Dear friends and family,
Yesterday marked eight days since the transplant. In Judaism the eighth day of something is kind of important. When we dedicate a new space it’s an eight-day process. Chanukah (first of the eight candles this year is lit the night of Sunday, December 2) is the celebration of the reconsecration of the Jewish central temple in Jerusalem following its desecration. The celebration was because, when we regained control of the temple we only found enough oil to burn in our lamp for one day but consecration takes eight days and miraculously the oil lasted. Sukkot, the Jewish harvest festival, is an eight-day celebration of the reaping of the bounty of our fields. Pessach (Passover) is an eight-day celebration of transitioning from slavery to freedom. And then, of course, there is the bris (circumcision) which occurs on a baby boy’s eighth day in the world. Yesterday was Abba’s snipless bris and the חנוכת מערכת החיסון – the Chanukah of his immune system.
The week had some ups and downs. The downs were mainly adjusting to side effects. All the drugs do a number on Abba’s gut. The problem with that is the best thing Abba can do for himself is eat good food, drink lots of liquids and rest. Those things are hard to do when he is having, what the Pepto commercial refers to as tummy troubles. As a result, a lot of energy was spent this week finding the right anti-nausea and Imodium combination. It looks like things are beginning to settle on that front. With the gut more under control Abba will be able to start getting stronger.
The up was pretty cool. Abba went in for his labs and his numbers were so good that they decided he didn’t need a transfusion or white blood cells. As is often the case when you throw a ton of drugs at the body, Abba’s liver was irritated, but the docs and nurses weren’t overly concerned and simply changed the drug lineup.
Speaking of nurses, they have time and time again demonstrated their creative and effective approach to care. The instructions that came with the Hickman included that you can’t get it wet. Showering is important but how do you do that without getting wet. The instructions mentioned a plastic sleeve one can purchase at the drug store. It doesn’t work well at all. What was the nurse’s advice? Glad Press N Seal and waterproof tape. A far more elegant and easy to implement solution.
That’s it from the homefront. Step by step. As they say, you’ve got to walk before you can run (and after all, Abba is only 9 days old). Thank you all for your continued notes. I will continue to pass them along.
Ariel