God News! I'm outta there...

Wednesday morning...

mom arrived just about 5 minutes short of seeing the doctors. We were told that they would be back after doing their rounds on that floor. Well, we ordered breakfast and just as it was arriving, 2 ladies  knock and come in the room identifying themselves as being the Clinical Study Case Workers, we had never met them before and they said "they were here to give us our discharge instructions?" huh? I tell them that I haven't been told that I was going home. So, mom quickly took over and I did the one thing I was really good at after 30+ days, EAT. As they were talking to my mom to tell her about all the required paperwork and record keeping that was needed, I am already on info overload., so I focus on the the TV.  Next my doctor comes in to tell me, yes indeed we are going home and then begins talking with me as the other ladies are talking to mom. After her, in comes the nurse to unhook my IV and get it wrapped to go home, the PCA (patient care assistant) in to take my vitals, Blood Pressure 191/35!!!!, the Case manager pops her head in the door to get my mom's attention to let her know that the pharmacy has all the prescriptions ready and then the guy from food services comes in to bring mom her cup of coffee that they had forgotten on her breakfast tray that was just sitting there getting cold. Can you say CHAOS? Within minutes, everyone was gone and mom and I kind of just sat there staring into space wondering, what had just happened?

So mom decides that it would be a good time to eat her cold breakfast because she was now in training for the next leg of this race.

Now I will slow down and give you some more details.

The bone marrow sample came back with less than 1% mrd (minimal residue disease) which indicates that I am in remission and that I will be moving onto the next phase of treatment which is called "Consolidation". So your asking what is that? The best I can tell you is that it is going to be for the next 56 days and the schedule is crazy. The best part is that I will not have to be readmitted unless I develop an infection or complications. All of this treatment phase will be done at COH in the clinic and on almost a daily basis for the next 2 months. I am going to start this phase on Monday, Feb. 7. So for now all that I need to know, according to COH, is to show up at 10am on Monday, by then the appointment department will have a calendar of scheduled appointments for me. Great!

So by now I have developed a headache, which concerns my mom so she just wants me to lay down and relax, call the nurse and let her know. As she begins to pack up my 30 days worth of hospital stay and stuff. It basically amounted to two trips to the car with a wheelchair full of stuff. Then we decide to wait 30 minutes to see if my headache would improve with the Tylenol that I was given (plus my PCA needed to go to lunch). lol

I'm outta here!

To stay consistent, here are my departing lab numbers:
WBC: 1.8
ANC: .7
RBC: 2.97
Hemoglobin: 9.4
Platelets: 80
Gluecose: under control

The Recreation Manager stopped by to let us know that today, in celebration of my discharge from the hospital, she will be handing out the beanies and teaching how to make them as the activity of the day. She wanted us to know how much she appreciated what we had done and that she has already started to teach her counterparts how to use the looms and make hats. We told her that we would stop by and see her with more beanies as we continue to make them and collect them from the "friends fighting for Tyler" elves.

So by 1:15pm on Wednesday, I was in on my way HOME, first stop IN & OUT! and then for dinner PIZZA HUT, a special thanks to Katie and Dale, you guys are the best and the pizza and wings were GREAT!

Wednesday - Monday...

So I will spend these 5 days at home, it so nice and quiet here. No various hospital staff knocking and entering the room to pick up trash, sharps, linens, to clean the bathroom, mop the floor, use a scanner to scan the bar codes of all the equipment in my room, PCA's to do bathroom checks and take vitals every 4 hours 24/7, food service calling to remind me to order my food and numerous calls for my nurse to come because of BEEPING IV monitors. I'm just kicking back in the comfort and quiet of home, is it nice to be home again. Ü

I want to say thank you for being on this journey with me and my family, please continue to pray and send your notes, texts and phone calls. We will update you again, after my I have all of the details of this next phase.

my love to all of you...