WEDNESDAY JANUARY 6

This morning I thought I would feel exhausted because, not only during the night but during the day as well, the nurses / PCAs (Patient Care Assistants) take my vitals (blood pressure, temperature, pulse) every four hours.  Also, labs are drawn at midnight so that they’re processed by the morning for review by the doctors and nurses. So again, I thought I would feel sleep deprived but I awoke feeling pretty good.  I ordered breakfast -- I was very excited to see that the menu included Frosted Flakes (I brought my own supply just in case) but unfortunately no Froot Loops.  

In the middle of breakfast, my oncologist, Dr. Cai, arrived. He reviewed the fact that I would be getting chemotherapy through Sunday followed by two days of anti-rejection (of my brother’s bone marrow) medication.  He’s very funny and a favorite among the staff so I feel very fortunate to have not only a capable oncologist but an entertaining one.  

I had barely finished my breakfast when Norma, one of the physical therapists, arrived and introduced me to the hospital’s in-patient physical therapy program. As we strolled around the ward, Norma told me about their walking program.  A route has been mapped out on the ward -- walking that route is 1/10 of a mile so 10 laps equal one mile.  Every mile walked earns a “foot” charm.  I’m not quite a hiker but I am a walker, especially at an easy pace. Plus, the charms are really cute.  She said that one of Dr. Cai’s other patients had set the record of walking 140 miles during his hospital stay.  I don’t think I’ll rack up that many miles but I’ll do my best. (See photo)

Next, I met with Tabitha, one of the occupational therapists.  She taught me several upper body exercises while we chatted about life and family -- it was so great to hear her describe how her boyfriend, an actor, took her through Sanford Meisner’s repetition exercise (an acting activity).  Rachel, one of the activities coordinators, took me to the Pet Therapy Room and I got to hang out with Sequoia,  a very calm, cuddly,  and beautiful therapy dog (See photo -- made me miss Meeko). 

Rachel gave me their calendar of activities (tons of stuff -- and if it weren’t for Covid, there would be even more!) -- see photos.

The dietitian came and talked with me about my diet while I'm here as well as when I go home. Now I'm taking a break and having lunch.  While waiting for lunch to arrive, I turned on the television and saw what was happening at the Capitol Building.  At first, I thought it was one of those movies like “Olympus Down.”  I quickly realized that it was not -- as I watched and listened to the ongoing news reports, I truly felt sick to my stomach and eventually turned the television off.  I stopped and prayed, praying for myself, my family, my friends, my community, and our country.  I was angry and I was sad -- but I needed to concentrate on my journey to recovery from leukemia.  So I took a deep breath and went for a walk.

For dinner, I had teriyaki-marinated chicken, jasmine rice, corn, and a chocolate shake -- again, delicious, and the hot food arrives really hot and the cold food (like my shake) is really cold (even though I put the cup of my shake into a small tub of ice so that it can stay cold).

I then settled down to receive my second night of chemotherapy.  Prior to chemotherapy, I receive an anti-nausea medication and a medication that protects my liver.  Then, I received the chemotherapy drip.

One of my nurses charted the typical first three weeks for bone marrow transplant patients (see photo). Day "0" is transplant day (January 13) so yesterday (Admit Day January 5) was Day -8 and today is Day -7.  So side effects from the chemo are expected to kick in about Day -2 (January 11).  Hopefully they won't be too bad but I’ll just have to see and get through it.