“You can check-out any time you like,
But you can never leave! ” Eagles, Hotel California
That’s sort of the way it feels today. For some reason I thought after the CAR-T process in Toronto that the Winnipeg “follow-up” would be relatively “light”. Not so.
For starters there will be twice a week blood work at St. Boniface Hospital. Then there is Grastofil injections, self-administered twice a week to help my neutropenia, which is low neutrophils, a type of white blood cell which provide protection against various infections. There will also be at least two more rounds of pentamidine.
Then there is this note from my PMH discharge.
Possible hypogammaglobulinemia: Serum immunoglobulins are pending. We will suggest to replace with IVIG if IgG less than 4.
… and sure enough, it’s less than 4 …
All this leads me to today’s new adventure, getting IVIG, not to me confused with IVF 😜
This 2-3 hour procedure will load me up with 40g of immunoglobulin with flow rates increasing every 15 minutes complete with BP, O2 & temperature each time.
Then there is the COVID thing! It gets exciting at a hospital when you go through screening and tell them you have been outside the province in the last 14 days. They issue a “hospital grade” mask and call the area you are going to in order to get an escort to come and get you. Everyone is very nice about it but I’m treated as if I might have the plague. Wait, COVID is a plague! Anyway, this results in full isolation. I have a private room, staff needs to gown every time they come in and I can’t use the washrooms, which means peeing in a bottle. TMI?
Well, that’s enough ranting for today. After all it can’t be that bad, I rode my bike to get here. 🚴🏻♂️ First ride since March 2nd and first outside ride since February 3rd.
