Today marks M's first week off chemo. This past week she endured a wicked rash on her legs and arms, low platelets (transfusions, of course), extreme fatigue, but no nausea or vomiting which is great. After visiting with her on Friday I left for the beach but I did spend the afternoon with her yesterday. (For those of you who think it was mean of me to leave her in the hospital and go on "vacation" for three days, trust me, I felt terrible but she insisted that I go. Luckily, I have a great family and support system who could take care of her while I couldn't). My father finally got clearance to go see her since he passed the 10-day mark of his end of chemo also. He is in great health. Besides frequent urination, he hasn't endured any complications. So far he is in the clear, and he will, like I've said, get a full body scan in a few months to check to see that the cancer hasn't gone into remission or resurfaced any where else.
Yesterday M received the bone marrow test that we have been waiting for, so now we are waiting for the results to see if the leukemia has gone into remission and learn more about the possible transplant. The results can come at any time, we are all on guard. I made it to the hospital at about 1230 pm yesterday and my aunt was there, she left and my father came. Before the test she was given [I think] Vidaza to calm her and reduce nausea and also a local anesthetic. The Vidaza makes her what I call "loopy" but also makes her a little arrogant. Sometimes its funny; I will say something like, "Maybe you should lie down" and she will say "Maybe you should lie down." She was given a platelet transfusion and with that they give her Benadryl in case of an allergic reaction to the transfusion, just precautionary. So needless to say, yesterday, she slept the entire time I was there. She wanted to take a shower but since she was so out of it and she had just had the bone marrow test they asked that she wait until this morning and I know that one of her favorite nurses, Sarah, gave her a shower. While showering, she has noticed a small amount (not significant to anyone but her) amount of hair loss. This is her worst nightmare. Those of you who know her know how she feels about her hair. However, if she loses more of it she wants to get a wig, which I think is a great idea because she can get whatever style she wants, and never has to do it. Hopefully the loss won't be too significant to harm her pride and dignity.
She has been completing physical therapy because of her ankles swelling and the foot drop - but she does very well with this and did it already today. Her doctors and nurses think that she is on track and experiencing everything normal - nothing out of the ordinary - and handling it quite well. She is a trooper, I will admit! All her other organs are in otherwise great health still and besides a loss of appetite (pretty normal) she is doing well.
So for now, we're waiting again to hear results of this bone marrow test.
***I posted on Facebook - but please go to RWJ's Blood Donor Page to learn more about donating blood. With my APS, Brian's Crohn's and my dad's cancer - we are all ineligible donate blood - to our own family. Please consider donating on behalf of my mother. Here is my Facebook post:
For those asking what you can do to help, please take the time out of your day to donate blood and platelets at RWJ. You may donate on behalf of a patient; a doctor has informed my family that a lot of people have already donated on my mother's behalf. The donors are anonymous to us, so thank you, whoever you were. My brother, my father and I all have complications in which we cannot donate blood or platelets, so if you can, please try! And thank you! My mother is also A Rh-positive... pretty common, but platelets cannot be stored for a long period of time and she needs those often. Thank you!
“Sometimes I think illness sits inside every woman, waiting for the right moment to bloom. I have known so many sick women all my life. Women with chronic pain, with ever-gestating diseases. Women with conditions. Men, sure, they have bone snaps, they have backaches, they have a surgery or two, yank out a tonsil, insert a shiny plastic hip. Women get consumed.”― Gillian Flynn, Sharp Objects
No comments:
Post a Comment