Jo got her CVC put in today and afterward I asked her how she felt. She said, "I feel like one of Uncle Eddie's donkeys just kicked me in the chest." By the time we talked, Jo had taken some good pain medication, so we actually had a pretty good laugh. The doctor had told her that every now and then the CVC goes up into the neck instead of down into the heart where it belongs. If that happens, it has to be taken out and put back in. Of course, after he said that Jo was absolutely sure she could feel it going up into her neck. An x-ray later confirmed it was where it needed to be.
Tomorrow Jo gets a very small mini-dose of chemo and then she has her blood drawn every hour for the next 10 hours. They do this to make sure she doesn't have any reactions like swollen hands or numb-tongue (as was experienced by Capt. Kirk in the new Star Trek movie that I watched 8 times last weekend).
Jo and Eddie got a tour of the Stem-Cell Transplant floor today. Jo said everybody looked like they were doing pretty good. It appears the anticipation of a transplant may be quite a bit worse than the transplant itself. Let's hope so.
8 comments:
Yep, it was a day when Jo and Eddie were on the minds of many people. Go Jo Go
Michele
Go Jo and Eddie Go! Glad to hear all is well. Tim---you watched a movie 8 times, can't believe it? Loving all the pictures, and the triplets site too.
Dearest Tim, we miss seeing you, we miss seeing Jo's warm-loving smile and we miss little Anna's sweet hugs! Hang in there! We are thinking of you!! xoxo Debbie, Thompson, Christie, Connor, Blake, and Cam
Go Jo & Tim Go :3
Dodo
I am a nurse on the haematology transplant unit at the Christie Hospital in Manchester, UK. I met Jo many years ago when she taught at my then husbands (Rob Fowler) line dance class in the UK.
The actual 'transplant' can sometimes be an anticlimax as the stem cell reinfusion is similar to a blood transfusion but the transplantation process as a whole can be compared to a marathon both physically and emotionally but I have seen people with the same condition come out at the other end and cross the finish line. I wanted to wish you all the best Jo as I know you're strong enough to deal with this. Michelle Hope x
Spock said it best: Live long & Prosper!
Hi Jo and Tim,
Thanks, Tim, for the updates. You are right, she looks like a movie star from Star Wars in that outfit, not a patient.
This morning I was thinking about Jo's upcoming treatment and some words of a Bible verse seemed to be running through my head in relation to it, so I looked it up and found it to be a promise from God to the people he calls his children, from Isaiah 43:1-5, ". . . Fear not: for I have redeemed you, I have called you by your name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you: when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon you. . . . Fear not: for I am with you."
This is the verse, I believe, upon which the stanzas to that old hymn are based, "Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed/For I am thy God, I will still give thee aid/I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand/Upheld by My gracious, omnipotent hand . . . When through the deep waters I call thee to go, the rivers of sorrow shall not overflow . . . When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie, my grace all-sufficient shall be thy supply . . . The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose, I will not, I will not desert to his foes/That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake, I'll never, no never, no never forsake!"
Believing in the best for your recovery, Jo!
Valerie from Oklahoma
Meant Star TREK in previous comment, and yes, I do know the difference. Smile.
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