Would Someone Please Take This Hottie Out On The Town?!!

Oh yeah! I'm so working it today!

I got through the night with NO FEVER!! I slept a couple of 3 hour stretches plus a couple of short sleeps on either side of those. I probably got 7 hours of sleep and though I still feel slightly tired, I feel LIKE A MILLION BUCKS!! AND I LOOK LIKE IT, TOO!!

I woke at 7:00 - time for vitals, blood work, etc. and then couldn't get back to sleep even though I really wanted to. I think it was partly because I was so excited to have had a good night.

So I got up, walked down the hall and got myself fresh towels. I bathed. Lotioned (I smell so good). I have a fresh purple long-sleeved T on. I washed my scalp. It looks pretty funny. The little hairs left are a maximum 3/4 inch long and even those sad little suckers are still trying to curl, so I have these little wings sticking out all over my head. I got cleaned up and then tackled make-up. Make-up is going to be important, I can tell. I'm not so good at make-up. I played around with the bit of stuff Hannah brought me from home and ... well ... pretty good if I do say so myself. And then. THEN ... I put on my wig and ... HUBBA HUBBA!! Really. I mean it. Someone oughtta be taking me out on the town somewhere. The races? Yachting? A gallery reception? A small, intimate concert? A garden party? Oh yeah! I look THAT GOOD!! If I had my camera, I'd post a picture for you.

That's enough gloating for now, I think. I know you'll forgive me given the circumstances. I'm not normally so full of myself, right? But I needed this moment. Maybe you did, too.

Today is a real about-face from yesterday. You can tell, can't you? When those oncologists visit me today, they're going to say, "What are you doing here? Get outta here!" Now, I know it will depend on how long I have to be fever-free before they can release me and I know it will depend on where my white blood cell counts and neutrophils are at, but I KNOW I feel well enough to go home.

I do have a bit of a cough. I had two doses of codeine to get me through the night. A nurse told me this morning that a lot of people in the hospital get this cough. In fact, they call it "hospital cough". I'm calling it "kennel cough". It might actually be turning into a cold, but if my immune system is working again, I should be able to go home with a cold. Besides, some poor soul is probably in agony in Emergency waiting for my bed. They need it more than I do today.

By the way, I got a little fiesty today and I even REFUSED my Heprin shot. I mean, REALLY! I'm walking around, doing all kinds of things for myself. I have no swollen limbs. No swollen anything! I AM SO FINE. I DO NOT NEED HEPRIN! It was very empowering to refuse it and to feel confident that it as okay to do that.

God, yesterday morning was awful!! I can't thank Hannah enough for seeing me through that part of this. It was great that finally Kevin was able to come up and see me, too. I needed that. And Luke. I needed Luke. Thanks Carol and Pat for getting me over the hump of a horrible experience, too. Jim and Lynne ... thanks for coming and sorry I didn't properly get to say good-bye what with the timing of medical visits. So nice to see some people from the office, all of whom I miss a lot. Lou and Nora came by ... they're so calm and relaxed ... I can't help but pick up on their good vibrations. Bob and Jo (and a quilting magazine ... yessssss), thanks for stopping in. Happy retirement, Jo!

And thanks to all of those who emailed or commented and who wanted to visit but chose to wait knowing it was a crazy day for me.

I'm also happy to report that some fine people from the Infectious Diseases department did an assessment and determined that there is nothing like that causing my fever. The Doctor explained that sometimes they never find out a cause for the fever. Sometimes it's just because of being neutropenic (low neutrophils). He explained that if you look at the correlation between the pattern of my fevers and my white blood cell counts, I really am improving and he suspected that I would now be over the fevers and ready to go home. He was RIGHT!!

So ... I'm sitting here twiddling my thumbs ... hoping they take one look at me and spring me!!

Have a happy Saturday everyone! It looks fabulous outside. I miss outside. Seeing it is not quite the same as being out there!

Man, I look GOOD!!

Would Someone Please Take This Hottie Out On The Town?!!