Christmas Music and Radioactive Xenon Gas

We had a fine scare when Laura reported light-headedness at school.

It was the week after chemo. She got through the day alright, but got home and described symptoms that were more than a little scary. It sounded like her blood oxygen levels weren't what they should be. At rest she was fine, but with any exertion, she was winded and felt faint.

Laura called the doctor's office.

In the car on the way to the hospital for a workup, I thought about the possibility that the chemo was wreaking havoc on her red cells. Would she need a transfusion? What kind of diagnostics would they need to run? Would she need to be admitted?

The diagnosis would require ruling out a blood clot in her lung. I did my best not to panic as we walked the hospital corridors to go from test to test, but took comfort in the fact that we were, in fact, walking. If they thought it was truly dire, I knew they wouldn't let us walk the halls.

A blood workup eliminated cellular imbalances and we headed to radiology for imaging. Two tests were on the agenda there. The first was a contrast imaging X-ray with an IV dye, and the second involved inhaling radioactive xenon gas.

After spending the major part of our day for the tests, the word was that there was no indication of a blod clot and we could go home. Relieved and worn out, we made our way to the car.

Our oncologist obviously felt we'd eliminated the major threats through the diagnostics, but it left me scratching my head as to why Laura had experienced the symptoms. Between us, we decided there was a very real possibility that her weight loss because of the chemo had resulted in low blood pressure as she continued to take the same dosage of BP medicine. In fact, the pressure they read when drawing blood was indeed somewhat low, and that seemed the most likely explanation.

Just a little more excitement to add to the saga.

With that behind us, Thursday's chemo treatment was uneventful, as was yesterday's visit for Neulasta treatment.

Next challenge: weathering the side effects of chemo for the next few days.

Our Friend Becomes A Daughter

Where would we be without turkey and dressing?

As we chatted around the Thanksgiving table, I reflected on the blessings of family. Having one of my sisters, Beth, and her children as well as Andrew and his friend Saundra filled our dining room with wonderful heartwarming cheer.

Saundra had been Andy's friend since high school, and a decade later having her at the table was completely natural. I wouldn't know until they had traveled to Ft. Campbell together how significant her presence was.

It was a bewildered call from our second son, also stationed at Ft. Campbell in the same battalion, that tipped us off.

"Do you guys have any special plans for this weekend?"

"No Will, I think we'll be hanging around the house. Why?"

"Andy's platoon leader asked me if I knew he was getting married Friday. I though maybe you guys might be headed this way."

"Ummm ... ?"

Well, it turned out that after several conversations we were able to convince Andy and Saundra to wait awhile. Until the following Monday, anyway.

And so it is that now as we prepare for Christmas in Florida, we also celebrate Saundra, our wonderful new daughter-in-law!