Chandelier

Taking chemo is really strange. You feel fine one minute and the next minute you aren't fine. I was only home for 12 hours when my temperature spiked to 104 degrees. Jim took me to the local hospital and later my oncologist requested that I return to my primary hospital.

I call the attached picture my "chandelier". It gives you an idea of all the drugs that are being infused into my body. This has not been fun at all.

Designated Memory

The only way that I can keep up with all the info that the doctors are telling me is to use my "Designated Memory", my sister Julie, who takes great notes. As I mentioned before, my short term memory is lacking, and I'm sorry, what was your name again?

Increase in Numbers, Prayers are to Blame

BTW, the title of this post is to be sung to Elvis' song, "Return to Sender" and "blame" is not the best word to explain the miraculous exponential increase in my lab numbers. My white blood count went from 100 t0 3,000 and my platelets went from 20,000 to 40,000. Both counts are still considerably below normal, but are improving. Also, I've not had a fever for the last 48 hours. Keep up the prayers!

Ice Packs, Pits, and Pneumonia

I'm back in the hospital. The chemo knocked out my immune system and I started running a high fever so they admitted me to find out what's causing it. The nurses around here have a surefire way of bringing a high fever down. They fill soft, cottony-like bags with ICE CUBES and place them under your armpits and on your groin until your fever breaks. Last night in the middle of the night my fever of 104 degrees finally broke. That's the good news, the bad news is that I have pneumonia.

However, I did have an exciting time when the ice cube bag that was placed on my groin to cool the blood to my legs...BROKE! I jumped up out of bed (as well as I could, as I still was attached to Wally.) (Sorry, but Wa-a-a-l-l-ee will have to wait until another post). My sister was laughing hysterically and called the nurse to change the linens.

I hope that my temperature stays down :-).

Tiredness and Memory Problems

One of the side effects of chemo is tiredness. The tiredness has hit me full force and I can hardly get out of bed to go to work.

Also, the loss of short term memory is a problem. I have to write things down, and even then will have problems with short term memory. Also the loss of short term memory is a problem. Did you know that short term memory loss is a side effect of chemo? It is and I'm having some problems. What was your name again?

A Family that Covers

I have really been blessed with a wonderful family that is helping me through the throes of cancer. Two of my sisters flew in from Tennessee and Ohio to come to visit me while I was in the hospital. (This means that their fabulous and understanding husbands are watching 8 kids, 5 cats, 2 dogs... well, you get the picture.) My parents flew in from Springfield, Missouri and my brother and sister in law from Denver have come to visit me also. And my ever-faithful local sister Kim, who is also an RN, has been an ever-present help. It's been a little crazy, but fun to be together again.

My sister Sharon made a quilt for me just for my hospitalization which epitomizes the love that I feel from my family. Their love covers me and comforts me.

Foam In Foam Out

Ten days after Day 1 of the chemotherapy, my white cells will bottom out and I'll be susceptible to all kinds of infections. One of the ways that the hospital controls the germs that live on the sweaty palms of my visitors is for the visitors to "foam in, foam out". It's a procedure where the visitors use an antibiotic foam to wash their hands before and after they visit my room. The procedure keeps me safe from their little germies and them safe from any little germies that I might have.