March 3rd to 6th

Monday morning mom rolled over and asked, "Is there something on my neck?"

Sure enough a large swelling just bellow her chin to the middle of her neck mostly on the left side was visible and tender to the touch. We got to the onlcolgist's office about 11:00 am and blood was taken and we had lunch and then off for an ultrasound. Mom's energy level was really low. (In reviewing my photos I see that the swelling is visible on Sunday but small)

At 3:00, the oncologist said her blood counts had really fallen and her white counts were in the 100's. The neck they felt was an infected gland of some sort. He wanted her admitted to First Hill Swedish right away for an IV drip for the infection and to watch her blood. We went right over and she was admitted again to the 12th floor East where she gets her Chemo. She has a great room all to herself.

Tuesday they did a CT scan of her neck and after review of the doctors, they changed her antibiotic and decided to give her a blood transfusion as her levels were lower. She is A+ with a special antibody so it takes them a little while find someone that matches the antibody and radiate the blood due to her immuno suppression.

During the night, 1:00 am the shakes reappeared and lasted for 2 hours then she spiked a 105 fever. They did not want to give her anything as it would mask the symptoms and they needed to have samples of her blood to decipher if this was a reaction to the blood or the infection. They called the oncologist at 4:00 am and her ok'd some relief medication. She had very little sleep.

I arrived at 9:00 with her daily mocha from Starbucks and she was a changed woman - lots of pep almost hopping into bed. She chatted on the phone, read emails saw her friend since second grade, Barb (she always introduces Barb as that) and sat in her chair. Her blood count was back up and whites around 900. All of a sudden she started feeling chilled again and we started piling on the clothes about 1:00 (12 hours from first shakes). The shakes started and we walked to find her favorite, the head nurse, Heidi who sent her to bed. Tylenol came first then the oncologist ok'd Demerol - the shakes lasted an hour and her temperature went to 103. Brother Neil and wife Patsy arrived just as the drug was taking effect, but they had a nice visit. Jeff and Trudy were there too. Her lunch order came and they decided to send her for another ultrasound to check the biopsy area that has been infected too. Then they took some fluid out of that area to send to the lab but the technicial "thought it looked like the good fluid" meaning it was the fluid necessary to help heal the area where the node use to be. She ate a good lunch. We all left her to rest.

John arrived after work and mom was chipper. She was going to order a small dinner then get some sleep. We hope the shakes don't come again as they will not let her out of the hospital until her temperature is stable for at least 24 hours.

She is scheduled with a ENT (ear nose and throat doctor) to have the infected thyroglossal cyst (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thyroglossal_cyst) removed. This is something she had years ago and she thinks they just drained it and did not remove it. So she is scheduled for removal of it on Monday...unless it goes away on its own.

I leave tomorrow afternoon to see my family in Calgary, Canada. I will return at the latest March 18th. Hopefully mom will have some deserved rest at home and will be on track for her chemo to start Friday the 14th of March.

All this being said - the lymph nodes are still small and the chemo is working - we just have to get her infections taken care of.

Mom loves all her cards and emails and appreciates your prayers and good thoughts. She is a Game Old Gall and said today when they told her they thought the cyst should be removed "Bring it on!" That's the attitude we love and expect from our matriarch.

Love to all

Sarah