Bubblewrap, Bullseye and a Big Boom

“I need a medic,” Jeff said, flopping into a kitchen chair and pointing to his bloody leg.

 

Keith went for the Band-Aids.  Neither of us was overly concerned.  Jeff’s arms and legs are covered with wounds.  The slightest bump against a piece of furniture or brush against a box lid while reaching inside can draw blood.  Harder bumps produce instant hematomas (maybe there is another name for these) where blood immediately pools just under the skin in a wide area around the cut.  With each addition, his skin looks a bit more scary. We learned that some patients wrap their arms to prevent these wounds.  I am considering whipping up sleeve protectors like old-timey bookkeepers wore. 

 

“You just want to wrap him in bubblewrap, don’t you?”  Keith asked.

 

“I do.  I just wish he would stop doing things that make him bleed.” 

 

This, of course, is unrealistic since opening a box is hazardous. 

 

After a slow start, the steroid taper is moving along nicely.  Liver counts remain steady.  The Prednisone dosage is down to 25mg and side effects are lessening.  Sleep is improved, hunger is somewhat better controlled, glucose level is improving, platelets are creeping up.  Jeff is a tad less irritable and I think he sweats less although he isn’t so sure of that.

 

I caught myself imagining the day when the PICC line, inserted in his left arm on October 1^st, could be removed.  Jeff has been dreaming of that day, too.  Since about October 2^nd. 

 

Jeff’s complaints are often general, “I can’t catch a break,” “Nothing works the same,” or “I just wish I felt better.”  Well, it does seem as if the poor guy can’t catch a break. 

 

I noticed a large oval mark on the back of his thigh and asked him what he did.  He gets wounded so often and so easily that he doesn’t always know what happened.  He remembered bumping into a shopping cart.  I told him it was red, not bruised.  The spot looked so odd that I snapped a picture.  Jeff looked at the picture and wondered if it could be Lyme Disease.  It was oblong and didn’t have a defined bullseye.  Neither of us knew what to make of it.  Four days later when the spot became painful to him, I snapped another picture.  I sent the pictures to his dermatologist who has been keeping tabs on his GVHD skin symptoms. 

 

She replied quickly, “Any fever, chills?  Have you been hiking?”

 

We’ve been using bug spray on our hikes but…  Three weeks of antibiotic were prescribed.  Dr. Samimi wrote, “I want to highlight stomach upset and risk of sunburn...”  Dr. Porter’s office asked us to make them aware of any side effects so they can be dealt with as they come up.

And we lost some electronics in a lightning strike. My first clue that we were hit, besides the heart-stopping BOOM, was our central vacuum spontaneously turned ON in the basement. When I went downstairs to turn it off, the basement light didn't work. As I used the flashlight of my new cell phone to inspect the vacuum, a chirp notification came in and I fell to my knees!  I screamed, then I laughed when I realized the "whistler" was not standing beside me.  Hearing my dark-basement freak-out, Jeff sauntered downstairs to see what was going on. So far we think we lost at least one  TV, two light fixtures, the modem and at least one router. And the central vacuum doesn't turn off. It will remain unplugged for now. Replacing surge suppressors and all things ruined will keep us busy for a while. I'm glad I have a long weekend to get the internet up and running before I need it for work next week.  

Ain't life grand?