Fatigue -- Word for the Day -- Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Fatigue

Definition: Exhausted, worn out, drained.. stretched, frazzled -- and the list goes on. These are only a few of my own definitions of the word.

What a beautiful day we had. So beautiful, ChemoSabe and I talked a couple of times today about riding when we got home. He was feeling better. We have gotten into a habit of sitting on our bed when we get home and just going over the day. It is the quietest room in the house. The dogs are outside and we don't turn on the television.

Today was no different. We decided we really, really didn't want to ride. We were just fatigued. He has been running all week and to labs each day and I have gotten totally behind at work from a few little special projects the preacher has me doing. I haven't even begun the bulletin.

We headed downstairs and he went to the recliner while I went to the freezer. We discussed dinner for tonight and tomorrow night. I ran back upstairs for just a minute to put on my pajamas. It was 5:20. When I came down, ChemoSabe was lying in the den floor. My first thought was he just decided to stretch out and relax, until I heard him murmur.

Then I thought about Billy in Alabama. If you remember, his blood pressure dropped to low and that resulted in a stroke. I began to pray and think out loud.

To make a long story short, he has fainted. Two blood pressure checks at 5:35 were at 77/55 and then 77/54. Then the machine kept giving me errors. I called Infusion and they advised me to call 911. I did, along with his sister.

ER showed he was basically low on fluids. His WBC has dropped to 4.5 and his platelets are at 24... With him gaining 25 lb. in two days last week and he has lost 25 lb. since Monday of this week, his body just lost a lot of fluids even though he drinks a lot of water and such. I know he will be neutrapenic by Friday. They gave us a mask for him to wear as we were leaving. We were home by 8:30.. FASTEST hospital visit I have EVER made.

Oh, when they took his shirts off to put on a hospital gown, he asked the nurse not to mess up his hair!!! ha

Hey... what a relief, I took my spreadsheet with his meds on it and we took his folder he carries all his doctor's orders and daily labs in. What a swift turn around. They knew just what he was taking, when his last treatment was, his lab counts and also that he had the Cook port in his juggler.

We put our supper back in the oven and he helped finish our dinner. He ate very good along with a piece of key lime pie. We went straight up to bed and he took a bowl of Cheerios with him.

Thank the Lord. I was for certain he had a stroke. His eyes had glazed over like my mom's when she had her stroke. They checked him over real good. His oxygen was low.

God worked on us this afternoon. He kept us off those bikes. AND, you can be certain when his counts start dropping in the future, we won't have any thoughts of getting on the bikes.

I lectured him good tonight about this happening again. It really concerned him. I asked him to please pull over if this happens when he is driving and to push his red alert On-Star button. He agreed it was a good idea.

Soooooooo, how was your day?

He is already sleeping like a little puppy. I am just about there myself. More from pure relief mixed in with fatigue.

Please keep those prayers coming in.... They ARE working.

Good night and Love -- Pepper