LDS Hospital Stay #1

So, after 5 1/2 days at LDS Hospital, I'm home. I got home last night (Sunday) around 6 or so (I don't even remember). The days I spent at the hospital were important for a few reasons:

1. I got my first "hospitalization" of my life out of the way and gained an appreciation for what it's really like. It's funny - you watch movies and TV shows and think they're based on some degree of reality. For some people, I guess they are, but for me it was very different than what you see. My first stay helped me understand that the staff at LDSH is fantastic, and that there's nothing about being in the hospital that's naturally frightening or scary. It's just a place where good people take care of sick people. The staff members who were assigned to me were all pretty great, and they grew on me a lot. I'll be back at LDSH when I need my marrow transplant, so I'm glad I got to know the staff pretty well and get comfortable with them.
2. We began my chemotherapy. I'm on a 28-day cycle that is designed to wipe out as much of my cancer as possible over the course of a handful of cycles before the results diminish and ultimately hit a plateau. When I got in on Tuesday, 70% of my white blood cells were cancerous; as of yesterday morning, only 29% are cancerous. Over those 5 1/2 days, however, about 74% of my white blood cells - cancerous and non-cancerous - were killed. I lost a high percentage of platelettes (the thickening part of the blood that causes scabbing, clotting, and keeps a person from bleeding uncontrollably) and red blood cells (which carry oxygen through the body), as well. So, I have lower levels of energy and immunity, and feel kind of fatigued. The steroids I blogged about in my last post are only given on 12 of the 28 days in the cycle, so those are the days when I'm typically going to feel most energetic. Today is not one of those days. My side effects to the chemo have been pretty minimal to this point - actually, the only side effects I have experienced are a mildly metallic taste in my mouth - particularly noticeable when I drink water - and hiccups. Yes, hiccups. That is actually a result of the steroids and not the chemo at all. The steroids mess with a nerve that tells my diaphragm to contract for a hiccup...over and over again. On those days when I have been on the steroids, I've had as many as eight hiccup "episodes" lasting as long as 45 minutes. With a broken 5th left rib, that's not a very comfortable thing to deal with. They do, however, have a pill for hiccups. It's called Baclofen. I also expect to lose my hair in another couple weeks.
3. We learned through daily blood tests that I have a deficiency in phosphorous, a key electrolyte. While I was there, they were able to add a Sodium Phosphate "rider" (or boost) to my IV drip. Now that I'm out of the hospital, I have to take this phosphorous powder and mix it into orange juice or something every day to ensure I don't drop to dangerously low levels. 

Here are some pictures of me from when I was able to get outside for a walk with Noelle a couple times:

Hopefully, it will be several months before I'm back at LDS Hospital for a transplant. As nice as everyone was, there's really no place I'd rather be than home.