Sunday, February 21, 2010

Fighting Bronchitis

I have been fighting bronchitis all week, I wasn't sure what it was when it started, but have found out now. I started with a real runny nose on Monday, thick but not yellow or green, so didn't think there was any infection. Tuesday morning out of the blue I started with a very deep cough, it seemed to just get worse. I had talked to the nurse on Monday, she started me on over the counter meds. On Wednesday I wasn't any better so they wanted me to have a chest ex-ray on Thursday, I am scheduled for lab and to get my line out anyway. They want to make sure I haven't developed pneumonia, so many people end up with pneumonia when they go home, this is something I didn't want to get. The ex-ray showed my lungs to be clear and had no fluid, I thought that was good news. They started me on an antibiotic and a cough syrup for bedtime, I hope I can knock this pretty quick, I know it seems to hang on sometimes. My stomach and ribs are sore from coughing so much. I go in for blood work tomorrow. Oh I did get my line out on Thursday, the nurse did a good job taking it out, not much pain involved, just pulling the tape was the only bad thing.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Good to be Home

It is truly good to be back home, even though it won't be for long, knowing I just have one more round to go makes it all worth while. I can do this!!!!! I have just been home a few days but it has been nice. I am trying to get something, like a cold or some kinda crud in which I do not want. I have to be careful in what I take, I can't just take anything. We are doing over the counter right now, my nurse said if it changed or didn't improve we would probably need to go to an antibiotic. I just don't want it to develop into something bad. When I went to have blood work on Monday my blood pressure was good so I didn't have to have fluids, I hope it stays up so I can get my line taken out maybe on Thursday. Kara took me in for labs on Monday, she had just got back Sunday night, she had been on a cruise, enjoying some warm weather.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Fluids and more Fluids

Wednesday Darcy and I headed into to have labwork done and to see what I needed. My blood pressure was a little better but not what they wanted to see, they say when it drops like 50 points when you stand up, it's just too much of a drop. I took in 1 liter of fluid while I was there and was sent home with a 2 liter bag of fluid to take over 24 hours. They are trying to get my BP under control before I go home. I didn't feel as light headed Wednesday morning as I have felt the last few days.



We will go in today (Thursday) at 1 and see how things are today. My BP was better today, I did take a liter of fluid, but I didn't have to take fluid home. I had to have a unit of blood today as well as a magnesium infuser, they hooked me up to the infuser and it was finished by the time we left. By the time they crosstyped my my blood and they got it up to the 7th floor it was 6:45 by the time we got out of there.


The bad news is that we have to be back at 8 in the morning to get another unit. I have an early appt so we can get out of there for my 11:30 drs appt. I also had to have potassium today, a 5 hour infuser. Clay got there before 11 and Darcy headed back home, we headed over to the drs office to see what the plan was. We met with Dr. Nair and he dismissed us to go home, we decided to leave my line in for at least a week or two incase I needed fluids while I was home. We went to the apartment so Clay could load the car, Candes and Darcy had done most of the packing up so it was just pretty much loading up. We headed for home, it was a good feeling, we got home about 6:30 (Friday night), I will be home give or take 4 weeks, then we will have 1 more round to go. That also is a good feeling. After chemo my veins are just worthless, they have to stick me several times to find anything. The skin on my neck is so sensitive it is just to the raw stage, I developed blood blisters this time due to the pulling off of tape. If I don't have to have anything then someone at Highland will take my line out and my skin can start to heal. Clay will have to flush my lines each day and put heparin in my line. I will go in twice a week for labs while I am home.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

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.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

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.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

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.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

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.