Thursday was a slow day, but overall good. My lungs started improving again. Dr. Cosgrove felt confident about staying on course with the steroid taper. I was still reactive and sensitive, but he expected that. My INR blood level dropped a tad, but he felt like an increase in the coumadin and one Lovenox shot would get it back on course. There was a chance I could be released Friday.
During the night, I started feeling more pain and irritation from my IV site. It had become infected. :( It made me sick to think I had to go through getting yet another new IV.
Dr. Cosgrove spent a lot of time with us today. He cancelled the laryngoscopy because he was concerned my airways are still too sensitive. He said they can order it in a few weeks if my doctors back home feel it is necessary. The good news... no awesome news is that he said he is ready to release me tomorrow morning. He said it is the right time to send me back home and transfer care outside of the hospital. The, eh, other, news is that my INR level dropped even more. I need more Lovenox shots and a higher dose of coumadin to be in the "safe" zone. That means my parents are going to need to administer the shots over the course of the weekend drive home. OMG!! Dr. Cosgrove's concern was that the nurses have been having trouble safely administering the shot to me due to malnutrition. My parents will be trained in the morning by one of the best nurses. Dr. Cosgrove is also prescribing some numbing cream that is typically used for ports in cancer patients. He said it should make a difference in the pain. (Oh I hope so). I will need to get to the doctor in Lexington, Monday morning for an INR level to decide the next step.
My head is spinning with information, hesitation, excitement, uncertainty, exhaustion... I can't wait to be home. I want to see my home, my friends, my dog, my bed, my yard, my little classroom, my students, my family. I wish I could blink myself there - avoid the added exhaustion of the 1300 mile drive. I can't though. Once again, I must take my victory and run with it. I am going to go to sleep on this last night at Rose Medical Center, so thankful for all they have done, and let go of the things I cannot change. Tomorrow morning Dr. Huie will be back to fill in the rest of the blanks about my immediate plan. The plan that is All for Good...
