Sunday, November 18, 2007

'Better living through chemistry'


I know it seems trite and insignificant, but I just can't wait for this pump to be unplugged from my "medi-port" on Monday afternoon. Just a day to go and I will no longer be bound to this thing 24/7.

It's not horrible, but it's there and it is a pain in the neck at nights, when showering, when dressing and the like.

And starting Monday, the pump (pictured above with the tether that is attached to my body as it infuses 5-FU into my jugular vein) won't be any of those things. It will be gone. Amen.

My infection seems to be mostly gone and my cough is pretty much a thing of the past.

Further, for the past week and a half or so, my Mom has been out of the hospital and improving daily at a rehab center in Boca Raton. On Nov. 30, she'll transfer to a similar center here in Orlando. She's very excited about all the changes that have come about. And I did tell her about my condition once she was at the rehab center. I figure she was well enough to know the truth and she took the news quite well.

Catherine also has been doing well on her recovery from the chest cold from hell. It really sapped her as badly as it hit me, worse maybe because I ended up with two separate antibiotics to help me recover while she had just the Z-Pack.

Catherine has been amazing through all of this. She's put up with my crap, which isn't easy on good days, let alone a few months of bad ones, and she's remained focused through it all. I'm lucky to have her.

I think the time frame for my return to work might be a bit off. I was hoping to be back in early January, but now I fear it won't be until late January or early February. If the surgery is mid-December, like Dec. 12-17, add six weeks and that's about when I'll be back. Ugh. So figure early to mid February.

Unless my recovery from the surgery goes way faster than planned, which I truly am hoping for. After all, that would mean less pain for me. And as I told the nurses during all of this the only thing I'm allergic to is pain, so keep it to a minimum. That's my plan during and after the surgery.

I think the term I recall is "Better living through chemistry."

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey, Keith!
I'm so happy to hear about your mom coming to Orlando. It's so hard to have loved ones so far away.

And don't worry about work. Best to heal. Imagine dealing with the pain of surgery plus the countless pains in your rear end that us lovely reporters cause. Yuck.

Willow

Keith W. Kohn said...

Trust me, darlin', after all this no one at work is a pain anywhere on my body.

kk

Anonymous said...

hi keith,
happy turkey week! just checking in and wanted to say hola. i'm thrilled to hear that your mother is improving and that she'll be close by. you're all in my prayers. be good and be well.
hugs,
sarah langbein

Keith W. Kohn said...

Sarah,

Thanks for the prayers and good wishes. Keep kicking butt; you're a gem in the newsroom and on here. I appreciate everything and enjoy reading your copy each day in print and/or online.

kk