Ok, while not out of the woods or completely healed, etc, I am going to take today as a bit of a victory, as today was the first day where my total isolation requirements were dropped and I was able to stick my head out of the doors of Suite 328! Boy does that feel GOOD!!!
My first clue was when the nurse came in to do my blood draw this morning wearing only a mask (not full body gown, gloves, etc.) and was pulling in IV poles from out of the IV suite. I've had one dedicated to my room since I went into isolation, which was kept sanitized but never removed.
Dr. Julia appeared just after breakfast to let me know I was cleared to leave my room, not the isolation unit just yet, and always donning a mask, but this meant being able to move the legs a bit and have some human contact with mom again. What a wonderful feeling!
TODAY'S BLOOD COUNTS YESTERDAY'S BLOOD COUNTS
HEMOGLOBIN 101 106
LEUDOCYTES 8.43 6.04
PLATELETS 185 127
I find it amazing how the body will innately tell you when things are different. We all receive these cues, and perhaps people with MS are just better at listening to them, but immediately once I stood up today, I knew things were different. I 'felt' like my blood flow was better, a bit more clarity, deeper rest...little things.
So how did the day progress? After celebrating and saying hello to everyone outside of Suite 328, I walked the length of the hallway (about 100-150FT?) back and forth about 4 times, sat and rested, and repeated. Nice and slow, just to get the blood moving where it hasn't in about a week. From there...shower, cleaning routine, removing another 20% of the hair on my head and face, then a 20 minute nap where I think I must have been hit with a tranquilizer!
Awoke fresh, then at it again. 10 routes up and down the hallways ( and when I say routes, I'd be considered in the 'slow lane' at the old age home amongst the walkers), Sat for a bit, had lunch, then a solid 45 minute deep sleep. Cut and paste a couple more times and you get where this is going. This is all going to be about re-establishing physical ability, within the respected confines of what my body will let me do. There is no benefit in over doing it, as my body will simply not handle it and fight back. That being said, do nothing, gain nothing!
I am so very happy to have the next few days to be able to get this machinery up and running again. We'll try to get that hemoglobin back up and firing again now that there is some more blood circulation to the extremities.
Peace, love and freedom from the Isolation Ward in Moscow!!!
My first clue was when the nurse came in to do my blood draw this morning wearing only a mask (not full body gown, gloves, etc.) and was pulling in IV poles from out of the IV suite. I've had one dedicated to my room since I went into isolation, which was kept sanitized but never removed.
Dr. Julia appeared just after breakfast to let me know I was cleared to leave my room, not the isolation unit just yet, and always donning a mask, but this meant being able to move the legs a bit and have some human contact with mom again. What a wonderful feeling!
TODAY'S BLOOD COUNTS YESTERDAY'S BLOOD COUNTS
HEMOGLOBIN 101 106
LEUDOCYTES 8.43 6.04
PLATELETS 185 127
I find it amazing how the body will innately tell you when things are different. We all receive these cues, and perhaps people with MS are just better at listening to them, but immediately once I stood up today, I knew things were different. I 'felt' like my blood flow was better, a bit more clarity, deeper rest...little things.
So how did the day progress? After celebrating and saying hello to everyone outside of Suite 328, I walked the length of the hallway (about 100-150FT?) back and forth about 4 times, sat and rested, and repeated. Nice and slow, just to get the blood moving where it hasn't in about a week. From there...shower, cleaning routine, removing another 20% of the hair on my head and face, then a 20 minute nap where I think I must have been hit with a tranquilizer!
Awoke fresh, then at it again. 10 routes up and down the hallways ( and when I say routes, I'd be considered in the 'slow lane' at the old age home amongst the walkers), Sat for a bit, had lunch, then a solid 45 minute deep sleep. Cut and paste a couple more times and you get where this is going. This is all going to be about re-establishing physical ability, within the respected confines of what my body will let me do. There is no benefit in over doing it, as my body will simply not handle it and fight back. That being said, do nothing, gain nothing!
I am so very happy to have the next few days to be able to get this machinery up and running again. We'll try to get that hemoglobin back up and firing again now that there is some more blood circulation to the extremities.
Peace, love and freedom from the Isolation Ward in Moscow!!!
Geeky pic, but still makes me laugh with the bald head, mask, and sterile monk attire:)
