Positives

Yes, as in positives...
I'm up on the Island again today (this is Kathleen writing)
Margie was released from the hospital yesterday, having spent six days checked in, a new Hickman Catheter installed in her chest, and administered her first rounds of chemotherapy for what is being called "Leukemia of the soft tissue"

The Hickman Catheter is a fascinating device as it is a portal of sorts and most direct line to the heart.
Literally, an opening is created right on the chest which feed into a particular vein in the heart. From the outside, what we see is a circular bandage about 1" diameter, with two I.V. lines coming off. When Margie goes for procedures or blood draws or chemo, the medical staff just hooks up to one of the lines to put something in or take something out. It eliminates the need for the IV lines in and out of the arms or legs for a patient who is having extended medical treatment.

My admiration goes to Dr. Hickman, (living) for the invention of this device and my apologies for likely describing its functions so poorly.

So, I arrived yesterday, to the boat and picked up by Robert that had just come from the pharmacy where he dropped a cool $450 on 3 prescriptions for one month doses.

Cancer is expensive.

They'd just arrived back home on the boat prior to mine, so much unpacking and sorting from the hospital was necessary.

Margie has several new features in the house, one being a chair that climbs the stairs- she sits on it  and rides it up to the second floor. Blogger has changed many of it's features and buttons, so as soon as I unravel a few of these mysteries of how to get my pics and videos from my phone to the blog, I will post. I did enable the comments area below, so feel free to chime in now and onward.

The second positive development is that she is using a walker around the house and it is quiet the change for the good. The walker is giving her the needed stability for being mobile and that confidence as well as good physical therapy is really making a difference.
She was very positive last night as we concluded the evening with a nice walk around the deck a few times, watering plants and some quality time on her lung/exhaler gizmo, which unfortunately I have no idea what it's called but its essentially it's a work out for her depleted lung abilities.
If our resident expert Cathy would like to chime in on the comment section about this, I would love the input!

Last night we had a visit and delivery from Walgreens whom will be supplying Margie with all of her Hickman Catheter needs. Yes, as lovely as the Hickmans attributes are, it is not a self maintaining device.
Chemotherapy basically wipes out the bodies natural immune system which opens the body up for infection. The Hickman, like I explained, is a direct portal to the heart. So, alas, it is imperative to keep it not only operational but bacteria free as to never allow for the introduction of infection.
Did that sound important? I hope so, cause it is vitally important.

So, after dropping a cool $700 on one month of cleaning supplies for the Cathetar,  today we'll get a visit from the nurse to go over the twice a day procedures of keeping the portal happy, healthy and infection free. Yipee!

So, loves, I'll be posting whilst up for my visit and beyond. Feel free to comment if you'd like. Margie absolutely adores your input and looks forward to her continued celebrity status as the most positive cancer patient on the planet.  As you may have figured out, I think she's amazing.

XO,
Kathleen

letters from a hospital bed

Dear Leukemia,

 you are so mysterious! I thought the nature of this cancer, by definition is that its blood. As in, all through the body...uh, where blood goes?

But no, you little minx, you show up this time as "masses" showing up in soft tissue like legs. What's the deal with that?

So, this week it's chemotherapy for you, you little bugger and then next week off, then back to the hospital again for another week of hitting you hard.

Hospital stays have their upsides: I can boss around (nicely) the staff here so I know everything that's going on and that way the people that are coming in and out of my room know who's in charge.
I order food off the daily menu.

Ok, that was a short list for hospital upsides, but true to form, I'm keeping a positive outlook and know that in the end, cancer doesn't run my life.

This week here I am treating it as kind of a "lock down" week. That means I mean business as they're even waking me up at 2am for my chemo and it not only takes a lot of energy to do this, but I have to focus on getting well too.

Chemo can really kick ass, so the name of the game is focus...

So, Leuk, we'll be seeing you...
oh, and good riddance.

Margie

small steps

yes, I know, there's no comment area...yet. I am having a difficult time getting it to go back to comments...but I will, I promise.  Margie knows the well wishes are there...just floating about in the universe, rest assured.

So, this week, some random happenings in the world of a houseguest that visited, wouldn't leave, finally left and now came back, uh, uninvited. (There are so many things wrong with that sentence, but I am just leaving it all in.) train of thought rules.

In not particular order:

- Appointment with the Oncologist this week: Margies now got another bump, mass on the inside of her right leg, presumably to match the one that is on it's way out that took up residency on the left leg.

-An appointment at the SCCA today!! I am very excited to hear about what their "plan" might entail.

-A phone call from a doctor in Europe that is interested in the case. Here's how this went down as relayed to me by Margie:

Margie: Some doctor called me to ask about my treatment. She was calling from Europe.
K: A doctor in Europe? Where? which country?
M: I don't know. She had a very thick accent.
K: What did she ask you about?
M: About the leukemia. She's interested in it and may want to talk more about it with me.
K: Do you know what hospital she's with? How did she get your name or information?
M: I don't know. She just called.
K:How did she hear about you?
M: I'm not sure, but she's interested in my Leukemia.
K: aren't we all.

In summary, some doctor in Europe called Margie.
I don't know about you, but I'm packing my bags.

So, this week: kind of short and sweet. She's walking a little better, but with the addition of another mass on the other leg, that's not a positive development.

I'll post again when I'm feeling less snarky and see if we can't put a little kick in our steps, shall we?

xo,
K