Day 57

We were able to get JoAnne home Tuesday evening, but not without a hiccup or two. She was all set to leave the hospital, needing only a quick nebulizer treatment for her lungs. It was to replace an antibiotic she has been taking that was affecting her blood counts. It sounded like a nice trade off. One treatment per month instead of pills two days a week. Unfortunately, just minutes after inhaling the vapors, she experienced a significant allergic reaction. JoJo has had these before and they are frightening as she experiences difficulty breathing, serious shakes, low blood pressure and chest discomfort. There is also the unexpected and rapid onset which adds to the excitement.

The staff was able to get the symptoms under control and settle her, but it did take the starch out of her previously good mood. We hung around the hospital for a couple of hours to make sure everything was stable and then headed for the door............3 times. Each time we were stopped by nurses wanting to do one more test. Finally our Physician Assistant told us to head for the elevators and she would cover for us. JoJo was almost unrecognizable in the wheel chair anyway what with her beau-beau, mask and trying to hold onto all the bags with her personal belongings. Our escape ended successfully.

She has taken a couple of steps backwards in terms of strength and endurance, but rest will help. There have been some medication changes that we will have to manage, particularly with regards to the steroids, but so far so good. Steroids tend to ratchet up blood sugars, so we have to monitor those and administer insulin as needed for the time being. In the past, when they were discontinued, sugars returned to normal.

Life is so much easier when JoAnne is home. She requires a little bit of care, but both of us could do without sitting around hospital rooms day and night for awhile. Today was an absolutely perfect day weather wise so we went for a ride, ran a few low impact errands and snuck into The Nook for a burger. I suppose one could argue the wisdom of exiting the hospital after 8 days in isolation and heading to a Diner, Drive In or Dive, but the physical and emotional healing that comes with charred beef cannot be overstated. JoJo has been eating like a saint the last couple of months. She has earned a cheeseburger or two. It was our first time back since their fire induced shutdown and remodeling, and we  took the necessary precautions to protect our patient.  Not a bad day at all when in possession of low expectations :-)

There is hot & humid weather forecast in the coming week so we will be hunkered down in the cool zones of the house. JoJo and I hope all of you are having a wonderful summer wherever it may take you!

Cancer Sucks