Day 15: Change of Scenery

Dearest friendlings,

Yesterday was a wild day. Good news is that the doctors decided to do mom's bone marrow biopsy yesterday at 3pm so that we wouldn't have to wait through the weekend to find out the results. So, we will be getting the preliminary results back sometime this afternoon. Don't you worry, I will post another blog as soon as we find out anything. ;)

Sorry for the semi-graphic description to come...All day yesterday mom's bowel movements were pure blood and no stool. Not good. She had 3 bowel movements like this before things took a turn. Her blood pressure plummeted to 70/? and she was very weak and light-headed from the blood loss. They called in a rescue team immediately and there were probably 5-6 people frantically connecting her to a heart monitor and other various machines. They instantly gave her a platelette as well as a blood transfusion to up her counts. This helped but it didn't stop the bleeding. They wheeled her over to ICU, which is where we are currently. Goodbye Floor 7, Room 7....we will miss you! Seriously, that nurse staff became like family to us...and I know that floor won't be the same without our social & vibrant Pammy Sue, that's for sure.

Throughout the night it seemed as if she was losing more blood than they were able to pump in, but this morning her counts are looking good. They have 5 TEAMS of doctors on her case because they are unsure what could be causing this bleeding. It could be an infection in her colon that is causing it to be inflamed or it could just be a severe side-effect from the chemo treatment. So, she is getting a delightful colonoscopy procedure done this morning at 10am, we are told. The G.I. doc (gastro-intenstinal) said that she will know immediately what is causing this bleeding as soon as they are able to get a camera visual. So, that's good news.

So, needless to say, last night was the roughest night she's had in the hospital, that's for sure. Please be praying for the results of the colonoscopy as well as the results from her biopsy. We are hoping and praying that this is all treatable and that this crazy night was just a minor & temporary bump in the road.

She was conscious and aware through it all (though a wee bit loopy, which caused much laughter). Here is a little story for you all just to describe the kind of woman my mom is (which I am sure you already know...). When the team of doctors and nurses were frantically buzzing around her and hooking her to machines, my mom tenderly grabbed the arm of one of the nurses who had been on leave for a few days and said, "Honey, I am so sorry about your dog." My mom had remembered that this nurse's dog had just recently died and was concerned about her. The nurses were shocked that she was thinking about somebody else in the midst of all she was going through. Pamela Sue, a giver of love and life.....if I am half the woman that she is I will be more than satisfied.

I will let you know as soon as we get the results back from the biopsy as well as the colonoscopy. My Aunt Cindy & cousins Rosalie & Jens came in from Corvallis last night. Kyle & Wendy are coming in tonight from Bend and Hilary will be flying in from California tonight. Looking forward to our whole family being together during this time. Thanking you for your prayers.

Loving you all,
Lindsay