Medical Updates - The Waiting Game

Waiting
Vicki's daily infusions of chemotherapy ended last Monday afternoon and we're waiting for her bone marrow to start producing blood cells. It'll probably be another week before we start to see her blood counts rise on their own. In the meantime she continues to receive platelets every couple of days and today the doctor talked about giving her a transfusion of whole blood. She always feels more energy after a transfusion.

Juggling
Vicki continues to receive an oral chemotherapy drug twice a day and will continue to need it for up to two years. She has had an assortment of symptoms due to side effects of the chemo, drug interactions, and lingering diverticulitis. It's a real juggling act for the medical team to give her an appropriate combination of antibiotics, blood pressure regulators, and pain relief on top of the chemo drug, but they seem to be doing a pretty good job of keeping her stable and reasonably comfortable.

She's weak and tired most of the time, sometimes in pain or else loopy from pain drugs. She does get up to use the shower and restroom, but spends the rest of the day in bed enjoying visitors, watching television, surfing the 'net, and making phone calls.

What's Next?
Once her blood counts rise to a level where it is safe for her to go home, she'll be discharged. At this point her job will be to recover sufficiently to return to the hospital for another round of treatment just like this one. The timing depends on a lot of variables so it's hard to say when this will all take place.

Jack
Jack continues to improve. He's started taking the dogs out for walks and is doing fine on his own at home. He spends every day at the hospital with Vicki, resting on the cot in her room when he can.