More bad weather

Sunday night and all day Monday it snowed here and I mean snowed. I don't think I have ever seen flakes that big, we watched from the room at the hospital. It was such a wet snow that you were walking in snow as well as water. Candes and I had never seen anything like this snow, trying to walk into the apartment (on the sidewalk) the water was above your shoes. All I brought was tennis shoes who would have known I needed waders , it has been a mess. It froze last night so you have to walk on frozen crunchy snow.

On to the medical part Monday my WBC had came up to 2.67 so we are on the way up, of course my BP is still dropping when I stand up so that means fluid, 2 liters. I had to get an infuser of magnesium/potassium. I am still feeling pretty weak and light headed, they say it is probably due to my BP. Today my WBC had jumped up to 6.20 so things are looking up as far as my counts. Of course my BP was at an all time low 68/29 yes you read that right, it has never dropped quite that low. I got a liter of fluid and was sent home with another liter for over night. I had a drs appointment today, Dr. Nair thought with my counts I should be ready to go home by Friday, I will see him again to make sure nothing has changed. He felt like I needed a few more days of fluid to watch my BP and to keep an eye on my headaches. He prescribed a BP medicine to raise it a little, we will see if it will work, also wanting me to start taking something to increase my appetite. Candes stayed an extra day this time partly because of the weather and partly because we were seeing the dr and thought he might send us home and there was no need for Darcy to come down. But we will go with the plan Darcy will come down and Candes will head back home, she has had her hands full this week since I have felt so bad. I will always be her baby sister.

Things Change

Well I didn't have to get blood afterall, my counts are coming up a little more so I didn't need blood or platelets. All I had to do was bloodwork and fluids. I am just so weak, I am ready to get my strength back. It will get better as my counts continue to come up. I have a drs appointment tomorrow and then on to have labwork, it will be a full day. My CRP had doubled again today, this again could mean signs of infection but the APN is not real concerned at this point, they still think it might be due to my counts. I pray that she is right and there is no need to worry. I have had an awful headache today that I just can't get rid of, what's so bad is with the chemo I can't really take anything.

Low Counts

My counts are really dropping now (as they are suppose to) and it has kinda zapped me, you just wait for them to come back up to feel a little better. On Friday my WBC was 0.17, it had been heading down but this was a big drop. I had to get fluids and I was low on potassium, so they hooked me up to an infuser which Clay had to switch out at 10 pm and then again at 3:30 am. On Saturday my WBC had jumped all the way up to 0.19 (wow) so hopefully we are on the way up, just slow. My CRP was doubled from the day before, this could be a sign of infection or it could be just due to my WBC. They have had alot of sick patients down here and having to put several in the hospital, I just want to stay infection free. I had to get platelets again today, along with fluid and home with a phosphate/potassium infuser. Clay has been a trooper this week, he has had to do a little bit of everything, I haven't been much company because I just haven't felt good. He said he might even learn to cook.

Today we already know that I am going to have to get blood and I am sure fluid, beside that we will just have to wait and see. Clay will take me today and later Candes will probably meet us there and Clay will head back home.

Counts Dropping

It is a rainy day here in Little Rock as well as most of the state I think, a nice day to stay in if you could. Clay drove in the rain the whole way here as well as Darcy driving back to Fayetteville, they both made it safe. They transferred me to 7-C today so I could be assigned an APN, I had been on the waiting list, luckily I haven't needed one. My WBC had really dropped today, almost to zero so it is on with the mask to protect me from any germs. My blood pressure did it's thing again today so I had to get fluids, not just 1 liter but two, I also had to get a 2 hour magnesium infuser while we were there and I also needed platelets today. They loaded me up today, they also sent me home with an antibiotic infuser just in case my temp went above 101. Hopefully my counts will come up as fast as they went down.

Hump Day

I guess just a normal day around here for us, we have made our trip into UAMS for lab work and we are back at the apartment. The last three days I have had to get a liter of fluid due to my blood pressure dropping so low when I would stand up, today it was better and I didn't have to get fluids. Clay made it home on Sunday as Candes made her way down to stay a couple of days. We have changed our schedule around somewhat since we had to let one caretaker go, Andrew was my beginning of the week person from the start but he was recently hired by the Rogers Police Department, so duty calls. He is real excited as we are for him, it will take me a while to realize I have a policeman for a son, and it is always a little sary. So like I said Candes was here then my sis in law Darcy came down Tuesday afternoon, she will stay till Clay gets here on Thursday doing the weekend shift. And then we start all over again.

At this point we are just watching my counts waiting for them to come down and then go back up to get me on the mend. I take a growth factor shot to help my white count. The lab work wasn't back when we left so if I am low on anything they will call and we will have to go back in. On the most part I am doing ok, just a little weak, tired and having a few stomach issues. Hopefully my counts will go down and be back up in no time.

Please pray for strength and courage to keep me moving forward with this journey.

Weather Concern

This is the main concern for all of Arkansas right now, right now here in Little Rock it is freezing rain/sleet. Back home in Fayetteville I hear it has been snowing for a while. It is suppose to get worse here as the day goes on, depending on the temperatures. We are a little concerned because I have a 3:30 appointment, not knowing what it is going to do because I usually don't get out of there till 5:30 or 6.

Seems to be going pretty well so far, when we get the chemo bag changed out today it will be my last night to have to sleep with her. I should get unhooked tomorrow late afternoon, when you get a new bag it weighs right at 12 pounds so it gets a little old to carry around.

Clay and Andrew made the switch late yesterday afternoon to get everyone to where they needed to be today instead of waiting to do the switch this morning, probably a good decision.

Clay ran down to the store to pick up a few things for us for dinner and breakfast tomorrow, thought it would be better to go now than later, hope they are not out of everything when he gets there.

Everyone stay safe out there today and tomorrow or until this nasty stuff moves out.

Bag Lady

That's what you feel like for 4 days while you are taking chemo. By that I am talking about the 4 day-24 hour a day bag of chemo like I did when I first started my journey here in Little Rock. My appointment was at 1:00 today, they were really busy we left there at 6, it was a very tiring day. It's the bag you carry with you everywhere you go, it is hooked to your line so you have to remember to take it with you each and every step you take, we call her Martha, she is a sound sleeper yes she sleeps with me as well. I will have this until Saturday before they unhook it, we go in each day to get the chemo bag changed and do blood work but I still carry the bag. I am back on several meds now and as I have said in the past I do not do well taking all those meds. I am taking Dexamethasone in the morning and Thalidomide in the evening, this is the nasty stuff. Kara will be leaving today when Andrew gets here around noon, I have enjoyed her time here with me, she has been alot of help as well. My appointment is at 3:30 today, hopefully we will not have to wait as long today.

We are a little concerned about the weather that is suppose to hit the next few days, it will mess up our changing of the guards. We are just going to keep an eye on it and hope we will know what to do.