Week 38 – Back home

I spent 3 days in Ward 7B and by Saturday the medical team had decided that I was well enough to be discharged.  My diarrhoea had improved significantly.

I still don’t have any results showing what is causing the diarrhoea but hopefully I will get this with my visit to the hospital tomorrow.  Amit Khot, the lead consultant assured me that it is most unlikely to be GVHD as generally the diarrhoea does not let up without treatment.  He believes it is more likely to be some type of bacterial infection which they are still investigating.

Over the 3 days in hospital I received a lot of electrolytes (which rapidly deplete through diarrhoea), including magnesium and potassium.  I also received two units of red blood cells on Saturday prior to discharge.

I felt really well on Sunday but not so well today, although that seems to be how it can go – up one day and down the next.

Over the weekend Stewart and Kate Sutherland (from Tassie and Tooma) dropped in to see me at hospital and then gave me a lift home – very convenient.  They run a huge berry business in Tassie and have just finished picking for the year, where they can have up to 400 people working on the farm on any one day – sounds like a massive headache to me.

On Sunday a good friend, Darren Wallace, from Wagga dropped in and we all set off to the Point Cook Military Aviation  Museum.  We spent and enjoyable couple of hours there. It is a fantastic presentation of a wide range of aircraft and military wares.  Thanks Daz for the new jig saw puzzle – will be a challenge.

Later on Sunday we drove over to the Exhibition building to catch up with Dick  Tallis at the Melbourne Food and Wine show.  The place was amazingly busy at 5.00pm but we managed to get some time to have a chat to Dick.

And then today Jan’s parents Helen and Allen dropped in on their way through to Ballarat for a sheep sale.  They like to see their sheep being sold in case there is any ‘skull duggery’!

My parents return to Cootamundra tomorrow on the train.  It has been fantastic having them live with me for the last 10 days – they really are easy company!  And my mother has done a terrific job of caring for me – cooking, cleaning and all the things that mothers are traditionally good at!  Dad finished off the (really hard bits) of the farm jig saw puzzle and cleaned my BBQ – a job greatly appreciated!  I also managed to tour some sites of Melbourne with them and completed lots of walks.

I will miss them when they go but on the positive side Jan and Claire return tomorrow from  the US – that time certainly has gone quickly.  It will be great to see them both and get all the stories of the trip.