It's always something...

I am back home again for a couple hours doing laundry, finish a Swan Lake painting for a dear friend's ballet studio, making sure there is nothing in the fridge that will smell bad again, and most definitely missing Juno, our Cairn terrier.

Despite cleaning out the perishables in the fridge we are now approaching the longer-lasting stuff that needs to be thrown out.  Eggs, for instance.  

Dust has started to accumulate where Andy keeps his drawing pens by the living room side table.  He loves drawing when we watch something at night.

The Hospital-At-Home gear also lays dormant in our living room, which even though it was only 10 days ago seems very far away.  

I feel like I've walked into someone else's house.

What day is it?  How long as Andy technically in-patient for this particular stretch?  His hospital wrist band says "Date of ADM: 8/3/26."  The clarity and strength he had on that day (I remember it was grey and very rainy) was much sharper and stronger than now.  He finished his first round of CHOEP chemotherapy to treat his ALCL, and it has been very tough on him.  

He can't sleep, spiked a fever (101.5F), and his lungs are showing signs of a fungal infection.  Fungal infections can be a complication of chemotherapy, and the Infection Disease team wants to begin treating it right away before they are able to even determine which one it is.

They are unable to do a lung biopsy because the procedure is so invasive, and Andy's platelet count is low enough that it is unsafe.  They are unable to add platelets at this time, and for the life of me I can't remember why because I've had so much medical info thrown our way it's all a blur.

They do not want to drain his lung fluid through a small pinhole through the ribs because his risk of bleeding is too high.  They will up his diuretics even further, with hope the anti fungal medication and the Lasix will reduce his fluid overload.

It's just always something else they have to treat.  It's always a new test result popping up with more issues to fix.  It's always more complications, more hurdles thrown in his path.  

And through it all, he is focused and faithful - his normal self.

Wonderful OCN Tom, who has been so good to us two days now.

Tom is administering Etoposide, the last piece of Andy's first round. They held it for a time to see if his fever was an allergic reaction to the chemo, then after it subsided resumed the dosage.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

We are so happy to get to know so many lovely people on the 8th floor.

They are in the trenches with us every day and so compassionate.

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Have you seen "Better Call Saul"?  It's our favorite drama ever.  We've watched it maybe, 3 times through?  There is a scene where Mike decides to let Tuco pummel his face into oblivion while he holds the drug dealer's shirt, keeping him there with the hopes that the police will come and catch Tuco on a gun charge.

He gets absolutely hammered over and over by a diabolical opponent.  And he makes it, definitely worse for the wear.  

That's what I feel Andy is putting himself through.  He was given the choice to get into this fight or sit it out, and he has put himself in it and just takes the hit, one after the other, like a prize fighter.

Here's the scene (watch at your own discretion)

The view from our room.

I enjoyed getting a message from Ryan Hacker, one of Andy's former students, and he reached out to say he had a hand in designing part of the building on the left and that it was Andy who encouraged him to go into design at all, and that his life was changed by Andy's teaching.

Messages like this mean so much.

Thank you, Ryan and Claire and all our students who send us even a small ping.

Andy's bedside table, which he will look at for at least another week.

These are just some of the beautiful things people have sent us, and for which we are moved to tears.

Andy's brother and sister-in-law in Japan sent us an OBon card, Matt gave us a cool Pop figure of himself, Patti painted us a lovely water color and wrote a beautiful poem, and many thanks to Sally, Patti & Dave W., my Aunt Pricilla and Uncle Adrian, Dan and Josephine wrote us the most amazing card and sent oranges from Florida... and everyone who called and texted their love and support.

THANK YOU

THANK YOU

THANK YOU

I'm getting used to the medical school menu now.

I'm a fan of their soups, I have to say.

Andy can't keep up with the Ensures they make him pound down, his nausea is making it hard, so sometimes I have them instead.  Not bad, not great...

Andy and me in 2009.  

On the wall of my part of the closet.

We were driving to Iowa and stopped at a photo booth in a mall somewhere in Ohio... 

what a handsome devil he is

Ok, back to the hospital.  It's Friday, which means Andy and I love to have pizza to ring in the weekend.  Going to pick some up and enjoy date night.