Tuesday, December 2, 1PM

Hello,

  I have been up since Monday morning, so bear with me as I attempt to relate the events of the past 48 hours.

  Sunday was a balmy day here, with temperatures in the mid-60's, but in the evening Michele couldn't get warm. We lit the gas fireplace in the living room and must have had it over 80 degrees in there, but even with three blankets, she felt cold to the touch. At 10PM she got ready for bed and took her new drug, Gabapentin. Around 12 o'clock she was still awake, so she took a sleeping pill. At 4:30AM she was having discomfort in her left arm, so she took a Zanex to calm the nerves. She got up around 8:30 and felt a little unstable, but we got her downstairs and fed her some tea and Cream of Wheat. About 9:30AM her Oncology Pharmacist called to see how Michele was doing on the Gabapentin. Michele reported that it had been working nicely, but the past night it didn't seem to work very well. The Pharmacist authorized her to take a second pill per day, so Michele ate some applesauce and took another Gabapentin, along with her normal supplements.

  A half hour later I accompanied her to the bathroom because she felt a little unstable. I got her situated and reached for something in the linen closet when suddenly Michele went limp and fell backward off the commode, hitting her head on some chrome and glass shelves, and ending up pinned between the commode and the bathtub. My mouth began crying out to God, while I tried with all my might to lift Michele up, but she was wedged. I begged her to wake up, and momentarily she did. Between the two of us we got her sitting upright, just as she passed out again and looked like she was choking. I held her up with one hand and pushed her forehead back with the other to get her airway open. After a few moments, she regained consciousness and we worked to get her off the floor and out of the tiny bathroom.

  She made it to the couch in the living room and laid down for a few minutes. I called the Oncologist's office and they speculated on what may have caused the fainting. I was to watch her closely and call if she got worse. After maybe 15 minutes, Michele said she needed to get to the toilet urgently. I walked her back to the bathroom and once again got her situated, only this time I placed myself between her and the tub. She had diarrhea, then said she felt like she had to throw up. I dumped the contents of the trash can on the floor and put the can in her lap just in time for her to fill it. Then she passed out again. This time it looked like she was choking on vomit, so I got her head back again and she regained consciousness. We stayed there for a while, until she felt like she could stand and get cleaned up. We got through that, thankfully, and started her back to the living room. She said she felt woozy, so I locked my arms under hers just as she passed out again. With God's help, I dragged her to the couch and got her on it. When she came to, she begged me to let her lay down, but I wouldn't because I was afraid she would choke if she threw up again, which she promptly did.

  She finally regained enough strength to support herself long enough for me to get a telephone in my hand. I called the Oncologist's office, then 911. They took her to the Emergency Room at Good Samaritan Hospital in Zanesville and began the diagnostic process. It turns out there are more issues than just medication, and therein lies the blessing. The ER doctors take her history into account, but run diagnostic tests based on the symptoms exhibited, not the history.

  She is running a temperature, and her blood platelets are low, as are the white blood cells. That is a 'normal' complication of the chemotherapy; being susceptible to infections. What was unexpected was the discovery of two small clots in her lungs, and a blood clot in her left leg. She will be in the hospital until her blood work returns to a more normal level, and the signs of infection abate. The clots will be handled by anticoagulants administered over several months.

  Once again, God knew there were dangerous things going on in Michele's body that needed to be discovered, and He saw to it that they were. I must admit that His methods have a habit of shaking my world. This episode was very traumatic for me, leaving me with images I won't forget, and a renewed compassion for my wife of 36 years. Thank God, her head did not hit hard enough to break the skin, or even raise much of a lump! That strikes me as a genuine miracle, since I fully expected to see much worse.

  So pray, pray, pray for: Renewing of her blood's vital components, effectiveness of the antibiotics being administered, dissolving of the blood clots, and encouragement as she endures an unplanned hospital stay.

  Thank you so much! I'll let you know how things progress.

For us both,

Tim