Overconfident, perhaps, from our success and ease in unplugging the chemo pump two weeks ago, Shelly Rae and I set about de-needling Jay this afternoon at 2:00.
By 2:45, we had learned a few things:
-Where the line actually unscrews from, as opposed to where it looks like it unscrews from
-To hold tight to that line, so that when it does ultimately come loose, it doesn’t flail about and spray stray drops of chemo-poison everywhere
-To keep all the supplies together, including the little red caps for the unplugged line (see above)
-To have extra little wipes available, more than you think you need, in case of miscues (see above)
Something that didn’t go wrong, but that we have noted for the future:
-Inventory the supplies of little red caps, sani-wipes, etc
Things that went right, that we were actually clever about:
-Getting the right sized gloves for our dainty little hands
-Asking the nurse about the unsticking problem, and getting a good supply of Special Unsticking Magic Stuff (in fun little crushable glass tubes!)
-Laying everything out right at hand before we get started, including the medical waste disposal box
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Then we went for a walk in the rain. Things we learned on our walk:
-It’s not smart to completely soak shoes you’re then planning to pack in a suitcase
-People seem to drive even faster in the rain, in Oregon (perhaps they want to splash the stupid pedestrians, to encourage them to get inside where it’s warm and dry?)
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Then Shelly cooked delicious steelhead, and served it over bitter greens with a side of green beans and mushrooms. All incredibly delicious, perfectly cooked.
Something I learned at dinner:
-Mealtimes are going to be very sad for me, starting tomorrow. 🙁