Iowa City Hospital Visit #2 - Observation - September 29-October 1

They actually moved me to a private room (this was a bonus!) on the Hematology unit mid-morning. But it was not until mid-afternoon that my doctor finally came to see me and explained why they kept me for observation longer.

And then I understood perfectly. Because I had just finished chemo on Monday, all my "good" counts were falling and my immune system was becoming more and more compromised. This put me more at risk for other (possibly dangerous) pulmonary issues (hence the private room) and, rather than risk sending me home, they figured that it was wiser to keep me in observation for a while. I made sure that the doctor knew that I was not pleased that it took so long to receive an explanation, but also that I totally understood and was on board.

Denise was able to visit me Wednesday afternoon from 1 to 5, whereas normally this is not the case when someone is in such a private room for possible pulmonary issues. I was thankful that my nurse had seen fit to get approval for her to visit!

I sort of expected to spend just one night in the Hematology unit, but that one night turned into two nights. While I would have rather been home and did not understand why, God answered that prayer with a definite answer of "wait". And that is what I did.

The nurses there loved having me, because we had interesting conversations, and I was mostly independent and required very little care. And they took good care of me, for which I was grateful.

Thursday turned into a longer day than we planned, which is often the case (as we are finding out) when you are being discharged. Denise came to visit in the afternoon, not knowing for how long it would be. As it turned out, we were not ready to leave until after 5 PM. Denise's sister and her husband picked us up and brought us home.