May 11, 2025
I’m not really good yet at coming up for titles of each post, so for now, y’all get the date. Today is Sunday, Mother’s Day. Enjoyed lunch with my kids at Taco Bell and then ran by work for a few. My husband has been in our local hospital since this past Wednesday. I picked him up some Taco Bell and visited with him for a few hours.
When I got home from work this past Wednesday, Lane was laid out on the couch, looking pretty rough. He was really hot to the touch. 103.6 temp. So, off to the ER we went. They called him back fairly quickly and took him right on to a room. They were not gonna let him sit in the waiting room with no immune system. They called Blood Services for platelets cause his count was 5. His white count was .1. If you don’t know what those numbers mean, they were too low. They don’t usually let you leave the hospital with platelets under 20. Normal platelet range is around 140,000 – 400,000. They took blood cultures and ran all kinds of other test. They decided they were going to admit him to the hospital cause his numbers were just too low. His blood cultures ended up showing he had a bacterial infection – some form of strep.
Our local hospital isn’t like the University with all the specialized doctors. The doctors and nurses we had maybe didn’t have a lot of experience with leukemia patients, but they did really great at taking care of him. They didn’t hesitate to ask questions and call his doctor in Jackson. They did have him in ICU Step Down (I use past tense, even though he is still there.) They followed protocol very well with him having no immune system. They were all super friendly and showed that they knew what they were doing. I have never been in an ICU type room. They are big and spacious. I don’t know what the name is for the type bed he has, but it blows up with air often. The nurse said it is to help keep patients from getting pressure sores. She said most patients aren’t able to get up out of the bed and get around like he does. The room has a chair and a rocker. It has a nice window view with great afternoon sun and a view of the helicopter if it comes in to land or take off. Our last two rooms at the University also had helicopter views. They were really noisy, but they aren’t so loud in this room. Maybe the insulation is better because we were just as close to them as the other hospital. I’m always intrigued by helicopters. I have to stop and watch them anytime I hear them. I have ridden in one, but it was like 32 years ago. It was really great though.
This hospital stay has gotten him quite a few bags of platelets and one bag of blood. I find that when he gets a bag of blood that seems to help his numbers to improve and hold. Maybe not, but that’s what I think anyway. This evening all his numbers are so much better. They are good enough for him to go home, but there were no doctors there to discharge him. So, hopefully he will be discharged in the morning. White count was at 1.9 and platelets were at 57. Another number they watch is neutrophils. His neutrophils have been at 0, but this evening they were at 900. They will let him leave if his neutrophils are 500 or above. With ICU rooms having visiting hours, I miss getting to see the doctor. He had a different doctor today. She said she would call his cancer doctor in the morning to make sure what she wanted his numbers to be before he left. He has cabin fever and is beyond ready to come home.
This evening the kids and I visited my parents and brothers family for late in the day Mother’s Day. It’s always good to see family. This past week my parents celebrated 59 years of marriage. Don’t you know that’s been a journey. Mom’s are special for sure. God surely blessed me with mine. Amazing how he knows just who we need in life. I’m surely blessed two with my two precious children. Life can be hard. Life can be tiring. Life is a struggle at times. BUT Life is also good. Life is rewarding. Life is precious. Life is beautiful.
Notes from today’s church sermon: We never stop. We are called to never quit reaching out. The church is more than the walls. Mark 1:29-39. After Jesus heals the lady, she serves. He wants us to pour out to others. Our relationship with Jesus should affect our family, friends, & strangers. We are called to help others. Do they feel that we genuinely care about their life with Christ?
This life’s journey is tiring right now. This too shall pass. I’m dreaming of better days. Love y’all.
