Our cardiologist came by last night, apologizing that he hadn’t made it by yet. Amanda said this was the first time he’d fest up to her freaking him out. We got the full scope now, which kind of freaked us out. These treatments won’t be the only ones. At the end of the PLEX, she will likely have the IVIG, but then she will have another treatment a few days later. This treatment is close to mild chemotherapy; he quickly said you won’t lose her hair. Many medication names were thrown out, so we aren’t sure exactly which one, but we know it ends with mab, likley daratumumab. Whatever medication is used, it will end in mab. The one he mentioned is the same medication used to treat multiple myeloma, a cancer of the blood plasma.
The chemo name really freaked Amanda out, not me so much. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the plasma exchange stuff. It will be a treatment once a month for six months. She’ll need another biopsy at the end of the treatments. Then, one more a year out of all of this with a cath to check arteries in the heart for blockages. He mentioned that her blockages were mild and distal, far down at the end of the arteries, and did not need treatment. Looks like next year’s Christmas trip is already planned!
I appreciated him coming by, it was 8:30 and, like his last move before going home for the weekend. He will be on service all next week, so we’ll see him around, which is a relief. So he was going into his last weekend off of this year, and he still came by to see us on Friday night. So I guess we’ll let him off the hook for not coming to see us; I’d still like to see him after the cath procedures, though!
The nurse, the crazy one we like, was in the room listening intently to the doctor. Later on, after the cardiologist left, Amanda was visibly shaken a bit from the news, deer in the headlight look. The nurse was then the head cheerleader of team Amanda, literally cheering and nudging me to say encouraging words and threatening an enema if I didn’t!
While we were listening to worship music on the Fire Stick, the nurse heard it, looked at the screen, and said, “You’re Christians.” I told her I didn’t know how we’d make it through times like this if we weren’t. She agreed, and we spoke of hope in Christ. I’d like to think all of her joy comes from the Lord, and I hope it rubs off on me.
I was talking about maybe taking a shower, and Amanda yelled, “You don’t get to say that word!” Referring to how she won’t be able to take a shower for the next week or so. The nurse came back in later and said something about a bath for Amanda I yelled “Don’t say the S-word!”
Amanda had a super high rate, over 150, and her chest started hurting badly late in the evening. She was in tears even after they gave her morphine. She gets to where she don’t want to call the nurses, but I said call them. She finally did, saying she was in pain. The nurse walked in, saw her, and said, oh, oxy won’t work, knowing a pill wasn’t going to cut it. She never even asked us anything; she just immediately called the doctor. They gave her another dose of morphine, then oxycodone, as well an hour later. All of that finally did the trick.
I got a call this morning from our dog sitter. She’s a teenager; they never call, so I knew when the phone rang, it was bad news. Zoey, our smaller dog, a boxer lab mix, was throwing up blood. She is ten, so this could be bad, we don’t know. Amanda is a wreck. Of all times, this has happened now while we’re here. Amanda just said I can be in the hospital, and I can have a sick dog, but not both at the same time. It’s just too much. That, combined with the steroid emotions and the news from last night, is a rough combination.
God knew what we needed and is still providing, though. Amanda’s best friend is coming up and plans on staying overnight. So, we decided that I will go home and come back tomorrow. Amanda wants me to go home, I can tell. I was talking with our friend coming up, and she said If you go home to check on Zoey, you will also have the opportunity to check on the house, regroup on clothes and food, and whatever else you need. She was right. I think it is a good idea.
Hopefully, it’s a forced trip home at the right time. I’m praying it’s nothing bad and we don’t have to put Zoey down while Amanda is in the hospital and doesn’t get to see her one last time. Our vet is out of town. She is old, it’s a weekend, and we can’t afford to spend thousands on an emergency vet trip, which will likely end with putting her down. I’m not being hard, just realistic. That was a tough conversation to have with Amanda. They are like our kids and a huge part of our lives. We both love them so much. They sleep right in the bed with us, all 70 pounds of them!
Please pray Amanda calms down, that it’s nothing big with Zoey, and that we don’t have to put her down while Amanda is gone. Also, for safe travels as I return home and come right back.
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