Don’t you paint your face when you’re released from the hospital?

Last night I slept in a completely still bed for the first time in almost exactly a month.

My whole life, I’ve dealt with a very stubborn brain. I get in bed, exhausted. Then, I sit there for a bare minimum of an hour, waiting to fall asleep. I’ve tried everything. Working out helps reduce that to a minimum of about 45 minutes, but just about everything else is utterly ineffectual.

The hospital bed may have cured me. I got in bed, and I don’t think I made it even 3 minutes. Slept for 7 hours straight (also weird for me – I usually only sleep 4-5 hours most days). That was another weird thing – didn’t have to wake up at 5am to get my BP/temp checked.

Last night was also the first time I had home made cooking. My mom came over and made her famous “chinese chicken” (I honestly have no idea what to call it for real, but that’s what we’ve called it my whole life) with her famous broccoli (cooked in her special magic pan) and some brown rice. Doubly delicious because I haven’t been able to eat really much of anything except hospital food, Au Bon Pain, and a pizza place near Presby does freshly cooked personal pies. I’ll put a post up eventually about the neutropenic diet they have me on, but it’s not particularly interesting or all that restrictive, just one of those additional annoyances you have to deal with when getting chemo.

For those of you that were asking, here is the order of events from when I got home to what I did:

Walked in the door – noticed all the sweet decorations my wonderful sister put everywhere, including a sign in entirely Espanol, welcoming me back into my house. Also, balloons and banners. So despite her needing to be at work, she managed to welcome me home. Best sister ever? Yup.

Basically went directly to my room, grabbed my acoustic, and ran through some of my practice songs. Finger strength is surprisingly good, considering I haven’t touched a guitar in over a month. Callouses will need some work, as my fingers hurt for most of the rest of the night (which is normal, and NOT SOMETHING TO WORRY ABOUT PLEASE DON”T TEXT ME TO TAKE IT EASY THANK YOU).

Checked out my freshly cleaned apartment, which my family did during the weekend after Diagnosis, but before Admission. Re-learned where all my stuff is. I don’t think my apartment has been this clean since it was empty 2 and a half years ago when I moved in.

Booted my computer up, checked Facebook, then immediately started playing some Diablo 3.

My dad grabbed some chicken parm subs from a local restaurant we like, we sat and ate them and watched an episode of American Ninja Warrior (which, PS, is the best show on television).

Then I sent my Dad to go get some of his work done, and I played more Diablo 3. What? I’ve been waiting more than a decade for this game to come out, and I only had a few weeks with it before having to stay in a hospital for a month. Gogo Demon Hunter leveling!

Then my family came over, and my mom made the aforementioned chicken dish, while we watched my ridiculous collection of DVR’d episodes of American Ninja Warrior.

I’m a simple guy. I played some more guitar, played some more video games, and relaxed and went to sleep.

Thursday I have my follow up visit with Dr. Roboz. There, we check my numbers, see how I’m progressing. Hopefully, I’m close to normal, and can be released from quasi-house arrest. Then it’s straight to Minetta Tavern for a Black Label Burger, and then visiting friends as I’m able to. Put yourself on the list if you want to be visited by a mohawk’d 27 year old with IV lines.

Enjoy this ridiculously warm day!