A Day in the Life of Julie…
Written by laura on October 10th, 2008
Here’s what a typical day is like for Julie out here on the West Coast!…well, not “typical”, Julie was especially tired/not feeling well today.
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Sleeping Beauty :)...little does she know her day is about to begin!
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Rise & shine, Princess! :)
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Once Julie crawls out of bed, Mom steps right in, to make it! She's a regular 'ol Mary Poppins, that Carol! ;)
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Mom's daily finishing touch...Joey rests happily on Julie's bed. (Isn't his little eye mask cute?)
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Look folks! She cleans, she cooks! Mom made some fresh, blueberry muffins this morning...
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Uh-Oh...doesn't look like Julie will be trying those muffins anytime soon :( Unfortunately, Julie's day began today with an upset stomach :(
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Julie keeps on truckin'...she doesn't let an upset stomach stop her! Here she's in the elevator as we get ready to go to the SCCA (Seattle Cancer Care Alliance)
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Julie waits for her Chauffeur (AKA Mom, the maid, the cook, the nurse, etc. Mom has taken on a lot of roles out here!)
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Carol's arrived, & picks Julie up to take her to the SCCA. (One of the perks to having "the Big C", is that Julie has standing rights to shotgun! :)
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Once she arrives at the SCCA, the first stop is the "Cold/Flu Symptom Screening Desk". Here she's required to fill out a quick form, before receiving a sticker that reads, ...
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"Thank You, I've Been Screened", followed by the day of the week. This is a quick, visual way for the nurses & doctors (and other patients) to know that Julie is symptom-free & ok to be among the general population
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Every day at SCCA begins with blood draws. Before the nurse will take Julie's blood, she asks Julie to spell out her name & date of birth
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Julie's blood is drawn from her central line each day, so her fingers/arms are never poked!
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And out goes the blood! They then send it off to be tested to monitor Julie's counts; white cells, hemaglobin, hematocrit, platelets, etc.
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Ok, so maybe I'm going a little overboard with all these photos, but I was in a photo-journalistic mood when I took these. ;)
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Blood drawn, check! Next, Julie waits for the Doc in an examining room
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First, Julie gets her mouth checked for sores. (One of the many threatening possibilities facing patients post-transplant)
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Next, Julie weighs in. (At a whopping Two-Fiddie...just kidding! She's only 127) I checked before posting that, Julie gave me permission :)
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In between appointments, Julie sits in the waiting room with a throw-up bucket, "just in case". She was feelin' pretty nauseous today. :(
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Once Julie was done with her doctor's appointments, we headed to the parking garage to get the car...
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Uh-Oh...Mom forgot where she parked the car!!! So, she pulls the 'ol, 'hit the alarm button until you hear where it's "hiding"' trick ;)
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"There it is!!!!" (Grrrreat...) ;)
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Once we finally find the car, & make it back to our "home"...Julie receives a package with this warm, cozy YANKEES blanket inside!!! :) Needless to say, she was more than happy to wear it to keep her warm while she rested.
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Looks like her "quick rest" turned into a full-blown nap :)
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Last, but not least...Julie enjoys a cherry popsickle :)
After the popsickle, Julie ate a little mac & cheese and then took a shower. Â (But I didn’t take any photos while she was showering, I thought that’d be a bit much!) Â Anyway, today she rested a lot and kinda took it easy. Â She is beginning to feel pretty exhausted, but somehow maintains her awesome spirit! Â We love you, Julie! Â Love & warm thoughts from Seattle, Laura Â
P.S. Also see the post below…I posted TWO posts today for Ms. Julie!
Posted in Uncategorized |
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That’s awesome Laura, I’m glad you did that–to give everyone an inside peek. :o)
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I love the blanket–it looks soft and comfy–and I checked the temperature–you need it!!. Can’t wait for the vomiting to stop and for Julie to start enjoying again. We are with you every step of the way. Today Ryan is here and Jim and Ryan will have their birthday co-celebrated. We’ll be thinking of you–at least you’all can sing on key!!
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that carol does it all!!
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Enjoy reading your blog. We often think of you folks. Looking foward to seeing you walking the dogs back here in the Hills. The leaves are beautiful until they land on our drivway sure has kept me busy.Keep up the good work. The nose and eyes will soon back to fit the face. Will continue praying for you and the family.
Babs