Halfway point

This Thursday, the 6th, my mom reached her halfway point or the lowest point, depending on how you look at it.

She is halfway through her stay at UCSF. She'll likely come home by Valentine's Day even though she'll feel lousy. Her numbers will be near normal or better than they were upon her entry, but her body will not feel like it's ready to go.

Her platelets and hematocrit were near zero on Thursday and Friday. On Friday she received two units of blood and one unit of platelets on Saturday. She had been doing well until then, walking one to two miles a day around the halls. Then she was hit with all of the expected side effects. The nausea has been particularly bad as the levels have dropped. On Saturday morning the nurses gave her a different, stronger anti-nausea drug. It made her so groggy that she couldn't stay awake long enough to eat much.

My dad and I drove up on Saturday to visit, but considering the side effects my mom couldn't converse with us. So instead my dad and I teased her a bit, otherwise we read the day-old SF Chronicle and watched some lame program on Animal Planet.

My poor mom kept apologizing to us, which is about all she could do. Although it was a bit of a wash, it was nice to lay eyes on her.

It'll be much easier when she gets home. She won't feel great, but she'll be at home.