Day +9- Finally Awake.... Well For A Little Bit!

Well hello! I have missed you all! I can't believe I missed a day of writing. I think this neutropenic state got the best of me. I have hit bottom low both with my white blood count and my energy. Yesterday I woke up completely wiped out. My blood pressure has been very low. My last reading was 72/46. Talk about being relaxed. Yikes! How low can it go?   I started to get some dizzy spells when trying to stand up so the doctors recommended that I receive a blood transfusion. This is very common with transplant patients but it did freak me out a bit. After I was informed of the minimal risks and signed the waiver they hooked up a bag of blood to George. During my blood transfusion my sister Karen and her husband David came to visit. We had a great visit. All was good until I started to feel very hot and very itchy on my back. In fact my back felt like it was on fire! So the nurse quickly unhooked me from the second bag of blood and gave my some Benedryl via IV. Apparently, I was having a reaction of some sort. So needless to say after the Benedry it was night night Jeanie for a good solid three hours.

Mike came to visit last night. We had a great time hanging out. Yesterday he took the kids to a tree farm to pick the perfect tree. And that is exactly what they did!  Here's a photo of it!




I have to be honest, when I received this photo from Mike my eyes filled with tears and I lost it.  Fortunately my nurse was in my room to comfort me.  The moment just got the best of  me.  I was so happy to see the beautiful smiles on their faces and so happy Mike continued our tradition,, but I was so sad I wasn't there with them .  Damn Cancer!  But they picked a beautiful tree and Sunday will be decorating day. 

Mike also brought me some beautiful gifts the kids' classes made me.  Sarah's second grade class put together a joke book for me.  The kids all wrote their own funny riddles and drawings accompanying them.  It was adorable and so funny.  I just can't believe how talented these kids are!

Looking at my joke book.   How do you like the mask and glove attire?

Emily's second grade class made a beautiful rainbow flag for me.  Made with colorful paper flowers. In the center of each flower is inspirational word like : strength, hope, rainbow, happy, smile.  It is beautiful and so bright and colorful! 

My rainbow flag made by Emily's class

Cam's class put together an incredible book of poetry for me.  It is beautiful .  I cannot believe the powerful words these fifth graders put together.  Poems about strength and survival. All coming from fifth graders!  I was speechless!  Cam's  poem is so powerful.  He hasn't expressed his sadness too much to us over the last few months.  I am so glad he has found a way to do that! Brings tears to my eyes every time I read it. 

Me looking at my Poetry Book

This is Cam's beautiful poem to me!

Cam's poem

,

I cannot even begin to tell you how much these little homemade gifts mean to me.  I am overwhelmed with emotions.  We do not give the youth population enough credit.  These kids are so talented and the words that they come up with.  They use such powerful words and it amazes me how strong these kids are dealing with the very scary subject of cancer and a sick parent.  I feel so blessed and thankful that my children attend such incredible schools and have such supportive wonderful teachers and that they are in classrooms filled with supportive classmates. 

Physically I feel like I have been through a war.  I feel beat up (not defeated) but beat up and weak.  The tiny mirror in my room shows me the physical affects I have had from the crummy chemo.  But aside from the fatigue, the baldness, the weight I've lost, and the yellowish tone to my face ,I'm determined more than ever.  Today my labs show that my white blood count hasn't begun to rebound.  I am hooked back up to George with bags of fluids that will run overnight.  My blood pressure is still low and my body is very dehydrated.  Hopefully tomorrow, my stem cells will start to graft and we will see my numbers start to climb.

Today I actually slept until 8:20!  I could believe it!  And Leslie and Beth were here by 8:40.  It was so great to see them.  They brought me a beautiful ornament that has an angel inside it that lights up.  We hung it on George to add a little Christmas spirit!



George with a little Christmas Spirit!





I also wanted to share with you a photo that my friend Leslie texted to me on Thanksgiving Morning.  Leslie is not only a wonderful friend but she is also a Kick Ass Kickboxing Instructor.  She held a special Turkey Day Morning Class and these incredible women in the photo dedicated their class to me!  They are holding up my bandanna from my Multiple Myeloma 5K Run!  How cool is that!

Well, I started this post around 1 this afternoon but fell sell asleep until 5:20.  Crazy how much I sleep!!  Thank you for your continued thoughts, prayers and wonderful messages.  Tomorrow is Day +10 and I am very hopeful that my numbers will start to climb.  I hope to move in the stationary bike by Tues or Wednesday and get these legs moving!  George will continue to feed  me necessary fluids during the night, and hopefully tomorrow we will find my blood pressure a more normal range.   I hope you all have a a wonderful night with your families.  I just got a text from Mike that it is snowing in New Hampshire!

Love Always,
Jeanie
xo