December 18, 2010

We had another trip to Morgantown yesterday. That makes a total of 5 since last Friday. Mom was to go every day this week to have a shot in an effort to boost her body's ability to produce platelets. She also had an MRI on Thursday. The trip on Monday was too hard on her and she decided she didn't want to go on Tuesday or Wednesday, not to mention that the temperature was arctic, as well. In addition to Friday's lab work, we also saw Dr. Torres. When he got the report from the blood work, he told us that Mom's platelet count had dropped to 7000, the lowest it's been so far, and that her white blood count had dropped to 1. He thought it best that she be admitted into the hospital for platelet transfusions and a bone marrow biopsy. The biopsy would tell whether or not there are "mother" cells in the marrow, which are the cells responsible for producing the platelets. If there are no mother cells present, the shots she's been taking are useless as platelet production cannot be stimulated. She was certain that she didn't want to have the bone marrow biopsy, but reluctantly agreed to be admitted into the hospital for a few days. As soon as Dr. Torres left the room, Mom had changed her mind and requested that we "make a run for it." Dad and I convinced her that maybe that wasn't the best idea, but she insisted that she didn't want to stay in the hospital. Dr. Torres's nurse, Mary, came in to make the arrangements to transport us to a room, and Mom told her that she wanted to go home. Mary told her that she could do whatever she wanted, and that she would arrange it. Dr. Torres came back, assured her that whatever decision she made was the right decision because it was what she wanted. Eventually, she decided that she would take the platelet transfusion and two shots if she could go home. So that's exactly what we did. We all sat together while she got her transfusion and then we brought her back home.

To sum up the magnitude of the decisions that she made yesterday, Mom has opted to not receive any more treatments and has requested that Hospice be responsible for further medical needs in ensuring that she is comfortable for the remaining part of her battle. She has fought a courageous battle, but she is tired. Thank you for your prayers and thoughts. It is comforting to know that we are not alone during this time and that we have wonderful people to take care of so many things so we can remain focused on what we need to at this time.