My night nurse was so unobtrusive and skillful in quietly doing my 6 a.m blood draw that I was able to fall back asleep! And then ... a half hour later ... my door opened with a whoosh as the nursing assistant came in to introduce herself, change her name on the whiteboard, and tell me that she would be on all day. Did she not notice that I was SLEEPING?! Okay, I get it. I am a hospital veteran. Vitals MUST be taken on a schedule. I replied as my normal chatty self, roused myself from my restorative slumber, but was confused that I couldn't see her moving towards my vitals' cart.
"Don't you need to take my vitals?" I asked.
"Oh, I'll be back for that later. Do you need anything before I leave?" she replied.
Ummmmm ... what do I NEED? NOT to be woken up without CAUSE, perhaps! To get as much REST as possible.
*** Nursing assistant introduction = epic FAIL. ***
Grump, grump, grump. Yo! Listen up! Sleep-deprived cancer patients do NOT want to be roused simply to say hello! Grumpity, grump, grump. Yes, I am happy to have enjoyed 6.5 hours sleep last night but OH perhaps it could have been more! I am GREEDY for sleep. I am EXHAUSTED. Grump, grump, grump.... GRUMP!!!
"Oh, I'm fine, thank you." I replied politely.
Okay. All done now....
Street clothes are on, the bed is made, and I am now awaiting an 8 a.m. phone call from my VCU oncologist to review this week's sepsis and blood work. Will I still be on schedule for next week's chemo? I'll find out soon :)
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Chemo should be green flagged for next Tuesday. Final decision will hinge on my Monday morning bloodwork up at Dalton.
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| My blue sky / green tree view! |
Evening update: A long, happy conversation with a college friend, a friendly conversation / consult with a hospitalist who is the mother of a former student, many visitors, only short interludes connected to my antibiotic-infusing pump, TWO milkshakes (!), a two hour nap (made possible by Carolyn's door sign), and blood work that indicates that my Neulasta may finally be stimulating some bone marrow activity: my white blood cell count improved from 0.7 to 2.1. I am back into single digits! BOO-yah! All in all, it has been a very fine day :)
P.S. Can you believe that despite the 6:30 a.m. introduction / wake-up, I never again saw the nursing assistant? Well, it was lucky that she didn't come back when Carolyn was here; she is more ... direct ... than most of us :)
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