White blood cell count very low

[Uben]

Last edited Sat Jan 7, 2012, 09:15 AM - Edit history (1)

Well, I guess I was on the right track keeping people away from her. When I got to the hopsital yesterday morning, she was isolated due to low white blood cell count. Everyone, including all hospital staff, are required to wear protective masks when entering the room she is in. She wasn't looking or feeling well at all. They gave her some really high powered drug to help increase her WBC count and also gave her some Marinol to stimulate her appetite. Marinol? Now we're talkin! She ate more solid food yesterday than she has eaten in a week. Anyone who says marijuana has no medical benefit are fools. She looked much better when I left last night, and she was more lucid, yet still very weak. She remains isolated until they can get her resistance built back up.

She told me she had been hallucinating, but I think what she was having were very vivid dreams, a result of the drugs she has been given. We all know what hospital food is like, usually bland and tasteless, but what they served her yesterday actually looked and tasted better! Heck, even I wanted to dig into some of it. She is on an unrestricted diet, so she can have anything she wants.
Of course, I would love to go out and get her anything her heart desires, but I could not risk bringing in pathogens from an outside source. In this day and time, some people go to work out of necessity, regardless of their health issues.

I'm hoping her counts are up when I go in today, and she continues to desire and eat more solid foods. They can give her nutrition via IVs, but she needs her appetite restored. I'm going to request a lifetime prescription for her to Marinol (snickers).

As Slipslidingaway said in another thread here, it has really been a rollercoaster ride. Right now, it's one foot in front of the other, one day at a time. Each day seems to bring a new challenge. I hope in a few days she will be able to come back home, but I want her health stabilized first, no matter how long it takes. I will have help when she finally does get back home. A home health agency will provide an RN to monitor her health and therapists to assist in her recovery, and they will provide any needed durable medical equipment for her recovery as well as aides for bathing and hygene issues. Kinda makes those $25K/yr insurance premiums not so bad, now.

Hope there's more good news to post when I return this evening. I truly love you guys for your support and well wishes. It is so nice to have a place to share your emotions and frustrations with folks who have gone or are going through the similar experiences. Thank you all!

Uben

edit: While Carol was sleeping yesterday, I went down to the van to catch a short nap. As I was popping a DVD into the TV, I saw a chicken right in front of the van on the hospital parking lot. Now, I live rurally, so chickens are not uncommon to see cavorting about, but this was in the middle of a large city! It was dusk, and I also noticed other birds flying into the youpon trees in the lot to roost. Then I looked around and there were few trees to be seen anywhere, so I guess they just use what's available. Then, the chicken flew into the tree right in front of me to roost for the night! It was there when I left a couple of hours later. Weird.