zen.org Communal Weblog

A couple of pics of things here, to keep things fresh. One or two might not be okay for the squeamish, just so’s ya know.

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I think it’s day 4.  They all blend.

I talked to the oncologist and two of the hematologists.  His wbc count is now 1.8.  So in the course of 2 days, it’s dropped dramatically.  At the same time, his red blood cell count is way low too (4.8 I think she said).  The red blood cells contain the hemoglobin, which are high in iron and carries oxygen around his body, so the fact that they’re low means that he is exhausted.  I brought in my laptop today expecting him to be asleep for a good chunk of the day. Last night they gave him some platelets as well as the bag of O positive blood.  Today he’s getting another 2 bags of blood and at least one more bag of platelets.

I chatted with Dr M this morning, and she this is well within the range of normal and what they were expecting.  He’s very frustrated, because he’s not one to just sit and do nothing.  His vision is blurry and has a few spots, enough that he can’t read his email or post on here (yes, we’re going to have to deal with my non-writing skillz).  But I am reading his email to him, and he’s very blostered by the news that Ruairi Quinn is setting up a forum to “identify how schools can be transferred out of Catholic patronage as a matter of immediate priority.” You can take the guy out of the ET school but you can’t take the ET out of the guy.

As for the family, we’re doing okay. We have a great Polish support network, with Magda and her parents jumping in with both feet for the boys.  Most everyone here has said they are more than happy to take the boys for a playdate, dinner, whatever.  B’s aunts have been dropping by the house to chat, Mary did the Lidl shopping for me yesterday which was a huge help.  They’re taking the boys after P’s football tomorrow for the afternoon. Last night Lisa and Ro came by for a visit at home, bringing snacks for my purse, smoothies, Rescue Remedy, chocolate cake, sleepy chilltime tea, and lots of distraction. And to make sure I ate, they brought me some sushi, my favorite, the salmon and avocado handroll. Nom. It was great to just chat about the shop and our friends and Ro’s new Kindle for a while.

The nurses and docs here have been so incredible.  Say what you will about the Irish health system, I have no problems praising the staff here.  All the time in the world for us, they do total patient care and they keep asking me if I’m eating (yes, I am.) I hope the new minister for health can make the system more workable, so everyone can have this level of care throughout the whole system, instead of being gagged due to poorly executed budgets.