Routine Tuesday

Kristi's hematocrit is around 25% today. I am surprised that it's still so low. She does look better though. Today is day four of chemo. She is on the experimental arm of a study. Today is the experimental dose. They gave her Tylenol and Benadryl as premeds. Unfortunately, Kristi uses Benadryl as a sleep aid. So, I am expecting a groggy morning. Despite the slight change in treatment, there will be little deviation from the routine. I feel like a little kid, having such a predictable day, but it's also a comfort.
    12:00am : Vitals
    04:00am : Vitals
    08:00am : Vitals, blood sample, visit from the resident
    08:30am : Breakfast
    09:00am : Morning Nap
    09:45am : Rounds
    10:30am : Morning Laps
    11:00am : (In general) the first friends visit
    12:00pm : Vitals, chemo change over
    12:30pm : Luncheon
    01:00pm : Afternoon Laps
    02:00pm : Vitals
    02:30pm : (maybe) napy time
    03:00pm : Visits
    .... and so on
Sorry, that was getting tedious.

I should also note, one reason the genetic test results are important is that they help determine the need for a bone marrow transplant. The transplant process would involve (yet) another round of intensive chemotherapy. This one would be even more aggressive, with the aim of completely eliminating the marrow and specifically any lymphocytes. The marrow would be extracted from the donor and injected (via IV) into her blood stream. This process would take about six weeks. A large part of this time would be spent in isolation, as her immune system would be like a new-born's.