Apparently I Spoketh Too Soon-eth

Matt says that I got cocky with my last post. That was obviously not my intention. Maybe God just took a look at my last post and needed a good laugh.  Whatever happened, whatever the reason, I did NOT get to ring the "I'm done with Chemo" bell on Tuesday.  

After my last completed Chemo treatment on February 25th I was fighting a pretty bad cough.  My oldest son, George, was also coughing and had been for a few days.  So, on Wednesday, I took us both to the Urgent Care facility nearest our house to be tested for Flu and Strep.  We waited for over an hour in an empty waiting room before being tested and seen by a doctor for a total of 4 minutes to be told we did NOT have strep or flu.  George was prescribed Amoxicillin and I got a Z-Pack.  

A few days into my prescription and I wasn't getting any better.  In fact, on Friday, I noticed that I couldn't walk across a parking lot or up a flight of stairs in our townhome without getting winded to the point of sitting and taking 5-10 mins to catch my breath.  On Sunday Matt and I planned to spend most of our day deep cleaning the bathrooms and kitchen.  Joey and I went to Walmart for cleaning supplies and my chest of heaving like a 20 year smoker in high elevation! I made it home and started cleaning our bathroom but my distress was evident.  By early evening Matt and I had made the decision to head to the ER. 

As always, Angels are everywhere if you know where to look.  Our first call was to our good friend Jenny.  Jenny and I met 7-9 years ago when we were both taking pictures of Newborns in hospitals.  Her three kids are about the same age as our three kids so we frequently meet up at playgrounds or for Trick or Treating or pizza nights when we just need backup for handling overly energetic kids.  Throughout this whole experience Jenny has been amazing. She brings me coffee randomly and doughnuts for the kids -- just so I know I'm not going through this alone.  She really is THE BEST.  Anyway, we called her up and she immediately offered to watch the kids. We met her in a school parking lot for the hand off and off we sped to the hospital.  It is so nice when you know you can count on somebody to have your kids in a safe environment no questions asked.  

The second call we made was to my mother.  Mom lives an hour and 15 mins away but we knew she'd drop everything to help us out.  Thankfully she had already finished making her homemade chicken soup and quiches when we called.  She packed those and her toothbrush up and hit the road.  We didn't want the kids missing any more school so we asked her to pick them up from Jenny (Jenny and her kids were disappointed they didn't get a sleepover out of the deal), take them home, and get them up for school the next day.  Mom was happy to help.  

Once the kids were all taken care of, Matt and I could focus on me.  The ER at Fairfax Hospital wasn't too busy but I was still surprised when they didn't make us wait at all.  I guess when you tell them you are having trouble breathing they whisk you off to the nearest EKG machine to make sure you aren't having a heart attack.  My heart was pumping adequately enough apparently but the added information of my cancer and chemo treatments had them drawing blood and setting up an IV.  We weren't in Triage long before they sent us down a hallway to one of their brand new ER rooms.  That began a whirlwind of X-rays and CT scans with contrast, plus they put my on oxygen and gave me antibiotics. Poor Matt sat uncomfortably in hard little chair worried but fighting fatigue and hunger since we left before making the burgers we planned for dinner.  

It was after midnight before they admitted me into a room. I was grateful for the room since I was initially told they were at capacity and I would be spending the night in a hallway.  They try to make it sound secluded and private and comfortable but you just know there's no way around the fact that your sleeping in a drafty hallway.  So when they wheeled me into an actual patient room I was delighted.  I didn't even comment on the fact that it was a postpartum room set up for Mommy and Baby.  Once we were in Matt was asleep on the couch before the new nurse could get my vitals.  I wasn't far behind him.  

The next morning a doctor came in to tell me I had pneumonia but I DID NOT have a blood clot.  Thank God for small miracles.  They fed me lots of antibiotics and other pills and made me take a long walk with the nurse to monitor my oxygen and such before they were satisfied to send me home.  It took two days.  Matt and Mom traded off halfway through Monday.  Mom and I played lots of Canasta.  We finally made it home Tuesday afternoon.  

I'm happy to be home.  But I'm still recovering.  The Doctor said that because of my compromised immune system healing just takes longer.  Tuesday night and last night were pretty rough.  I had to sleep in the recliner since laying down made the coughing 100x worse.  But I'm feeling a little better today.  I'm coughing a little less, wheezing a little less.  I'm sorry I didn't get to Ring that Bell on Tuesday but hopefully I'll be able to do it next Tuesday.  

Thank you for the prayers!