Early this morning, when I arrived at the hospital, Nick was already awake, alert and energetic as always. He had showered and was on his second cup of coffee which some may think would be responsible for the energy beaming from him, but most of you know (as I learned many years ago), coffee or no coffee...you can't keep this man down! Probably for the best today, because it turned out to be another busy morning with the team of Moffitt professionals following all of the necessary protocols. In addition to the typical procedures, Nick also needed a blood transfusion (1 unit) because his Hgb dropped to 6.9 (Normal male Hgb is 13.5 to 18.0. In the last few months, the myelofibrosis has kept Nick's Hgb lingering in the +/-8.0 range, sometimes with the help of transfusions). At "rounds", the physician said this Hgb drop was expected and noted that it will continue to drop as we progress through the next two nights of chemo.
I can assure you that Nick is doing everything in his power to get through this battle. He is definitely going above and beyond the "suggested daily goals" as presented by Moffitt staff to aid in the patient's successful recovery. Basically, if they want 11 walking laps on the BMT floor...Nick gives them 44. If they want him to drink 5 cups of water...he drinks 15. Would we expect anything less from a man who not only accepts a challenge (of any kind), but then works as hard as he can to exceeds all expectations?
We did have a few surprise visitors today - the Moffitt Chaplain stopped in and prayed with us. This literally brought tears to our eyes, it was so beautiful. We also had a Musician with the Moffitt "Arts in Medicine" Program perform a "mini concert" just for us. This was an unexpected, but truly special treat for us and brought a moment of calm to a busy (and sometimes stressful) day.
And last, but certainly not least...Nick's brother, Dejan stopped in for a visit. He is temporarily staying in Florida to help care for their Mother while Nick is hospitalized for transplant and makes his way through recovery. All in all, I'd say it was a good day.
I can assure you that Nick is doing everything in his power to get through this battle. He is definitely going above and beyond the "suggested daily goals" as presented by Moffitt staff to aid in the patient's successful recovery. Basically, if they want 11 walking laps on the BMT floor...Nick gives them 44. If they want him to drink 5 cups of water...he drinks 15. Would we expect anything less from a man who not only accepts a challenge (of any kind), but then works as hard as he can to exceeds all expectations? 
Keeping you all in our thoughts and prayers!
ReplyDelete