Home... again!
Hey everyone! I made it home on Friday afternoon. Very excited to be typing this on our couch rather than a hospital bed.
My ultrasound on Tuesday showed an abscess where my appendix had ruptured, so I had a procedure on Wednesday to drain the infected fluid. The procedure went well, but since they had found the abscess, it meant I'd need to be on IV antibiotics for at least 10 days.
I figured that meant I'd be in the hospital for close to another week. However, thankfully modern medicine is pretty amazing and they arranged for me to do the IV antibiotics at home! They delivered all of the supplies and my medicine to our apartment. Then, after I was discharged on Friday and all settled at home, Anna and I FaceTimed a nurse who walked us through all the instructions. The medicine comes in these pressurized spheres and the line connects straight into my port in my chest. It's a really slick system and honestly couldn't be much easier, which was really relieving.
While in the hospital, I was able to spend some time with physical therapy and occupational therapy. They gave me some exercises to help rebuild the strength I've lost (a combination of losing ~30 lbs. since my diagnosis, spending so much time in a hospital bed, and my neuropathy due to chemo), which has made it hard to walk, open containers, or hold a full coffee mug. They also casted my feet and legs to make AFOs, which will help me walk more normally for the time being until my nerves and muscles recover. A big thank you to my sister-in-law, Erin, for picking me up some shoes tonight to try on with the AFOs, so I can make the most of the nice weather this week.
I'm also pretty thankful that my nephews were kind enough to loan me their dad, my brother Tim, for this past week. After I spent the weekend with my other brother, Marc, and Anna on Monday, he drove all the way from Minnesota and was able to spend Tuesday through Friday with me in the hospital. He's an anesthesiologist and incredibly knowledgable about all-things medicine. As such, he was able to guide me through the whole process this week, made sure I stayed on top of my PT/OT exercises, bought me some yummy carryout, and kept me company. Only downside was that I had to listen to a little more Radiohead than I would have liked. :)
Looking forward to the week ahead, we'll continue to do these IV antibiotics at home until I go into the clinic on Friday. If my scans show that the abscess is gone, and if my counts are looking good, I might be able to finish with the antibiotics and continue my treatment the following Monday. Continuing my treatment means I'll be back in the hospital for roughly 3-days, but that'll seem like nothing now. Also on Friday, I'm scheduled for an MRI of my feet and ankles for my standing foot pain - which makes it look like I'm incredibly impatient while waiting for an elevator, since I pace around to help relieve the pain.
It's frustrating that while February was so unexpectedly eventful, since it delayed my treatment, we still have roughly 6 more months before I reach the much lower intensity maintenance phase. But, we continue to take it day-by-day and appreciate the good days. This weekend has been the best one in a while, with lots of Modern Family, good food and fresh air, thanks to this amazing weather we're having. The nice thing about being appendix-free is that's one less thing I'm dealing with now - can't say I miss it!
As always, thanks to everyone for the well wishes and support. Fingers crossed for an uneventful week at home and a smooth appointment on Friday.