Chemo taking its toll...

We were able to get in to visit with Anne Marie today.  Derek, Eli, and Henry spent most of the evening with her and her new roommate.  I'm very grateful that her roommate didn't seem to mind having the boys make themselves at home in their room.  Although they are very good - most of the time - they're still energetic little boys!  Evidently they gave great amusement to those working at oncology.

Meanwhile, Ella and I spent most of our time waiting at emergency.  Ella's been having an on-again-off-again fever and pains in her lower abdomen.  We never did get in to see the doctor as by 8:00pm the boys were beginning to get sleepy and therefore cranky.  We'll be going back in tomorrow.  We were able to rule out a bladder infection before leaving.  Tomorrow the wait will continue.  My only real concern is appendicitis as my family has a history of bizarre appendix episodes.

For the few minutes that I got to see and talk to Anne Marie it was clear that the chemo is taking its toll.  She feels really sick and I doubt she got much enjoyment out of Henry and Eli's antics.  Pray for her ability to cope and to deal with her fears.  She's on less pain medication, which improves her comprehension and makes her much less likely to have to deal with paranoia, confusion, and even the occasional hallucination, but it also means that she's not able to lose herself in sleepy oblivion.  Thankfully, she's not in any pain despite the reduction of meds.

Pray for Derek and me as well, please.  We're both dealing with exhaustion brought on in part by the busyness of the Christmas season and in part by stress.  I have to regularly deal with insomnia at the best of times, but it has become worse in the past couple weeks.  Derek (lucky dog!) has no issues getting to sleep, but he has more difficulty dealing with the details of illness and hospitalization.  I've had a lot more experience with the ins-and-outs of hospital life, both as a patient and as a patient's relative, so I know better what to expect, what questions to ask, and how the system works.

Keep in mind that I've set up this blog so that relatives can post here whenever they want to add their own updates.  That way if someone's been talking to Anne Marie and has something to share (provided it's okay by her, of course) they can feel free.  Happy Christmas!

~Alisha