21 January 2015 - 10:33 AM

here is what happened in the last 24 hours.

1. They moved us from the 5th (ICU) floor to the 4th (not ICU??) floor.  She does not have to be monitored constantly since stopping the IL2 portion of BioChemotherapy
1. Downgrade - the room is a bit of a downgrade.  
1. It is smaller (less room for my mess).
2. the view is not as pretty (lower floor), although not a bad view.  kind of like the difference between the ocean view of a hotel in Cancun versus the garden view.
2. Upgrade - you could also consider it an upgrade
1. the room is private.  there is a door and it is very quiet.  The other room had big glass doors that they never shut so you could hear everyone's alarms going off.
2. Because we are not in the ICU anymore the nurses only come every 4 hours to check vital signs.  Alisa can get a little more rest at night.
2. Alisa got a thoracentesis to remove some fluid from her lungs.  I think around her lungs, not necessarily in her lungs.
1. She was transported to the U of U hospital for the procedure.  I only mention this because I learned there are underground tunnels connecting the two hospitals, and on her return trip back she had some fun with her "rookie" transporter who kept taking wrong turns and getting stuck in the elevator.  We probably should give him a little bit of a break, he has to move a huge hospital bed plus Alisa's tree of fluids, drugs, etc.
2. They removed 1 liter of fluid from just one spot near her lungs.  Seems like a lot.  They will do a...similar treatment on her stomach today.  (I should mention that by stomach I mean her belly area.  She gives me a disappointed look when I say stomach because it isn't technically the stomach.  I imagine the nurses reading this are rolling their eyes at my ignorance, go ahead, I am used to it.  I am hoping the rest of you understand what I am trying to say)

We have had a couple visits from the nurse practitioner today, but I haven't had a chance to ask when we might go home.  Not today.