I had a quick nap and was just waking up when I hear a commotion at the door to my room. A lady employee in street clothes was showing my brother, Jeff, and sister-in-law, Carol, how to don the isolation attire and enter the room She had told them NOT to TOUCH me or or my bed and they shuffled in along the back wall with their hands up in the air like they were entering a surgical suite to perform surgery. I was laughing out loud!!!! The poor dears were terrified that they were going to contaminate me or something!
I was really surprised by their visit because they hadn't told anyone they were coming from Cuchara, Colorado (down by Walsenburg in southern Colorado). We had a really good visit and NEVER stopped laughing - laughing is GOOD. They left to go find some place to eat and I had another nap.
Woke to more friends visiting, Diane Peters, Nancy White, and Jane Koeckeritz (all good friends that I used to teach with at the University of Northern Colorado). I told them about Jeff and Carol's entry into the room and we all had another good laugh. Being all nurses, they were much more comfortable with the isolation routine.
We had a wonderful visit again laughing alot - if laughter is good healing medicine - I got alot of it today!
Jeff and Carol returned from their late lunch and my friends departed. Not long after that, my sister, Jani arrived from Greeley - a mini-Farkle Family Reunion minus Paco, our 90-year old father in Mackay, Idaho and my nephew, Nick Malkiewicz in Austin, Texas. I called Paco on the phone, so he was sort of here. He is doing fine in Mackay by himself - said it was 80 degrees there today!
Jani, jm, Jeff, and Carol Malkiewicz September 23 2011
My siblings really enjoyed Judy Richter's oatmeal scotchie cookies too.
Eating cookies with their best isolation technique. I told them if I die because of their germs, at least we could blame it on the gene pool~~~~
Jeff and Carol left for the long drive back to Cuchara, Colorado. Jani stayed on and helped me with a shower and changed my bedding. She takes my blanket and pillow cases home each day, washes them, and brings me clean replacements.
After my shower, Nurse Dana (female) worked on my Trifusion Hickman Catheter dressing change. I developed blistered areas around the top and bottom of the Tegaderm dressing as it may have been applied too tightly or I had fluid retention or something. We ended up putting on a smaller dressing so the edges can heal. Jani left around 8 PM for Greeley, Colorado. I love my family and friends! Thanks for a special day!
My 4 PM September 23 2011 lab values are unchanged. I'm still without an immune system with a white blood cell count of minus 0.1, anemic with a hemoglobin of 10.5, and low in platelets at 28.
After all my visitors left - I was pooped and slept HARD. Jani snapped this photo of me sleeping before she left for the night. Sometimes that bald head gets cold, so I use a little polartec hat.
So glad you had all that laughter and good visits with family... I'm sure it will bring on the necessary energy to get those good cells up and running!
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