Thursday, August 30, 2007

Of Compromises, Victories & Hangovers

The day started early, too early, 5:30 to be precise. That's when the nurse came in to do the daily blood draw, take my vital signs and hook me up to my first bag of intravenous meds, an anti-nausea drug. No more sleep for me. So, after reading a bit, I got busy checking email, reading the Times on-line and then designing a new exercise program for myself because they won't allow me to have my legs weights or my floor mat. Meanies!


By 8:30 I was starved. And cranky. I'd gone 3 hours without my morning coffee, for crying out loud. I rang the nurses station and asked when breakfast was coming, thinking they'd forgotten me. Turns out, breakfast saunters in around 8:45. Well, I don't want to start every day starving and cranky, so I did two things. I asked if I can bring in a coffee maker (answer: no), and I squirreled away little goodies from my various food trays (crackers, pie, cookies, juice) so I have a nice stash for the morning. As a compromise of sorts, I'm allowed to request that a nurse's assistant bring me a cup o' jo at 7:30 am when they first make it.

So, I sorta fixed the snack/coffee issue, but I had another fish to fry. My television didn't work, and normally I wouldn't mind but the Yankees were playing the Red Sox at 1 pm and I had to see the game. I mean, we're talking quality of life here. I mentioned the problem to my day nurse, and she said she'd call Maintenance. Around noon, a guy came in to see if he could fix it. He immediately informed me it couldn't be fixed but that he'd bring me another one. In time for the game?, I asked. Definitely, he said. By 12:30, I had a brand new flat-screen TV perched on the wall. Turns out Mr. Maintenance Man is a Yankee fan, too. Naturally the Yanks won, but that made the nurses (who kept popping their heads in every time Marty and I screamed or clapped, not to check on the patient but on the score) very sad. Sigh.

I'll whip this place into shape yet.

But I have to take my licks, too. Once the game was over, and once the chemo drug they gave me during late morning had thoroughly circulated throughout my system, I suffered a bit of a hangover. I took a nap, and that helped. I feel great at the moment, eating a slice of pie from the snack stockpile as I type.

Tomorrow I get the rabbit drug, which makes me a little anxious. What on earth is a rabbit drug? You'll have to check back tomorrow to find out.

8 comments:

lenbob said...

This is the 2nd time I'm sending this as I don't know if you received it the first time. Keep those D**N red Sox fans in line. Try getting Mr. Maintenance to get you an HD TV, go for broke. Glad you still have an appetite. Can Marty bring frozen foods that need to be microwaved if there's such a thing that appeals to you? Jeff is here and we went to the Holocaust Museum in DC yesterday. Intense experience but not a museum to be visited often during the year. We had dinner with Mark & Brie, and we drank a toast to your good health. Hang in there. We'll be up Tuesday and will do our best to make the boys crazy. If you're up to it can we visit during the day, or bring the boys for a few hours Saturday or Sunday? Take care, love from all of us in beautiful downtown Landenberg.

Anonymous said...

Hang in there! May you always have good reason to sound so cheerful.

(I signed in as anonymous partly because I've never commented on a blog before and don't know exactly how it works. But it's really me!)

John

Anonymous said...

A "rabbit" drug? Now that sounds interesting!

What luck to find a Yankees fan in Boston. A good sign, I think.

I'll be thinking of you and hoping you are feeling well every day. Can you receive mail at the hospital address? Will you be checking email? (I've got many "life in a small Iowa town" stories to put a smile on your face...an incredulous smile, but still a smile).

Love, Rebecca

Ann said...

I hope the bunny infusion goes well for you. Being locked up is no fun, and rule following is even worse, but you've got the right attitude. Don't lose that amazing sense of humor and all will be well.

Ann

Anonymous said...

thanks for the laugh Patricia, I can imagine you getting the place sorted out there! I joined some 125 landscape designers yesterday for a tour of 5 of Waiheke's noteworthy private gardens, and gained a few tips for my own property planting.Chris must be in NY by now.
love from your kiwi correspondent
Dianne

Anonymous said...

From your not so secret admire:
This is a vist t0 my virgin blog, any idesa on how I get to my children's blog.

Kep up the good work (like you have a choice). {should that period be in or outside the paran}

I'm thinkin good thougths and with the sepial powers that i possess, you'll be on the road to speedy and coplete redovery in no time

Love ya

S PS where i s the spell check

Anonymous said...

Though I know there is a host of people to thank cudos to Lori and Sandy

S

Anonymous said...

Hey this Is kinda fun, if we can use the term fun in what you are dealing with, but I'm speaking more of the fact that no one ever listens to me and now there may be a host of people reading my literary art, maybe I should ty a poem or new lyrics to an old melody

Love

S