I went to the clinic yesterday and the counts, except for hemoglobin were all down. I am really neutropenic now. No salad or fresh fruit or leftovers. Not that I'm big on salad or fresh fruit right now with the wobbly stomach, but there are some very fine leftovers in that fridge.
And a new twist, not major, from living without the TPN. The TPN had a lot of vitamins in it and now I'm low on Potassium and Magnesium. I have to take Potassium through the IV because it irritates the stomach. Same for Magnesium. They told me I could take Slo-Mag but be careful because it irritates the stomach sometimes. No thank you. Keeping the stomach calm is number one.
Potassium takes a loooooong time to drip. So 4 hours at the clinic yesterday getting platelets and Potassium, then I brought a backpack home with a few more units. Fortunately potassium does not usually go all night so I can go to sleep unhooked. But this is what it will be till we sort something out. Like my stomach gets well enough to take the pills, or I figure out how many bananas it takes to maintain a healthy potassium level. This is more than appropriate since the prednizone creates a very hairy face and while I don't look like a chimp at all, I feel like one sometimes. And I'm not very crazy about bananas.
Janice is with me this week and she is just full of interesting trivia. She is a schoolteacher on a break so is seeing doctors and getting lab work and picking up scrips. Her husband is on a long term assignment in Connecticut right now.
One time when I was in the hospital and my potassium was low, it seemed like no matter how many units the pharmacist ordered it was never enough. One evening during shift change I overheard the night nurse in the hall. "Give her to me tonight and I'll just drip Potassium all night long and we'll see if that gets it up in the normal range." She had a good idea and it worked.
So limited guests right now, no restaurant food, no fresh, uncooked food. Serious attention to sanitizing. But the blog and the Christmas shopping goes on.
~Cathi
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Pole...
Double dang but yippies still lead. Keep working those nutritional needs. We're keeping thoughts for you.
Keep us posted...ping..
I'm guessing this Christmas shopping is online. The wonders of the web. Tim Berners-Lee is my hero :)
So, back to dripping potassium! Anything that keeps the stomach soothed is the way to go. It needs to be prepared for Thanksgiving next week.
Enjoy the weekend
lots of love #2 GOT
Ditto Barry ^^^ Double Dang ^^^
Back to germ free for a while. With some help you'll be back to consuming all sorts of goodies - hopefully by Turkey Day. Your recipes are legendary.
How is the quilt coming along? Maybe you'll be able to get it finished (?)
Sending you lots and lots of big hugs and love.
Post a Comment