2/7/11 Crap Happens

Joe had a bloody nose all weekend and refused to go in to Emory to have his blood check. Going to Emory ER on the weekend is like a crap shoot game since there are so many people sick with the flu and all kinds of stuff that can kill Joe. Since I know that Joe was at his nadir point after the chemo, it would mean his white blood cells that fight infection would be low, very low. It is a situation that was very uncomfortable since at MDACC the ER is geared just for cancer patients. Our last experience at the Emory ER was not good with the dirty chemo pole and with them requesting Joe to move to a further away Emory facility that did not have a cancer center next to it. Joe was so incredibly weak this weekend that my heart ached with sorrow watching him trying to get off the couch or walk. I did call the Emory doctor on call who seemed unconcerned and told me to try an Afrin nasal spray. I went to two drug stores looking for anything that could stop a bloody nose that was really nasty ugly. I got the nose spray the doctor mentioned as well as some sterile gauze that Joe liked the best since it soaked up the blood better.

Today Joe had his regular appointment at Winship/Emory. He has his blood drawn at 10AM and we headed upstairs to see Dr Winton. We saw Jessica Neely PA instead who stated that Winton wanted us to postpone the trip to Houston tomorrow. With Joe's blood counts being so low. travel was too dangerous. When I saw the numbers, Joe's counts were the worse he ever had in all areas. His White Blood Count was .4 (normal 4 - 11). Red Blood) Count was 2.15 (normal 4.5 - 6). Hemoglobin was 6.5 (normal 14 - 18). Hematocrit was a febrile 19.4 (normal 40-54). Platelets were a pitiful 2 (normal 140 -440). No wonder Joe looked and felt horribly weak. No wonder we could not get the nose to stop bleeding. How can a human still able to function with levels like that? It shows how amazingly strong the human body is and how the grace of God keeps us living.

Jessica sent Joe to the Infusion department with the order for 3 units of red blood cells and a unit of platelets. By the time they were finished at 7:30 PM, Joe also received two additional large bag of platelets. The most blood products he has ever had at one time.

I called MDACC who quickly changed the test dates to 2/16 and 2/17. Since Joe's next HyperCVAD-R Part A was due to start on 2/18, Joe finally decided to do the rest of his care at MDACC under Dr. Romaguera. After Part A for 5 days , there is only one more chemo session left, which is Part B. The best care and facilities are at MDACC and I am so glad that Joe finally realized that. So we will make Houston our temporary home once again for maybe six weeks or whatever it takes.

The most important thing is that we have got to do right now is to get Joe's blood counts where it is safe for him to travel. We also need to get his platelets above 70 so Joe can continue the chemo treatments. We are scheduled to go back to Winship/Emory on Wednesday to have his blood retested. From past experiences once Joe starts to recover, he recovers quickly. Please pray for this to happen as well as safe travels to Houston followed by the last two chemos, then remission. We are praying so hard to hear that word, "REMISSION."

May the Lord be with you and your families!