Journey

We made it home. I’m not sure how it feels ….. wonderful, sort-of normal, disorienting, scary and a little overwhelming.

On Friday night Rory had to return to the ward for an injection of GCSF. It is a glycoprotein which stimulates the bone marrow to produce granulocytes and stem cells and release them into the blood stream. This will help his immune system recover when he becomes neutropenic (low level of white blood cells) this week. When Rory is neutropenic (lasts 4-5 days) his body will be unable to fight infection.

Rory had the port in his chest de-accessed. This involved pulling out the equivalent of a giant rectangular thumb tack from his chest. Attached to the tack were two iv lines with connectors and locks through which the chemotherapy is given. Once this set was removed Rory’s chest only shows the bump of the port under his skin and the cut where it was inserted.

The nausea and stomach cramps continued on Saturday morning. Rory is taking regular medication to counter this but doesn’t feel like eating and when he does struggles to get it down. He is very tired so slept most of the way home. We called in to see out great friend Mandy at Awakino on the way home. Her team at Smokeylemon are helping us with Rory’s website.

It was a special home coming. Sam and Caitlyn had cleaned the house and were baking us cookies. There were parcels from our neighbours Bryan and Christine, my good friend Dianne from Whangarei and a basket of treats from Colts best friend Neo and his lovely mum Shelley and the Broughton whanau. Rory said to me “It is hard reading out the cards. There is a lot of thought in them.” Thank you everyone.