...I got a letter one day in my room which stated that no one was to use the Hot water because they found traces of Legionnaires Disease in the Hot water. They said i could only use the cold water. I couldn't believe it. I even thought of transferring Hospitals and going across the street to Sloan Kettering Hospital.
...I'm not one who can take cold showers everyday. The hospital began to give patients packets of cloths with soap and water. We would then put the packets in the microwave and heat up the cloths. Isabel (my girlfriend at the time) would have to Cloth Bathe me whenever she was at the hospital with me. My mom would also have to cloth bathe me when Isabel was not at the hospital. (just for the record, I always wore boxers when my mom would cloth bathe me).
...I also was not able to shave until my Platelet counts went up. Platelet counts usually range from 150,000 to 450,000. My Platelet counts went down to around 10,000. Because of my Stem Cell Transplant, the Chemo & Radiation destroyed most of my blood cells. Platelets circulate in the blood and lead to the formation of blood clots. If i was to shave and cut myself, i would bleed excessively. Since my platelet counts were so low, my blood would not be able to clot and stop the bleeding.
...I couldn't shave for about 6 weeks and had a beard. I was eventually given Platelet transfusions and was then able to shave again. I was not able to shower until i was discharged from the hospital. We all take simple things like taking a shower for granted. I really missed being able to take a nice hot shower. It felt so good when i was discharged and took that beautiful hot shower at home. I think i stayed in the shower for about an hour the first time and was just so grateful.
...I'm not one who can take cold showers everyday. The hospital began to give patients packets of cloths with soap and water. We would then put the packets in the microwave and heat up the cloths. Isabel (my girlfriend at the time) would have to Cloth Bathe me whenever she was at the hospital with me. My mom would also have to cloth bathe me when Isabel was not at the hospital. (just for the record, I always wore boxers when my mom would cloth bathe me).
...I also was not able to shave until my Platelet counts went up. Platelet counts usually range from 150,000 to 450,000. My Platelet counts went down to around 10,000. Because of my Stem Cell Transplant, the Chemo & Radiation destroyed most of my blood cells. Platelets circulate in the blood and lead to the formation of blood clots. If i was to shave and cut myself, i would bleed excessively. Since my platelet counts were so low, my blood would not be able to clot and stop the bleeding.
...I couldn't shave for about 6 weeks and had a beard. I was eventually given Platelet transfusions and was then able to shave again. I was not able to shower until i was discharged from the hospital. We all take simple things like taking a shower for granted. I really missed being able to take a nice hot shower. It felt so good when i was discharged and took that beautiful hot shower at home. I think i stayed in the shower for about an hour the first time and was just so grateful.
...In my next post i will discuss the fever i had for about 19 days straight.
No comments:
Post a Comment