Back at Home - and a Slight Setback

Day twelve. On Thursday, I was discharged after a class on how to care for the Hickman catheter. It was a tiring day, but it was great to get home even though things look bare without all my plants. The big chore each day is getting all the medicenes taken at the right times- the anti-rejection drugs; the antiviral, antifungal, anti-yeast, and antibiotic pills; mineral supplements; blood pressure regulators; medicene to prevent nausea; and drugs to prevent stomach ulcers and protect the liver. Then there are pain pills, anti-diarrhea tablets, and sleeping aids as needed.

Friday went well, with lots of extra sleep, and the security of my favorite foods in the refrigerator. I've still been somewhat nauseous, so I have to pick and choose what I can manage to eat.

This morning, I woke up with a sharp pain on my right side and very short of breath. It was below the chest catheter, so I was afraid I was developing a lung infection, and back the hospital it would be. Denise drove me to my daily BMT clinic visit and luckily my main consulting doctor was doing weekend duty. After checking vitals and poking around, we concluded that I had probably fractured a rib while coughing during a period of nausea.

That was much better than an infection at this point, although it seems silly to think of a broken rib as good news. I've been down that road before after bicycle crashes, and I'll just have to ride it out.