Nothing Day

Today I find myself in unfamiliar territory—an unplanned day, or as the title suggests, a “nothing day.” I had nothing planned for today because for the past several weeks, I expected to be somewhere on the 5th floor of OU Medical Center in downtown Oklahoma City. The real tragedy is that I had only enough hazelnut coffee creamer for one cup of coffee this morning.

As we suspected, the cold that caught me has delayed my admission for the stem cell transplant. Yes, it caught me, not the other way around. To say, “I caught a cold” suggests that it was a foul ball from the bat of a famous ballplayer that I was lucky enough to snag as it sailed towards me in the stands. No, an infection of any kind was the last thing I needed, and I certainly don’t want to share it with the vulnerable patients already on the BMT floor of the hospital. I feel much better, but that doesn’t mean the loathsome rhinovirus isn’t still circulating in my system, albeit in minute quantities, but in these circumstances, one cannot take any chances.

By 7 p.m. yesterday evening when I hadn’t heard from anyone at the hospital, I called to speak with my last contact from earlier in the day. She had already left for the day, but the nurse who answered the phone found a note that indicated, per Emily, the charge nurse on the 5th floor, I would not need to go to the hospital this morning. I asked to be transferred to Emily, if she was still on duty. A very helpful woman who talks rather fast answered, identified herself as Emily, and when I told her who I was, she confirmed that I would not need to come to the hospital Tuesday morning.

“Nancy will contact you and let you know for sure when,” she said. “But, we may see you on Wednesday instead.”

“Okay, thank you,” I responded. “I would like to say I’m looking forward to it, but…”

She laughed and said she understood. “I’m sure you’re eager to get it over with. It shouldn’t be too much longer.”

So, with everything except my necessary toiletries and a few pairs of underwear packed, I have nothing to do but wait for Nancy’s email or phone call telling me when I might be rescheduled for admittance. I hope it will only be a day or two. Will I need another test? Medicine is science, and science is very much a numbers game. I know what my numbers must be in order to qualify for discharge when the transplant is over with, but I don’t know what the number must be before it is safe for me to begin the process.

With at least one more day of freedom and nothing else planned, I thought I would write a little bit this morning. Thanks again for your uplifting text messages and prayerful thoughts. I appreciate all of you so much!