9/21 - Turn around day!

(Mom and some of her closest friends in her quilt world)

I started the blog in 3rd person, but now I (Brook) am switching it to 1st person because it is easier. Sorry for any confusion.

Although the morning did not show potential signs of a "turn around day", as the hours passed during Mom reached more milestones and positive news spilled from the doctors mouths.

Mom's white blood cells have climbed their way to 2.4 (normal range 4-11) compared to the stationary 0.6 level she has had for nearly three weeks. This means we no longer have to wear masks when we are in the room!!!

She took a shower for the first time in 21 days :)

Perhaps the biggest highlight of the day came when one of her favorite physical therapists, Nahir, came for a PT session and assisted her with walking 20 feet using her walker. I am convinced I know the reason for this new found strength. Earlier in the day we hunted down Nahir who told Mom one week ago she was having trouble with a specific technical aspect of quilting. Mom had me bring from home the beginners quilting manual my mother made and a sample binding piece to show Nahir. During Nahir's lunch break Mom taught Nahir how to properly sew a binding of a quilt. This brought so much joy to my mom - she had a sense of purpose and passed along some wonderful knowledge to a young quilter who soaked up the advice like a sponge.

After three days of an uneasy and a testy stomach she finally put down some food that will aid her in regaining her strength.

Another milestone reached today occurred when Dr. Shin came into the room to announce that she had been transfered to rehabilitation services. This means that medically there is nothing else the doctors need to do at this time because she is stable. Even though her new in-patient primary doctor has changed luckily we get to stay in the same room. She will be with rehabilitation services until she can safely transfer out of bed to the walker to access the toilet and shower. A loose estimate of one week was given, although we have learned through this experience that time lines and schedules in the hospital mean NOTHING! Whenever mom is ready is when mom will be ready to go home.

We are still waiting for the bone marrow biopsy test results - hopefully we will have them tomorrow.