Well, maybe it isn’t over yet. My lab numbers have spun out of control, it appears. My creatinine has shot up to 3.9 and calcium, magnesium and phosphorous are out of whack. I am listless and all I want to do is sleep. I have gained  15 pounds and I generally feel like shit (sorry momma, but I’ve got to lay it on the line). The PA and my nurse Janet came in yesterday with news that I had gotten through 9 doses instead of eight and that I had done a great job with that.

I’m red as a beet that has been freshly pulled from the ground and whacked open with a knife. If you cut me, I would ooze red. My lips beg for Burt’s Bees and the physicians’ assistants tell me that 99.9 percent of the time, these number will come back into their proper place.  All I can think of is what if they don’t.  Diarrhea has set in and is causing concern, especially since I’m not making much urine.

Jill and I just went for short walk around the newly remodeled section of the 9th floor here at Duke. It is 3:30 in the afternoon on Friday (the day we were supposed to go home) and we’re all concerned about what the creatinine test will show.  We should have results in about 30 minutes. As I’ve been up and around, I’m starting to feel better.

Yesterday afternoon I got a great thrill. They brought in a Golden Retriever whose sole concern was the well being of the people on this floor. They draped me and my bed with a fresh sheet and gave me a squirt of antibacterial gel and the 7-year-old Electra hopped up onto me and positioned her sweet head against my neck. It was a simple, but fantastic experience. Electra make me think of my Dixie, who is wondering where the hell I am.  I can’t even put into words how much I enjoyed ten full minutes of snuggling with Electra. Her soft coat and bright eyes gave me sweet memories of what Dixie looked like about 6 years ago. It was a great gift in a time of need.

Church lady this is for you: I have started and stopped this blog post several times today. People coming in to do their jobs have interrupted me and what I’ve seen as I’ve read it over, prior to releasing it, is that I’ve started to rally and feel better during the course of the day. We had a fun thing happen a short few minutes ago. Chaplain Patricia Smith knocked on the door and asked it she could in to talk to us for a brief minute. “Sure,” I said. She gave us some encouraging words and the conversation finally got down to prayer. “Would you allow me to pray with you,” said Patricial. “Absolutely,” I said. Jill got up from her chair and joined us in a hand-holding prayer reverse Oreo prayer ring. Patricia was the gooey center.

Just as she was about to sling out a prayer that would make Isaiah Huguley proud, the door knocked again and Dr. Jeffrey Peppercorn walked in with extreme trepidation on his face as he saw in this peripheral vision a reverse Oreo hand holding session going on. “Come on in Doctor and join us,” I said. He was as uncomfortable as a white man can be and it was funny to watch. He never closed his eyes during the sweet prayer (I didn’t either, I must confess) and everything turned out great, even Dr. Peppercorn said so.

Bottom line, I’m feeling better by the hour, and we just can’t wait to get back home among our family and friends. We’ve read all your uplifting blog posts and we couldn’t not appreciate any more the love you have all shown us. We’ll be home soon to recuperate and get ready to do it all again, cause that’s the way we roll!