April 20, 2021

-

A much better sleep last night.  I went to bed around 10, at which point Marlon had already been asleep for a while.  We were up at midnight for a half hour and then he lasted until 5 am!  The problem was that at that time, he had a black poo that looked like all the other ones.  I cried.  Not big loud sobs but that broken-hearted tear.  I thought maybe the reprieve we had seen was done.  A few more messy poos over the course of the day but not so black.  This morning, his platelets were up to 28 (had received transfusion) and hemoglobin (HB) down to 80.  Fast forward to this evening's blood work and his platelets were 40 and HB 119!! Very exciting.

The day included several tests, partially because his blood pressure has been high and they were concerned about bacteria or fungus in the lungs.  It was a busy morning.  

His right leg seemed a bit better and his strength, in general, is better.  I keep reminding him to unfurl and straighten his legs and relax his arms.  He walked about 10 steps and he sat up in a chair instead of the bed only.

Fever on and off but he did go 8 hours without in the middle of the day.

And we are back on the oncology ward.  They needed beds in ICU, so even though Marlon is still on the medication that brought him to the other ward on the first place, he was moved back to the private room from a couple of days ago.  Once in this room, his blood pressure went down.

Still several things before he can be discharged but again a day that feels positive.  A little bit at a time.

A jumble of tubes and wires

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

July 7, 2022

-
Image
On May 23rd, the week before the chemo that weakened Marlon enough to put him in the hospital, the dog, the boy, and I drove to Montreal. (I am aware of the use of the word 'go' when writing. In German, the verb 'to go' means walking. You don't 'go' in a car.) Before we left, as I was packing up the car, I noticed a fair sized spider web between the driver's side view mirror and the car. I left it alone, figuring the wind would blow it off. It was so nice to see Linsy and Moira and spend time with them. I have missed having Linsy around. It was neat that, when we got there, Olivia, Jamey, and Roka, their dog, were there. They live 15 minutes away from us but were there visiting their son. Mina was definitely happy to see Roka (and all the others too).   Mina got used to walking on sidewalks and being in the city. Other people and dogs, not so much. Moira has given me a belt with a dog lead on it for hands-free walking. It worked but was even bett...
Read more

November 10, 2022 (2)

-
Image
Today, I dropped Marlon off at outdoor school and met up with a friend I have only seen a handful of times in the last 20+ years.  She was in the area for the passing of a family member. i then went for a walk with Mina.  I watched and she poised herself in hunting position and pounced.  I saw a squirrel run up a tiny little tree but also heard this pitiful whining.  At first, confused, I wondered if she had pounced on a nest in the ground.  But the dog ran to me, crying and whining, holding up her paw.  We were a ways from home and she hobbled carefully home after we sat for a while and she calmed down.  She will often run the perimeter of fields, running this way and that.  I saw her longing to run the field as we made our way back but she was uncomfortable and limping. A short while later, I went to pick up Marlon and watched in amazement as he hobbled to the car.  Yes, he had hurt his foot within an hour of the dog hurting herself.  ...
Read more

July 5, 2022

-
Image
Decision was made that Marlon was to go check blood counts on Monday.  We drove down to Hamilton together, quick finger poke, and then leave again.  A couple of times, we drove around the parking garage for almost a half-hour looking for a spot, but Monday was smooth.  Busy place. Blood counts are good so dental work begins.  Marlon's doctor was impressed with the dentist when she spoke with him last week.  In support, I sit next to him in the dentist's room and hope my own anxiety, discomfort, and fear don't affect him. Halfway through the drilling of four teeth which was quite intense, they took a little break to check in with Marlon and see if he was up to continue.  He agreed to do more but said he was most concerned about the tastes of the filling material.  With the pain and discomfort of the first part, one would think that would be the least of his worries but he is very sensitive to taste and flavour.  As it turned out he didn't gag or re...
Read more