First I "tried" to donate blood last Monday because I had some time after a funeral. They have a new process for people with O+ blood to donate what they call Double Red. So they take 2 units of only red cells from you and put the rest of your blood back. Fine, I thought it was a great idea since Mom had needed 6 units of red blood. Well they take out and put back from the same arm and some how the needle had gone through my vein. They took out just fine, but the put back was not so great. But it made for an awesome bruise!! (By the way the tech helping me told me I was only the second person that this had happened to that he knew of, so it really is a great process that gets the blood to the patient in only 2 days, so I will try it again but on the left arm not the right.)
This is the night after. My arm is as straight as it would go, the lump there was painful and turned into this:
Alright so my sister and I have some morbid fascination with bruises, probably because she and I have had some pretty good ones over the years. None like the ones Mom currently has, but for her sake I am not posting those (you are welcome!)This next pic is of Mom waiting to be released from the hospital... and waiting ... and waiting. It took a really long time, but she was able to get a hug from cute nurse Ben... I did not get a hug from cute nurse Ben. But cute nurse Ben did give me 2 Tylenol and a Dr. Pepper (yuk) to help me fend off an oncoming migraine until I could get home to take my pill. Ben... he's cute and was a blog worthy nurse. But enough about Ben let's get back on topic. This is right after they unhooked her from the machines, she put on mostly real clothes after wearing pajamas for 3 weeks straight, and threw away her slippers to don some cumfy Crocks.
And then the meds... oh the meds one has to take when one has cancer. Granted some of these bottles are vitamins but the rest are for various conditions caused by cancer or other preexisting conditions.
All I can say is it is so great to have Mom home. Yes I miss the nurses taking care of her full time (Ben... oh Ben... just kidding) but it sure is nice to have her home with us. She is tired and sleeps a lot but that means I can do my homework or watch a good flick on tv.We did have a long running joke in the hospital (I can say long running since she was in there for almost 3 weeks right? Oh and plus it is my blog so I can say what I want to!) asking if the nurses were blog worthy, only the good ones get a mention on my blog. The PA Amity is by far the most blog worthy, she seemed to always be at the hospital and was very good to Mom. Natalia and Tammy are the two nurses who stick out in my mind because she had them more than once. There are a few nurses who were blog worthy but for the negative and since I just read Emily's blog I shall say only positive things because I can!! John was also very good, kind of sarcastic, but really cared. The CNA's (there are too many to remember names) were usually on top of things and very helpful especially on lasix days. (You got a beeper Gloria?) Not nurses but super helpful were Rachel (LOVE HER!), Patrick, and Brenda. Rachel was her transplant coordinator who told made it all happen, Patrick is the social worker who was there in case she needed to talk and also made sure everyone on the floor voted, and Brenda was the clinical pharmasist who made sure that all of the meds Mom needed were available at HAFB so mom would not have to pay (pays to be married to retired miltary). Then the doctors: Peterson and Asch. There were two others but they were not her primary doctors. Dr Peterson is from Denmark so Mom had fun talking to him and Dr Asch is from Jersey so I had fun talking to her.
Well this post started out small but I can not seem to shut up. Needless to say: Welcome home Mom! And thanks to the LDS 8th floor BMT staff for keeping her here a little longer.
4 comments:
That bruise is pretty sweet! I don't bruise easily, so I get very excited when I actually have one. I need help, I know.
It's good to hear your Mom is home again.
I think I had a bruise like that during Birdie -- ha ha! Worth every inch...
That's quite a collection of meds; but yay for medicines that help us feel better.
Sure love ya, Steph - and MOM too!! Welcome home, Mom!
Eric has that same blood type, too, and he recently did that kind of donation. He bruised but not like you did. Eric gets calls all the time for him to come in and donate and he always goes. He said this new way to donate was weird but that he'd do it again.
So glad to hear your Mom is home now. Tell her hello. Glad to know about the new blood donor procedure. They weren't doing that here last time I donated, but maybe they will in the future, sounds kind of weird to put it back in. Awful bruise. I've had some from donating but nothing that big!
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