the frozen food section.

Curried Chickpeas with Tomatoes.

• 2 1/2 cups broth - vegetable or chicken
• 2 - 15 oz cans chickpeas, drained.
• 1 - 15 oz can tomatoes (you could also use a 28 oz. can for a more tomato taste)
• 4 - 6 Yukon gold potatoes cut into 2 cm dice.
• 1 medium onion diced. (optional: 1 clove of garlic, minced)
• butter or oil
• 1 large teaspoon Elephant Brand Curry Powder. (or your favourite Curry) or to taste. I kept the spices down to allow Wendy to eat it.

Melt the butter in a pot and gently saute the onions. Do not allow the onions to brown. When the onions are soft you can throw in a clove of garlic minced. Add the curry and mix well.

Add the stock, chickpeas, tomatoes and potatoes and bring to a boil unocvered. Simmer until the potatoes are cooked and the liquid has reduced.

Serve over rice - basmati, Jasmine, white long grain or brown rice.

This is a very satisfying vegetarian dish. This would make a good side dish for chicken or Lamb. There seems to be enough for six servings as a main dish and eight as a side dish.

Chemotherapy Continues

Saw my oncologist yesterday - was supposed to be Monday, but she got stuck in Toronto because of the weather. She says everything is shrinking (lump in breast and lymph nodes) which means the chemotherapy is working; we continue with another round starting today.

She's given me the ok to do yoga that doesn't involve neck movements. Also said that I only need to wear the collar for my neck when there's a risk of abrupt moves. like in the car.

The nurse who took my history yesterday was one I hadn't seen since I was first diagnosed. She was quite surprised that I was working, and warned me not to overdo it. I said I was being careful and that I had people who would tell me if I was doing to much. She said "And you'll listen to them?' How did she pick that up so fast!

Radiation Treatments Completed

The last of my radiation treatments was yesterday afternoon. The sore throat will likely linger on for another week or so, and the skin on my neck will be more sensitive to sun and cold.

The radiation therapists asked if I wanted my mask as a souvenir, but I delcined,

Harvey has a persistent cold with a sore throat and cough; he's been feeling pretty miserable and not sleeping very well. I've had a bit of a head cold, but not nearly as bad as most of the stuff that's been going around.

We had a big snowstorm Saturday, March coming in like a lion, but today it is melting.