I didn't realize how long it'd been since I last ITP blogged. We've had a lot of ups and downs over the past month, in Platelet-ville. December was pretty boring. However, January came in like a lion and has gone out like a lamb...I'm just thankful it's over.
On January 2nd, I received a phone call from my principal, alerting me about a death in our school family. I had originally planned on spending the night with Mom (we were in the mountains) and driving with her to Duke, then her coming home with me to get her truck (she was kind enough to give us her washer and dryer and we had to use her truck to haul it). However, I couldn't imagine not being with my students. Jimmy and I were actually in Hendersonville when I received the call. So, I rode home with him that night, getting home about 2 AM. I went to school for half a day, then left and went to Duke. I met Mom there and traded vehicles.
On January 10th, they were calling for heavy snow and wintry mix in Durham. I went up on Sunday and spent the night in a hotel--the first time I'd ever spent the night in a hotel alone. It was an experience. There was absolutely NO SNOW or bad weather in Durham the next morning, nor did I see any until I got close to Trenton.
January 17th--OH WAIT! Martin Luther King Day...The clinic was closed, but chose not to tell anyone--not me, not my doctor, not on their website. Jimmy and I drove all that way. We brought Pat home for the night with us, since I would have to go back the next day. When I went back on Tuesday, I had a platelet count of 427,000. Which meant I had too many platelets to get the Nplate, according to protocol. So I drove all that way for nothing.
January 24--My doctor had gotten good and irritated about me having to come up for no reason/clinic being closed the week before, so he started hardcore looking for alternative ways of delivering the medicine. My counts had dropped back down to 5, and I got the medicine. At the end of that week, we were able to get in contact with an office in Jacksonville who was authorized to give Nplate.
January 31st--After 14 weeks, I finally had a Duke free Monday! I went to the clinic in Jacksonville and they took my blood and gave me the injection in less than 30 minutes. What used to take 9 hours took an hour and a half, round trip. I am really disappointed I didn't get to have lunch with Erin today, but there's always Valentine's Day :)
