Living with MCL

And what a year it was. So many things happened in 2008, it’s hard to know where to begin.

First and foremost was the free fall in stocks, the near collapse of the worlds financial markets, the rise and fall of oil and gasoline prices, and of course there was the election of Barack Obama as the next president of the United States. My faith in the American public was finally restored.

Everything else pales in comparison, even the fact Edie and I made it through 2008 not much worse for wear than we started the year, but there was at least one thing of note.

Edie did have an autologous transplant in October, but so far she seems to be recovering fine. She still suffers from persistent neuropathy, resulting from the Velcade she was taking for her Multiple Myeloma, but this month she was approved for Social Security Disability so that has helped. Edie no longer has to endure the unendurable anymore by trying to work.

But it seems there is always a downside to everything. Now .. continue reading ..

Edie received an unexpected large check today from the US Treasury, designated “SOC SEC FOR INS”.

The only explanation we can come up with is her application for Social Security Disability was approved, and this was just a retroactive amount since she became disabled. The strange part is there was no paperwork with the check, nor did we receive any notification her disability had been approved prior to today.

Seems strange, we wouldn’t have received an explanation prior to receiving a check, but maybe the government was just anxious to get some money into our hands so we could help the troubled retail sector.

Or maybe it’s just our share of the TARP funds, and everyone will be receiving a similar amount shortly

Edie has officially been released from the hospital.

Her platelets are still a little low, but her white counts are back to normal, which I’m hoping means she won’t have to go on a restricted diet. She will have to be careful she doesn’t cut herself though, due to her low platelets.

All that’s left now, before I can go pick her up, is to remove the Hickman Line, which I’ve just been informed has become a little complicated. It seems the doctor won’t remove the line, until she receives a pint of blood (another complication of the low platelets).

Oh well, at least there appears to be an end to this tunnel, and things should be back to normal soon.

3 PM Update: As of 3 PM today, Edie is at home, and looking and acting as if she never left. She has to take some precautions (like stay away from me, since I am still recovering from my cold), but other than that everything is good.

Well, while I’m still congested, I am feeling a lot better this morning. My cough, sneezing and runny nose have almost reached tolerable levels. And even better, Edie’s transplant doctor says she may be able to come home this weekend.

Of course, if I’m not totally recovered that isn’t going to happen, but things are looking up, and I’m optimistic there will be an eventual end to this entire ordeal, sooner than later.