January 30,2009 - Larry's Houston stay is almost over!!!!!!
Not much has happened this week.
Tuesday, Jan. 27: Larry's red blood cell count was 8.0 and platelet count was 13.0. They set him up for red blood and platelet transfusion. He didn't seem to mind it so bad since they left the IV thingy (remember I'm medically challenged) in his arm from yesterday. He said the nurses were very nice to him today. I said "Larry, they are always nice to you" and he said "I know but since they didn't have to stick me today I was in a better mood and I guess I just now noticed it". He got out of the hospital at 7:00pm and said they took the IV thingy out....I asked why and he said "they didn't expect to have to give me a transfusion tomorrow". He is so hyped up about seeing the doctor tomorrow to see if he can come home this week end.
Wednesday, Jan. 28: Larry red blood cell count was 10.3, his white blood cell count was 0.1 and his platelet count was 16.0 so he didn't have to get a transfusion which he was very grateful for that. Larry asked the doctor if they could do his bone marrow test this week and the doctor said they have to wait til the 28 day of his cycle which will be Mon. Feb. 2 and the doc wants to see Larry on Wed, Feb. 4 in the afternoon. Larry called me at 7:00 pm and I couldn't hardly understand him.......it sounded like he was talking with a wad of cotton in his mouth so I asked him if he had something in his mouth and he said "Mo, I tant hardwy tawk, I wuz powtn when I gop on te buz en I steppeb on mi wip en etz swowum. De buz dwivor hepped me woll mi wip up en geet on de buz". (TRANSLATION: No, I can't hardly talk, I was pouting when I got on the bus and I stepped on my lip and it's swollen. The bus driver helped me roll my lip up and get on the bus). He said he had the driver stop at a service station on the way back to camp and he bought a bag of ice for the cooler. When he got back to the camper he put the ice in the cooler, left the lid off of it and put it in front of his chair, sat down and straddled the cooler and slowly unrolled his lip and lowered it in the cooler full of ice. He said he's probably gonna sleep with the cooler beside his bed tonight........poor baby :-(
Friday, Jan. 30 (today): Larry called me at 11:30 am and told me that his red blood cell count was 10.0, his platelets were 5.0 so they had him set up for a platelet transfusion this afternoon at 3:30 pm. He said his lip was back to normal and he wasn't so upset because he only had a few more days to go. He was really hoping to come home this week end but he decided that he would just stay there and rest and wait for the doctor to give him his blessing on Wednesday. He also said it depends on his bone marrow test next week as to whether or not they will give him another cycle of chemo. Larry said the doctor thinks the chemo might have been a little too strong for him so he might let Larry go without it for a month. We will just have to wait till he sees the doctor on Wednesday.........We are counting the days till he gets to come home from HOUSTON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you all for your prayers,
Jean

January 23, 2009-Larry's counts crashed today!!!!!

Hello Everyone,

I just talked to Larry and he is depressed. He is sitting in the transfusion waiting room to get blood and platelets. His red blood cell count was 7.6 and his platelet count was 0.1 and the PA said that on this protocol that the crash usually happens on day 18 which is today. I told Larry not to let it get him down because he only has a week to go if all goes well. I also told him if he just couldn't take it any more and he needed to call someone to take out his frustrations just give me a call and I would give him a list of people he could call and yell at ;-)

I know Larry is upset but he said he'd get over it. I told him it was just a little bump in the road. I did make him promise since I wasn't there that he try to behave himself and not throw a temper tantrum like he usually does because they are usually slower than he thinks they should be and he said.............he'd think about it (I know what that means) NO!!!!!! He was hoping that he would only have to get platelets today so he could sneak home for the week end because there were so many things he wanted to get done. I asked him what was all the things he wanted to do and he said, "well..........just mostly come home". I said "did you make a list of things to do" and he said, "well............uh, NO but .......I just wanted to come home and tend to a few things". I told him that there wasn't anything here that had "RUSH" stamped all over it so what ever he thought that he needed to do could wait til he got released from the doctor. The main thing he needs to do is take care of himself so he will be able to come home when he is released. I guess I'm going to have to go back down there and duct tape his hands behind him, throw him on the bed, stuff surgical gloves in his mouth, pick up a bed pan and threaten to whack him on the head if he doesn't straighten up!!!!!!!!! Don't you think that will make him straighten up????? I'm sure he's reeeaaalllll scared of me...........nah!!

I'll call him later tonight and make sure he is doing ok and I will keep everyone posted about his condition.

Thank all of you for your prayers,
Jean