Oops!

Yesterday, when I had the class on caring for Woody's Hickman line, I was given a clamp (pictured above). I was told to follow the American Express motto..."Don't leave home without it!" When we are out of the room walking, we are to take it with us...so I clipped it onto my lodge badge...that way I had it when we left the room...well, this evening, when I got back to the lodge, I still had it...I didn't leave it in the hospital room. Really this isn't a problem since he is right there where nurses have access to many more clamps...if the need should arise. When I saw these yesterday, I thought that surely when we have no longer need a clamp, it would come in handy in the sewing room. I used the word "scissors" to the instructor...well, he corrected me quickly...but I explained to him that I knew this item was a clamp...but since I sewed I was seeing future use when I sewed. He told me that he did machine sewing and that he had never thought of using one of these in that way before...and, that I had taught him something...he could now see a sewing use for them!

Woody is improving slowly but surely. The doctor told him that his neutrophils were up again today...and that they had tripled since yesterday...not a huge number...but if they continue to triple every day that soon he would no longer be neutropenic. This is the first day that going home has come up...the doctor said that if things continue in the direction that they are going that he will probably be able to go home next week. Woody and I made 15 "laps" around the unit...we were told later that 20 equals a mile...so guess we walked 3/4 of a mile. Woody seemed to take a very restful nap a little before I left. When he woke up, I took a banana, some graham crackers, and some vanilla pudding and made Woody some "banana pudding." He really doesn't have much of an appetite...hard to tempt him...he seemed to enjoy this concoction.

I finished another book today and made another trip up to the NIH patient library. Two storms blew through today. It was supposed to be an extra hot day...but by the time I left at 7:30 this evening, it was very nice out...in the 70's...thanks to the storms. The deer ran across the street and back down into their evening grazing area. This morning I got some more pictures of the baby bunnies. Tonight I came back to the lodge and was in the kitchen eating a salad and a young lady came in. Her mother is a patient at NIH. They are from Toronto, Canada. She sat down at the table I was sitting at and we talked for a while (thus the late hour of the blog).