1/21/11 Setback 7 hours later

Well, so much for a break which lasted a whopping 6 hours. About 12:30 AM Max was barking away in the living room where Joe watches TV, Joe was in a seizure and had fallen off the couch and was laying face down on the floor. I could see that his left jawbone had bruise and was swollen and he has bleeding from his right elbow so I called the 24 hour phone number for Winship Cancer Institute. A doctor called me back within a few minutes and we decided to wait till he was conscious and able to move which was about 15 minutes later. I got him into the car and drove to the Emory ER which took him in immediately, They did extensive blood tests, CAT Scan, X-Rays, urine analysis and EKG. The nurse came back about 3AM and stated that Joe was low on phosphorus and that the CAT scan showed sinusitis which he has had for quite awhile and has not been able to shake it loose, They told us that Joe would be transferred to the hospital upstairs for observation given an IV for phosphorus and antibiotics. After waiting for hours and no room upstairs they gave Joe an IV in the ER. I had to leave the ER at 11am to get some sleep and take care of Max. I also had my MRI appointment at 4:30. Joe was released from the ER at 4:45 pm. I did not get there till 5:20pm so I missed the rest of the doctor visits. Joe claims the ER doctor told him it was from low phosphorus levels, the chemo and sinusitis that it was the perfect storm. Joe also told me that the ER requested permission to move him to Emory at John’s Creek or any other Emory Hospital since they needed the ER room. Thank goodness, Joe told them NO!

Joe and I are not happy about all of this since yesterday afternoon when we left Dr Winton’s office that the information the ER found out was the same information Winton’s office had. Why did Joe have to go into a seizure to realize something was not right? They should have been more proactive like MDACC. His white blood cells jumped up today in the ER from the previous day’s regular clinic visit, so now we had to stop the Neupogin immediately. We need to pick up a special antibiotic for the sinusitis that just won't go away. Since I was not there, Joe did not get a copy of the recent blood tests. He has to go back to the clinic on Monday to have another blood test and phosphorus levels at the same time I have my doctor's appointment to go over the MRI of my shoulder. The weather report states a possibility of another winter storm on Monday. Okay dear Lord, we need your help here.

We got home about 7PM so it was a very long medical bump in the road for Joe. One hour we are delighted with his progress and then within 7 hours we are rushing to the ER.

There is another huge concern I have. Normally the neupogin is stated with 24 to 48 hours after leaving the chemo hospital visit. Since Joe’s white blood counts were increasing so fast with the neupogin, I held it off for about a week. I had given him only three days of neupogin shots. On Thursday afternoon they were at 3.2 and we were told to give him neupogin shots only for two more days. Now then, from the ER blood tests, his white blood count was now above normal. As to what it really is, I do not know since Joe failed to get a copy of the blood tests and I was not there even though Joe knows that I always ask for a copy of the blood tests after each draw. Jessica Neely, Winton’s PA, met with Joe near the pharmacy where she told him to stop the neupogin shots, the levaquin, diflucan, and acyclovir immediately. She would call the CVS pharmacy for the different antibiotic that he is to take for the sinusitis. Joe has gone to CVS to pick it up.

Joe has been gone for over an hour to pick up the drug. I called the CVS where he told me that he gave Jessica the phone number was. It was not there nor the CVS on Highway 78. I had visions of him wrecked along the way someplace since he was not answering his phone. One CVS tracked him to the CVS on DeShong Rd which is a good distance from us and that he was just picking up the drug at the drive in window. Another reason why I must be with Joe when he is talking to medical personnel. This is nerve wracking.