Wednesday, December 26, 2012 - Treatment #4
Even though treatment took the same amount of time that it normally does, it felt like it went by fast. Maybe it was because we were all tired from our Christmas activities. Or maybe it was because there weren't a lot of people there when we first got there. Or maybe it was because our poor nurse, Lily, was the only one on our floor and was taking care of about 15 patients running around like a chicken with her head cut off. Who knows! But everything went smoothly and strangely, I ended up having a great day.
We got to Northwestern a little before 9am, so we parked the car and went in together rather than having Mrs. G. drop us off at the front door. Donny and his mom then went up to the 21st floor and I headed over to Children's Hospital to visit my friend whose newborn son was having open heart surgery to fix two holes in his heart. Usually the first hour we are at Northwestern, we are waiting for Donny to get his blood drawn and for the results to come back, so I knew that if I went over to Children's right away, I wouldn't miss the doctor when he came to see Donny.
Children's Hospital is truly a magical place with all the colors, fish tanks and interactive elevators that make noises when you press the buttons on the walls. I almost lost it in the lobby because there was a Dad walking with his son, who was probably around 9 years old. The boy was wearing a robe and winter cap, so I knew he was the little patient. It just broke my heart. And once again, I thought to myself, I don't know what I'd do if this was my son. And up I went to go see my friend who was trying so hard (and doing a great job of it) to keep herself together while her son had surgery.
About an hour passed and I left to go back to Donny. It was actually perfect timing because Donny had just finished getting his blood drawn when I arrived. We waited for about 10 minutes and then got called back to the treatment room. Since it was the day after Christmas, the staff was short and we were put in a double room again. I actually think it was the same double room we were put in last treatment, only this time, we were on the smaller side of the room. There was already another gentleman being treated on the bigger side. If you refer to my last post where I said I was annoyed by the girl who was sitting so far back in the curtain she kept looked back at me when I laughed, I now know why she was sitting so far back. The small side can barely accommodate three people and in order for the curtain to not hang over everyone, you had to move the chair back to hold the curtain away. The man on the other side finished his treatment and left so we were able to move the curtain. But then, Mrs. G. had the brilliant idea to ask the nurse if we could move to the bigger side, so we got to move and be a little more comfortable.
After the move, it was smooth sailing. The nurse came and went as she needed, to administer the "push" drugs and later to hook Donny up to the IV. Apparently we weren't scheduled to see Dr. P. (unbeknown to me because my schedule said we were supposed to see him). But Donny's throat and tongue has been sore and has white stuff on it, so we asked him to come see us anyway. Especially because he didn't see Donny during the last treatment.
Dr. P. took a look in his mouth and confirmed what we thought. Poor Donny has Thrush: a yeast infection of the mucus membrane lining the mouth and tongue. Basically, thrush is a yeast infection in your mouth, which for healthy people isn't really much of a big deal and can go away naturally. However, for people with a compromised immune system, it can become very painful. So, Dr. P. told Donny to start taking the medication that he just took Donny off of in addition to the swish and swallow medicine. He said that Donny's liver enzymes are still a little high, but only by about 2 points, so it isn't anything to worry over. He said two weeks of this medication shouldn't negatively affect Donny's liver too much. We'll just have to keep an eye on those numbers over the next couple of weeks. By Friday, Dec. 28, Donny said he was feeling much better and that his tongue isn't white anymore. So the added medication must be working.
Donny gets progressively better each day and his strength and positive attitude are truly inspiring. He has his CT Scan and PET Scan scheduled for Friday, January 4 to check if the chemo has been working. We find out the results on January 8 when we meet with Dr. P. again. Please say a prayer that the treatment has been working. I am fairly confident that it has been working, but just in case, a prayer always helps! If treatment isn't successful, Donny's chemo will be elevated from 4 drugs to 6 or 7 drugs and will be much more difficult to function with. So say a prayer, keep your fingers crossed, or whatever you do to bring good health, because we need it right now.
Have a safe and Happy New Year!!!
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