counts low but no fevers!

I've been meaning to update for a bit but our schedule has been a bit busy since he got out of the hospital.  Brief summary of events since Monday:

Monday:

finally released a bit after 3 p.m. and after an arduous check-in at the hotel we get our room around 5 p.m.

Tuesday:

Left the hotel at 7:45 a.m. and returned close to 9 p.m., loooong day.  Chris had blood counts, dr. visit, lumbar puncture with chemo, IV chemo, IV meds, blood & platelet transfusions.

Chris was adjusting to sleeping in a new place.  This combined with lingering disorientation meant we got 1-2 hours of sleep the night before this long day

Wednesday:

Slept in until 9 a.m.!  He didn't have anything until his IV meds at 7 p.m.  Got back to the hotel around 9 p.m. Before hospital trip I made Pad Thai w/Tofu and veggies from the place I mentioned before that our friend had delivered to us, it was delicious!

Thursday (today):

Blood drawn around 8:30, Dr. at 10:45, then IV meds and more platelets.  We got back to the hotel around 3 p.m.  I went to pick up more yummy entries that our friend paid for and had delivered to a Smart Meals location near us.  I made Yellow Curry w/tofu and veggies on Jasmine rice, delicious!  We have 3 more entries and 3 sides to eat over the next few days as well.  I'm excited to be cooking tasty, fresh, healthy food for Chris and he is amazed and glad I'm managing to cook them too!  For those that don't know Chris was the chef in our family before his diagnosis.  He is an amazing cook!  He reads recipe books and then will pull together recipes to make his own creations.  He taught himself how to make Indian food a little over a year ago.  I'm not known for my cooking and am learning this essential skill slowly but surely.  These prepped ingredients from Gourmet Prep are boosting my confidence!  

Ok my random mind just remembered that in my last entry I wasn't sure about how long I would book the hotel for.  When checking in the clerk gave me a rate of $33.30 a night for a queen bed w/kitchenette for a month.  This is a very good deal so I took it.  I have been placed on or am in the process of getting placed on housing lists for us in the event we have to stay past the end of this month. 

Chris has another lumbar puncture with chemo tomorrow.  Oh and his lumbar puncture from Tuesday came back negative for cancer in his spinal fluid!  If it comes back negative tomorrow that means he'll only have to have one lumbar puncture w/chemo per week instead of two!  

He is very fatigued but it sure is wonderful to be out of the hospital.  His counts are quite low as you can see below but cross our fingers, no fevers so far!  

We are to report at 8 a.m. tomorrow for blood counts, then IV meds around 10, and a lumbar puncture close to noon.  Houston is forecasted to get 1-2 inches of snow tonight so I'm even more thankful we are a mere 4 blocks from the hospital!

Due to the weather MD Anderson is unable to fly in it's normal supply of blood and platelets that are critical for patients and have asked for more donations.  I planned on donating anyway but now seems an especially good time so I'll be donating platelets on Sunday after I take Chris in for his IV meds in the afternoon.  

I've probably forgotten a few things I wanted to include in this update but I'm sure it's nothing crucial.  Since Chris has gotten out of the hospital and started sleeping better at night it's been so relieving!  It is still a tough road but it seems much more manageable these days and I find myself incredibly grateful for the little things in life these days.