The good, the bad and the ugly, part II

It's the commissioned author again.  It seems like my posts are the gloomy ones, but that's the way it is.  If Shelley was feeling good, she wouldn't be asking anyone to write a post--she'd be doing it herself.  But, she also knows that you are waiting for word, and she can appreciate the fact that others are thinking of her and wishing her well.

Going into the weekend, Shelley wasn't feeling well.  They even went to see the doctor before the weekend, because over the weekend you usually get worse!  The last 24 hours have been miserable, with almost no way to get comfortable and almost no sleep. At 4 am this morning, she was running a considerable temperature, and after calling the doctor, they went into the ER.  After bloodwork, it was determined that her white count was really low (ANC of below 500, for you medical types...)  They also determined that the hospital was the best place for her right now, and she'll be there at least through the weekend, receiving IV antibiotics. The low white count is from the chemo, but the radiation is leaving plenty of its side effects--mouth sores, sore throat, mouth pain, and the copious amounts of mucus.  Since she's been in the hospital, they've switched around her pain medications because of what she needs to take for fever control, and that hasn't been a good thing at all. It's just a terribly miserable time for her, and she's just "enduring" at this point.  The radiation is starting to "burn" her face--a triangle from her nose to the chin, and also on her neck.

Now for the snippets of good news: Monday likely marks the last of her "regular" radiation.  After that they'll do a week (or more) of "boost" radiation, which concentrates specifically on the areas where the tumor was removed.  Hopefully her poor neck will get a rest from those ugly beams.

More good news: Dorothy has arrived to help out for a while. Shelley's voice has been pretty much gone for a couple weeks, so she has had to rely heavily on writing notes, texting, and now she's using a bit of sign language to communicate. The fact that she can't talk makes it pretty important that there is someone with her most of the time, especially in the foreign world of the hospital.  There won't be any shortage of things for Dorothy to do while she's on her "vacation!"

So, thanks again for your continued interest in Shelley and her tribulations. And, also thanks for your thoughts toward the rest of the family.  Jim claims he has a case of  "chemo brain" himself, these days.  Never knew it was contagious....

Good night, all!