RWJ. Day 1

Day one at RWJ. Arrived about 9:30am, there was a ridiculous amount of traffic on the turnpike this morning, and when we arrived the parking lot was already full and the line up for valet parking was down the street!! This is a very busy hospital. Then of course there was a room full of people waiting to be admitted, but our turn came quickly and before we knew it, we were settling into room 419. We met the nurses, answered the usual questions, Sarah had blood drawn and fluids started, then we met her team of doctors. Everyone has been very nice and understanding, they explained the protocol and layed it all out on a calendar, so we all know what is happening and when. It is scary, overwhelming, and a little surreal, we have been working towards this "final" step since the beginning of Sarah's treatment; now it is here and we are praying for a speedy recovery! The food here is actually pretty good, we have had lunch and dinner, so far so good. Sarah gets a menu and places an order directly to the kitchen, so the food is delivered hot within an hour, this is a great feature, she gets what she wants, when she wants it, no more trays of cold food lying around. The chemo part of this regiment is run over 3 days, for about 3 hours the first day, and then about 1 hour on the next 2 days. Sarah is already half-way through today's dose! After the 3 days of chemo, there are 3 "rest" days, and then the transfusion of her own white blood cells, and then we wait for her counts to go up. There was one mini blow-up today, the enormity of what is happening became a little to real, but all is calm now. Sarah is already snuggled into her bed, anxiously awaiting 2 hours of American Idol! Oh goody, I think I will start a new knitting project. It is going to be a long haul, so cards, e-mails, and prayers are welcome! Love to all, Maria P.S. sorry for any errors, every time I try to correct on the iPad, I lose everything!