Round and Round We Go

Day 5           January 10, 2023

For days now we've been walking in circles.  I feel a bit like a zoo animal.  You know how they walk the same path over and over and over, wearing away the grass, breaking the tree twigs, leaving their mark on the earth.  We are certainly doing that here walking around and around the nurses station.  Since Leila can't leave this tiny unit there is nowhere else for her to  get the needed exercise to maintain her muscle strength. Although at this point I don't think she wants to wander too far from her bed.  The fatigue and weakness is increasing exponentially.  I did get outside for a walk midday to get some fresh air - it was a gorgeous day!   Hard to believe its January out there, until I see all the bare, brown trees and gray grass.   

It's been kinda boring the past few days. Although, I love hanging out with Leila, no matter the circumstances.  Nothing new to report, other than her numbers are dropping precipitously, as expected.  We're anticipating she'll reach zero by Thursday. WBC today was 0.5, so she's close.  Hemoglobin was still 10.3 but they expect that to drop below 7.  Platelets are down to 70 but they expect them to drop below 50.  

We've been trying to find other ways to pass the time.  We've started a few audio books, but it's hard for Leila to stay focused and awake.  Sitting up is better than lying down, but the nausea drugs make her sleepy.  So, her day kinda looks like this - sit up, wiggle around, lie down, wiggle around, fall asleep, get up, eat a bit, walk a few laps, then do it all over again.  A little tai chi finds in way in there as well.

Overall, things are going as expected.  That's good news.  The goal now is to avoid infection - viral or bacterial - so no more lip kissing for us. But I do love rubbing and kissing on her shaved head.  Her hair has grown out quite a bit since the shaving party, so I think there might be another shaving soon, before the hair starts falling out. 

Leila's chiming in and says, "A woman can only lay around so much."  She's waving Hi!  "Tell I love 'em all!"

We are both immensely grateful to have you all walking this journey with us.  When I asked Leila how all the wonderful comments and messages make her feel, she said, "I feel remembered. I could be invisible in here, but I'm not."