Settling in?

Lots to do today to get us started in the new routine. Pictured above are all the supplies that are needed to care for Woody's Hickman line. He has plastic "shields" that go over the dressing and the lines when he showers. Then there is special solution applicators to clean around the area when changing the dressing...then another solution to paint on before applying the dressing. Woody has to have his dressing changed daily since he is allergic to adhesives...the other type of dressings only have to be changed once a week...but we "get" to change his daily. After the dressing is put back on...then the two lines have to be flushed with heparin...so there are syringes of heparin to do that. Once a week the caps on the lines have to be changed. So today we did the first changing of the dressing here at home. We decided to get out a TV tray to have everything at hand when we need it...well, it took two TV trays. Then when I started putting out everything in the order that we would need it, I realized that we weren't given one of the items needed. Luckily the nurse gave us one when she was cleaning up the supplies in Woody's room...so we had one for today. I change his dressing, etc. after he showers each day. Then as soon as our drugstore opened, I headed there to see if I could order some from them. But this time they couldn't order what we needed. But they told me about a surgical supply store that I didn't know about here in town. I was able to get the 20 that we will need before we go back to NIH the first of September. But that 20 didn't come cheap--$63! I'm so thankful that NIH gave us most of our supplies! One of the nurses told me that the special dressings that we are using due to Woody being allergic to adhesives are quite expensive. I asked the nurse for these cleansing solution applicators...and thought that they had been brought in...I should have checked off all the supplies as I packed them...if I had done that I would have realized that they never got into our room and would have asked for them again. Oh, well, at least we were able to find what we needed here in Tullahoma.

Woody weighed this morning and he has lost about 15 pounds since going into NIH 3 weeks ago. He knew ahead of time that he would lose weight so he had put on some weight before heading in for the treatments. It was hard to know how much he had lost at NIH as they weigh in kilograms.

Following doctor's orders, Woody won't be returning to work until he goes back to NIH on Sept. 1 and 2...at that time the research team will assess whether he is ready to head back after we return. I think that it is good that they told him not to return until then. He really needs to take it easy and let his immune system and all his counts, etc. build back up. He is finding out that he tires rather easily. His blood pressure was still rather low this morning...so we are watching that...looks like he shouldn't have been started back on his blood pressure medicine yesterday.

I think that I might be more wiped out than Woody (probably not)! This afternoon I was sitting on the couch and not long after I sat down I was asleep. We both slept very well last night...good to be back sleeping in our own bed! I ran errands this morning and then this afternoon did a few more. We picked veggies from Nathan and Kathy's garden this afternoon...very hot (Weather Bug says that it got to 101!)! Woody did wear a cap...his St. Louis Cardinal cap look.

Speaking of Kathy and Nathan...HAPPY 10th ANNIVERSARY!