After eight long days of being confined to the third floor, I finally received permission to go outside.
Dr. Cooper allowed me to leave the floor for an hour, so long as I am supervised each time.
Unfortunately, it was raining so Paulette and I were forced to stay under the overhang to keep dry. It looks like today is going to be sunny, so my plan is to get out to the Healing Garden for a bit.
The fresh air helped me get through a tough stretch.
It's difficult to be in the hospital for an extended time. It's even tougher when you're confined to the floor.
For the most part, I have maintained a positive attitude but the last few days started wearing me down. Getting outside for an hour each day will hopefully help me push through the final four or five days here.
I still don't have a discharge date and likely won't until the day it happens.
Everything is dependent upon two numbers, my white blood cell count and the number of absolute neutrophils in my blood.
On June 7, my white blood cell count was 12.5. The normal range is 3.5 - 10.0. As of this morning, I'm at 2.7, so we're getting close there.
The neutrophils are less encouraging.
I came into the hospital with 10,910 neutrophils. The normal range is equal to or greater than 1,000. My count this morning was 80, after coming in at 120 on Thursday and 180 on Wednesday.
My nurse said they typically discharge at 500. It's been a week since my count was at that mark and it has dropped every since.
All my other numbers are with normal range. Now, I just need those key numbers to cooperate.
I don't have any big plans today, other than getting out into the sunshine. I'm going to try to stay busy and get through this weekend the best I can.
No comments:
Post a Comment