Well, we're in it.
Susannah got admitted to Dana Farber / Brigham and Women's on Friday, and Ethan is staying nearby at Beacon Hill Friends' House. Our mothers were both down here on Friday, and Jean has been here since then. We were also visited by Christopher and Jonathan McCandless yesterday.
I will post a picture of Susannah's very-high-tech room shortly, but at the moment I lack the requisite gizmos to get the picture over to the computer. The nursing team here is great; a number of the staff speak either French or Spanish, so Susannah is merrily chatting away with them. (Brigham and Women's has a large Haitan staff, and actually a number of folks from the hospital are down in Haiti right now, doing relief work.)
On her first day here, she had Hickman catheters installed into her aorta (I think), which allow blood to be drawn and drugs to be loaded without an endless series of injections. She is already finished with chemotherapy (so much cytoxan that apparently she can never have that particular drug again in her life. Not that you would, you know, do it for fun.) She's just beginning radiation, along with taking a wide range of antibiotics, antivirals, and antifungals to kill off all the organisms she is playing host to. Between the chemo, the radiation, and the other drugs, there is a laundry list of side effects which serve to make this process fairly miserable. However, most of those have not kicked in yet. Susannah's major complaints have been anxiety, nausea, and some residual pain from the surgery to install the catheters.
Movies: On Sarah Wolfson's advice, and over Jean's protests, we have been watching Danny Kaye's The Court Jester. Susannah has also been watching Star Wars in the radiation room, where it was left by a previous patient. (Here in the ward, a previous patient left Lagda Ishq Ho Gaya, which we might get around to when we're in a more Punjabi mood.)
More shortly. With pictures and charts and graphs and stuff.
Just got the site address from Donna. Good to know how things are going with you and a lot fun to read the Susannah/Ethanian optimism and sarcasm, you know, in face of a not-so-easy but adventurous journey. Susannah I just want you to know that I will be checking up on you and make sure you make it all the way home in the end. I am so proud of you.
ReplyDeleteDon't mean to advertise here, but just thought this could be some reading stock for Susannah as well--I am documenting my post-Copenhagen Copenhagen living experience, with a focus on the Danish sustainability of course.
http://greenwangyiting.blogspot.com/
Good to see the written picture and to feel some of the Spirit work in place. WE'll hold you both in the Hands-That-Can.
ReplyDeleteI talked to Loida who's thinking of you from Ciudad Victoria. We are ready to assign translation whenever you are.
Abrazo
Benigno
I worked briefly and Brigham & Womens in the Orthopedics department after college. It was a mere 2 blocks from my old apartment. So it is nice to have a place to visualize you in, watching Danny Kaye and being bubbled in. I can direct my love to a place I know the geographic coordinates of more accurately now. Excellent! Love!
ReplyDeleteGuys,
ReplyDeleteI still have to cut and paste this and then print it out for Lauraine and George, but they are so grateful to be kept up to date!
Much love to you both,
Cheryl
Big love to you guys -- Colin and I were both born in that hospital, so know it can be a generative place, and we hope you're feeling its best side.
ReplyDeleteOur family is holding you in the light. We recall with gratitude your oversight of our experience at Finca la Bella. Gretchen is presently in the Peace Corps in Ukraine and is applying to graduate school in international development with an emphasis in post conflict/disaster services and mediation. She cites her experience at Finca la Bella as pivital in her decisions.
ReplyDeleteBill, Mary Lee, Boyce and Gretchen