The Caregiver

Usually a family member or close relative or friend, the caregiver will assist you with the basic needs that might arise. This is especially true for companionship. Depending upon who this person is, he or she may also act as the patient's advocate. She has the additional objective of looking out for the patient's interests during and after the treatment.

A true luxury is when the same person remains for the entire stay, normally a month. Very often, the patient will be escorted to/from Shenzhen but will have to hire a local caregiver. The disruption in work and vacation time for the caregiver may be excessive.

There also is the act of being away from friends and other familiar surroundings for an extended period. Living out of a suitcase, determining where your next meal will come from are all hardships. The disruption of "living conditions" is traumatic; after all, since when is a hospital setting the first choice for lodging? Also, Shenzhen is a very dense urban environment. There is only a fraction of the population that is comfortable in those surroundings.

Now add the ever present "foreign tongue". There are only several Asian countries that would be considered fluent in the Mandarin dialect.

I have been very, very fortunate. My wife, Lily, has performed so many of the above tasks flawlessly and I've benefited from a top notch advocate. We visited with local relatives and expect to see more in the coming days. However, dislocation from friends and familiar surroundings have taken its toll. We are anxiously awaiting our return home.

Friday was my fourth of five stem cell injections. No headaches and all is progressing without any complications from this latest lumbar puncture. The rash mentioned in an earlier posting has subsided. The last stem cell injection is due Wednesday.

We've noticed a little bit more choking/gagging during meal times. I think we correlated this with eating in the hospital room. Since unlike home, I cannot wheel up to the table in my wheelchair, I either have to crane my neck (and risk a gag reflex) or risk some spillage by bringing my food over my lap to my mouth (without craning my neck). In restaurants, I don't seem to choke because I can wheel up to the table. I'll mention my findings in one of my next posts.