The New Normal

Now that I've been home from the hospital for nearly a week, I'm settling in to what I call "the new normal." Here is my new normal schedule:

• Wake up, have some breakfast, saran-wrap my picc-line arm, take a shower, get dressed. This sometimes takes me a long time, depending on how tired I am and where I have to be.
• Most weekdays: go to the hospital for lab work. This, I've come to learn, takes a while. You have to check in, like at a dr.'s office, wait to be called to a registrar/billing person, who takes forever to look you up and resubmit all your information every time--and last time I found like 6 grammatical/spelling errors on their patient consent form while I waited. THEN you go back to a room and have your blood drawn by a phlebotimist (people--remind me why I have a picc line? When I was in the hospital they drew blood and administered chemo/ivs in my picc line. Now I still have to draw blood. My right arm is turning into a big bruise).
• Go to the nurse practitioner at the oncologist's office. Luckily it's right down the hall from the hospital lab. Unluckily, it takes FOREVER for the lab blood work to be done, which is the whole reason to go to the nurse to look at my blood work to see if I need a transfusion or platelets or neuprogin shot to boost my white blood cells. The good news is that while my numbers have dipped a bit, they haven't dipped low enough for anything extra. The nurse asked me today what I've been doing--my levels should be much lower. I think that's a good thing.
  
• Go to any other appointment. For example, today I had an appointment with my primary care doctor. Luckily her office is in the hospital and she is awesome. Unluckily, I thought I planned it right to see her, get my lab work, and see my oncology nurse all in good time. Nice try, french fry. I waited an hour for the first appointment, which set everything off. By the time I was done with the nurse, I had to have food. Fast. Which means hospital cafeteria food. Which is not awesome.
• Usually I come home and crash for a couple of hours, then wake up in the late afternoon and enjoy the evening before popping my ambien so I can sleep at night.
• Or if I have the courage, I go for an afternoon walk. And if the wind isn't blowing.
  
• I have an antibiotic I have to take every 6 hours--and I have chemo-brain, so I have to set my alarm to remember. It still surprises me. I also have to use a prescription mouth wash to prevent any mouth sores/fungus (awesome side effect of chemo) and gargle with salt water and baking soda after every meal. And I have to use a water pic instead of flossing my teeth. I kind of like it better.
  

That is my life. I'm settling in. But I'll be honest. Every once in a while, I'll stop and realize how this IS my new normal. It freaks me out. I don't like this normal. But as Dr. G. said today, this is a new normal for now... but it's temporary. There will be another new normal. Thank goodness.

On other fronts:

• I get to go back to the hospital for an ultrasound tonight to check an ovarian cyst and fibroids. We have to figure out their condition and take some preventative measures before next week.
• I have a bone marrow biopsy tomorrow to see if I'm in remission. Pray for me. Not fun.
• I start my intensification round of chemo next Monday for eight weeks. Day 1 includes chemo through a spinal tap. Awesome. This round should be much easier than the last round. Serious awesome.