February 27th Update

Hey everyone,

Laurie had her third chemo treatment almost two weeks ago on February 16th. When we went in to the doctor’s office that day I wondered if her blood levels would be high enough for her to have her treatment because of the nagging cough I mentioned in the previous blog posting. Her blood levels turned out to be good and she had her treatment.

The next day, Tuesday, I came home from work and she looked great and had a great day with the exception of the continued nagging cough. That evening we were treated to dinner with a Mexican theme by Cindy and Tara from Floris ES which included enchiladas, salad and cookies. Gracias!

Wednesday was pretty much the same with feeling pretty good but the coughing continued. I expressed my concerns but Laurie continued to blame it on allergies. That afternoon I received a call to pick up Ridge from school because he had a fever. No other symptoms. Just a fever. Ridge stayed home and with Tylenol the fever was kept in check.

Thursday afternoon I received a call from Laurie and she informed me that Ridge’s fever was 102.8. She called the doctor and I took him in and he was diagnosed with Type A Flu. Yea! Our family all received the flu shot earlier this year and I informed the doctor of that. The doctor prescribed Tamiflu. While there I mentioned that Ridge has a brother and sister and the doctor prescribed a “preventative” prescription for them too. Yea x 2! Thursday evening our dinner was catered by Diana from Oak Hill ES. She brought us chicken casserole, salad and cookies. Great choice! We all love chicken!

Friday morning Ridge was feeling fine and if the schools didn’t have that 24 hour fever rule he could have gone to school. Apparently, since he received the flu shot previously and received Tamiflu within the first 48 hours of his symptom, he recovered almost immediately. Yea x 3! Laurie was still coughing and feeling more tired than normal Friday which we expected after our experiences following the 2nd treatment. We anticipated her feeling tired for a couple more days and then bouncing back like she has previously.

Sunday Laurie woke up but was still very tired and the cough was still with her. She decided to stay home from church and rest. The rest of us went to church and she slept all morning. While at church we met members of the Eppert/Ossenfort family who provided us with dinner for that evening which included smothered chicken with mushroom sauce, rice, green beans, rolls and dessert. Awesome meal! Thanks so much!

Laurie continued to be tired and still had the cough and mild congestion on Tuesday. We contemplated a visit to the doctor but ruled against it due to her low tolerance against infections from the chemo. She would just keep hoping she would feel better in a day or so. I brought home from school all the fixin’s for ice cream sundaes and a gift card for Fresh City which was provided by the Floris Kindergarten team. You guys really know how to party! Thanks!

Wednesday Laurie contacted her oncologist and explained her symptoms and was told to contact her primary care physician. She was really feeling tired and suffering a lot from all the coughing and allergy like symptoms. Once again, the fear of infection was on her mind so she emailed her doctor for suggestions. Her doctor did get back to her but Laurie did not see the email until later that afternoon since she was sleeping. She did not have a good day and there was nothing we could do for her.

Thursday she contacted her PCP again and arranged to be seen that afternoon. She would sign in and be brought back to an exam room immediately. No waiting room time! She was seen and prescribed Levoquin which is an antibiotic. She doesn’t feel like she has an infection and wonders if she has the flu since Ridge had it last week. I don’t know what she has but I do know she has been miserable the past few days and hope the Levoquin or something else will make her feel better.

Next week is usually the “good” week before her next chemo treatment and I’m praying that will be the case. I hope you will continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers. I believe in precision prayer and that is why I have gone into such detail above. Pray that Laurie will recover from whatever it is she has and continues to progress through these chemo treatments towards a full, complete, cancer free recovery.

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