About 24 hours ago, the docs were making plans to take her off IV meds and feeding-by-IV, in preparation for her going home early next week. Her blood numbers are still going up (see charts link to left), and in fact Platelets are in the normal range, and Immunity (ANC) is headed out of the Neutropenic range. All this means that she is recovering from the side effects of chemotherapy.
Then the last two days she woke up bleeding from the ear, and she’s been nauseous pretty constantly. She has also been running hot seats and cold chills, though she has no fever. They are going to do a thing this afternoon called an upper GI (for gastrointestinal) endoscopic exam. Basically, that’s putting a camera down her throat to see how things look, and doing a biopsy to check the tissue for clues. At this point, they have no idea why her ear has been bleeding, and in fact she says her ear doesn’t even hurt.
The overriding concern, of course, is Graft Versus Host Disease, which is when the new blood from her transfusion attacks her own blood and organs as foreign invaders. Her doctors say about 30-40% of patients never get this, another 30-40% get it a little bit, and the rest get it chronically, which can have large effects on lifestyle.
SO … what all this means is unclear, and will stay that way at least until results come back from this afternoon. It probably means, too, that she won’t go home early next week. But nothing is certain.
We do know this: Today (Nov. 30) is not going to be a good day for a visit, because she’ll be wiped out. Also, for the next couple days, it will be a good idea to call before visiting, to make sure she’s up for it. Her voice is pretty strong, but there’s no telling how else she will be feeling.
I also have to tell you, and I’m using some of her own words here, that she’s discouraged and sad and frustrated. Things were going well, she had high hopes for going home, and now all of this comes along. This is probably how life is going to be for her for a while, but still: keep sending those positive vibes, give her a call this weekend, maybe go see her.
On a lighter note, readers of Seattle Weekly might get a kick out of seeing her name in print – though in small letters. I grabbed the ad from Tractor Tavern and will post it below. Check out the bottom box!
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