Progress, I think?

Long day.  Busy day.  

5am: nurse takes blood for labs as usual but has trouble getting it via my port.  This is a shame as it's one of the silver linings of having one that you don't get constantly poked with needles.  She has someone come to draw it.  At 5am.  Not gently.  I hate needles.

8am: see all the docs on rounds, the weekend crew.  Nothing new here.

9am: got new needles in my port.  This has to be done once a week.  This is a weird sensation and this time I was not numb at all.  All things considered, not a big deal.  I told this nurse about the inability to draw blood earlier and she was quite unhappy; she said it meant they didn't want to try hard enough to get it (there are various tips and tricks).  When she left she was on a mission to re-educate some folks.

10am: all dressings changed at once.  First time I glanced at my belly... a glance was all I could handle.

11am: time to move! The great Journey to the Reclining Chair commences.  15 minutes later I completed the arduous, 2-foot quest from mountainous bed to valley chair, with the help of two nurses.

12noon: food.  Earlier in the day I was put back a regular diet (from clear liquids) and so tried to eat regular food.  Felt kind of feverish so didn't get much down. Baby steps.

1:30ish: visit from parents, who are here helping with the kiddos (thanks Mom & Dad!).  Continue feeling feverish and starting to get nervous about it.  Also feeling nauseous but can't tell if it's from food or morphine.

2:30pm: decide I've had enough time in the chair.  I ping the nurse to ask about meds and making the journey back.  

3:15pm: for whatever reason it takes a while to wrangle a nurse this time around.  Thankfully by now the nausea has passed but feverish symptoms remain.  It takes 3 nurses to help me back into bed.  When I get settled I mention the fever.  Turns out I have no temperature.  I have MENOPAUSE.  Right.  I forgot they just took all that stuff out of me.

(The plan for this here is gyn oncology wants to wait for pathology to come back before deciding how to approach hormone replacement and/or treat these other symptoms.)

4pm: take a great big nap.

6pm: wake up from a dream when I laugh in the dream and it jostles my tummy and it hurts.  Coincidentally, the nurse is there to tell me the pain management team wants to switch me to oral medication instead, so I don't have to worry about hitting the button all the time, or getting nauseous.  It will also last longer and eliminate the need for many of the tubes and wires.  Win all around.  New meds taken and tubes and wires removed.

7:30pm: watched the end of The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.  I wonder, do hobbits get cancer?

8pm to now: ate dinner, chatted with superman hubby, getting ready for sleep.

Here's to less pain and longer journeys on foot going forward.  Next I think I will attempt Mountainous Bed to Ancient Elvish Doorframe.