This week did not start out nor is ending the way I had ever planned but then again when do they ever? As I blog, I am sitting in a very comfy bed at the KU Med Center Hospital where I have been since Monday morning. It all started with some scary dizziness and severe pain from the top of my head down to my shoulder all on the left side. For those of you at church last Sunday you may have noticed my personal escort service helping me out to the hall. I became really lightheaded and a little out of it. Thanks to the Bechles and Petersons for acting so quickly and taking such great care of me. Again the entire Sacred Heart community astounds me with their love and devotion to me and my family. I could not have been in a better place to pass out.
Anyhow Hal took me to the ER where they ran some tests, scratched their heads and sent me home. Another episode happened when I was dropping the girls off at school the next morning. Thankfully it occurred after I left. It came on pretty quickly while driving and I pulled over to the nearest street where I quickly called Hal. This time it was really scary and much much worst. Hal was there within 5 minutes and brought along a blood pressure cuff. The docs in the ER told us if it happened again to get my pulse and BP. He couldn't get a reading the first two times but then came up with 80/60 and I was sweating profusely with no relief. We decided the best thing to do was to call the ambulance where they escorted me back to KU ER. This time we got the oncologists called in and started to get the answers we needed. Apparently I have a few tiny tiny lymph nodes hinging on a pretty important nerve that controls the left side of my face neck and shoulder. When the nodes are just in the right position they can cause my bp to decrease and all kinds of other not so fun stuff. I have been in lots of pain, mostly severe headaches and shoulder pain but no more episodes since being admitted. So the plan is to radiate the nodes that are involved to shrink them and release the pressure off that nerve. I start therapy tomorrow and will have fifteen treatments once a day. I should be done by Jan 5th and they believe that by the second or third treatment I should definitely be feeling tons of relief. I will be staying here until at least Friday where they can monitor my symptoms and make sure I am responding.
Now, for those of you who are worried or upset or frustrated. Please don't be. This is not a big deal. As a matter of fact, the doctors say that this is a rare case and quite interesting to them. If it wasn't for the tiny nodes being right on top of that nerve they wouldn't have even taken any action against them. This is just another bump in the road and is not a turn for the worst..
For those of you at school with the girls please give them an extra hug a wink a laugh just to let them know that things are fine. They have been hearing things through classmates and their concerns are up a bit. Hal brought them by last night which gave them relief to see just how mom is doing and what a hospital even looks like. They especially though it was cool to go to the cafeteria and pick out anything they wanted and then eat in bed with me.
Thanks to all of you who call and offer your time to me and the family. I usually say it amazes me at how everyone is so giving but it is just how you are and how you have given your life to Christ and in return live your life as He did.
Thanks to ALL! Love, Ann
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