The Exorcist

As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end, and they certainly did. B and I came off one of the best weekends we have had in some time, and headed into Chemo week. The week began as they always do, with Chemo on Tuesday, and the pump out on Thursday. Of course, trusty D Bone and Bear's Uncle Larry came back to G-Rap to help out, and thank goodness for that.

We learned early on that B's blood counts were pretty low, which meant that B was going to have to get the Neulasta shot; the same thing he got pre-surgery. Neulasta works by reducing the chance of B getting an infection, and off-sets some of the meds that B is receiving. Some of the Chemo meds lower B's neutrophil counts, which is key to fighting infections, so the Neulasta helps with all of this. B was also due for his Zometa shot....the bone strengthening med, but this makes B really sore, so we knew we were in for a less-than-pleasant week(ish).

Tuesday ended pretty uneventfully, and we , in fact B ate the biggest meal I've seen him eat in awhile. We shoulda known what to expect as we moved forward into Wednesday. Boy were we in store for a crazy day! Wednesday started bad, and started bad very early. I got up for work around 6 and by 6:30, B was already out of bed puking his brains out. What most you don't have the luxury of knowing, is that B is an aggressive puker. The best I can describe, is that B is the Exorcist when it comes to getting sick. Just ask Team J what happened to their shower curtain on New Years Day 2009. And by 8 am, B had already lost his cookies 4 times. This continued on for much of the day, leaving B without eating much again, and leaving me very worried. On top of everything, B began complaining of sharp pain on the left side of his chest. B had been hurling so hard, he convinced himself he had broken a rib!

On Thursday, D Bone took B back to the Cancer Center to get his pump out, to get his Neulasta shot, and to get fluids. I never expected to receive the call that I did at 3:30 on Thursday. I had just left the office to go and see a patient in the hospital, and my phone rang. The caller ID showed that D Bone was calling, and I was going to let the phone go to voice mall since I was already on the 7th floor in the hospital, but I decided last minute to take the call. However, it was not D Bone, but B. And since having radiation, B's voice is much softer and it was a bit hard to understand. B told me that they were rushing him to ER because the staff had concern that he had a blood clot in this lung. I think I almost passed out. I was totally shocked and very scared. I literally ran the entire way back and hauled ass to the ER. I got there just as they were checking B in. He looked like shit. He was all slouched over in the wheel chair, and was so pale. It was like he was fading right before our eyes, and he was scared....you could see it in his eyes and all over his face. B and I spent most of the night at the hospital. They ran several tests and did a full CT scan of the chest to determine that B didn't have blood clot.....thank goodness. They did say that most likely B caused trauma to the left side of his chest while he was puking these last few days. I was so relieved, but the whole episode was very very scary. They didn't confirm it was a broken rib or not, but suggested it was more of a muscle strain....still, B is seriously limited in his range of motion with his left arm!

B and I came home and went right to bed. And by Friday, B was feeling a bit better. The rest of the weekend has been quiet, too. B has done quite a bit of sleeping, and still has had a few puking episodes. Not to mention his left side is still killing him, making it hard for him to walk with his cane. I swear, Team Mutnick can't seem to catch a break and I am getting tired of thinking when we actually might get one. Not much on tap for next week except rest and relaxation, and we need it.

Thanks for all your support!! It definitely gets trying at times, but knowing that all of you know a break is on the way helps us take each day that much easier. We love you all, and look forward to many happy visits in the near future!!