Press down, Shaken Together and Running over

If you missed yesterday's blog post, please read that because I updated three times and I will not repeat the same information so it's not boring for everybody today.  I stopped and visited with Harriet on the way in to work this morning.  She's in good spirits.  She had a nice talk with one of the nurses and the nurse explained what colitis is.  Harriet seems to have a case of it and it's an inflammation of the colon.  It's caused from the chemo therapy.  They are probably going to keep her in for another day or so because they can pump so much more antibiotics into her in the healing process is speeded up.  It's like I told Harriet, there's no sense coming home and then having to come back the next day.  Let's try and knock this out and get over it.

The probabilities are that the next chemotherapy will cause the same problem.  Chemotherapy seems to pick a vulnerable point in your body and decimate it.  Thank you for the cards and letters, emails and texts.  I got a cute card in the mail yesterday from our grandson Samuel and when he addressed it instead of putting Harriet's name, he put Nana.  Very cute!

You know that I always tell you how much I appreciate your support and prayers, I really mean it!  Again I will repeat what Harriet said yesterday how much she misses everyone.  This is just the way it is right now.  She must deal with the isolation until this problem is resolved.  They are feeding her, I keep threatening to bring in a hamburger, but that's not on her diet.

Maranatha,
Frank and Harriet

ER 7:00PM UPDATE

 7:00PM UPDATE: I just got back home from the hospital. Harriet is in very good spirits. She wishes she could come home. She sends her love to everybody. She's in a "Negative Pressure Room". This is a precaution. As you know the Ebola outbreak has caused a lot of concern. So they put people that have any similar type symptoms into a negative pressure room. This way when the door opens and people come in, the air in the room draws air in as opposed to letting it escape into the rest of the hospital. Aren't you glad you read this blog. That's for those who were not of where of what the negative pressure room does. All the test still are coming back good and we're waiting for the results of one more test which should come in tomorrow. They said that they're going to release her. But, this does not mean that the problem is resolved. It is something that Harriet will have to deal with because the chemotherapy is causing havoc in her internal organs. I will go in and check on her at about 2:30 AM tomorrow morning. She told me to wake her up even if she's asleep which she probably won't be. You know it is kinda hard to sleep in the hospital because of all the noise. She is in a private room. And they do not allow visitors, due to the obvious reasons.
Thank you again for your prayers and support.


Noon UPDATE: I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that they are running a whole bunch of tests including C. diff and all of them are coming back negative. The bad news is they haven't figured out how to stop the problem of food going straight through her. I must tell you that from what I've gleaned from the doctors, that this is a situation brought on from the chemotherapy. Which means that even if they solve the problem for the current situation. When she has her next chemotherapy it will recur. And from talking with Harriet last night it seems that it gets worse with each chemotherapy. So she has not had lunch yet. And they put her on a very strict diet.
We had a really nice time together. I brought my tablet and I played a bunch of video songs that we play at church and it brought tears to her eyes, in a good way. She misses going to church so much and fellowshipping with all of our friends. This is the latest info. If I get any new information, I will update again this evening.


10:00 AM UPDATE: They are running many tests and Harriet is in an Observation status/room. Hopefully when they get results we can figure out what to do.
Thanks for the well wishes and prayers.


3 AM: I checked Harriet into the emergency room this morning.  She's just at the end of her rope to know what to do.  So she's getting hydrated and her potassium was low so they will give her some potassium the IV.  Yes, she was eating bananas and all the other things that contain potassium.  This chemo treatment just kills everything that's good in a person.  And it's hard to catch up.

She is not have a good rest for at least a week and a half.  So she's not having any visitors at this time.  Hopefully when they get her into a room and she's rested, then she'll feel like having visitors.  Right now she's third on the list to get a room at Kaiser Hospital.  I need to send a note to Dr. Chen and see if he can expedite matters.  They do have are in a negative pressure room and if you're listening to the news at all you understand why.

That's it for now.  If I get any good information I will update this blog later on today.

Thank you so much for your continued prayers and support.

Maranatha,
Frank and Harriet

The Beat Goes on

Pretty much more of the same as the last few days.  Very frustrating and I'm spending a lot of time dealing with Kaiser and trying to get some assistance.  Pretty much the philosophy says, come to ER and will fix you up and you can go home.  Then you can come back the next day and the day after.  That's not really what we had in mind.

I know that it is difficult to comprehend these things.  When I've heard people talking about chemotherapy and their woes, it was hard for me to comprehend what they were going through.  I'm obviously much more sympathetic toward the plight.

Thank you so much for your continued love and support.

Maranatha,
Frank and Harriet

We Were Hoping......................

We were hoping that the events from the previous night were over, but that is not the case.  Even some of the medication that Harriet was prescribed after our night at the hospital, some of the side effects are the same as the original problem.  Everything went pretty well yesterday all the way through evening.  When I got home from teaching Bible class I got the bad news that everything started going south again.  I encouraged Harriet to take the one medication which is supposed to be for anti-cramping in the intestinal area and it seems to have worked.  This is a medication that they said you're not to drive while using it.  Harriet said that she was knocked out for a couple of hours after taking this medication and it seems to worked.  The problem is, you can't exist on not eating and yet the concerns are there if you do start eating and have the problem all over again.

So, we go on and I've encouraged her to stay put, rest and let me do the shopping so that her body can heal.

I'm hoping of course to give you better news each time and it is difficult when things continue to go south.  I do thank each and everyone of you for your continued prayers and support.

Maranatha,
Frank and Harriet

Emergency - Updated at 7:30 AM

We had to go to Kaiser Hospital yesterday evening about 10:30 PM. Harriet has not been able to keep any fluids or food in our system, they go right through her for the last day and a half. I'm glad we went. Because they're doing the proper testing to see what's going on.

From what the doctor said, he's suggesting that the chemotherapy has killed all the good bacteria in her intestinal tract. This leaves only the bad bacteria to run amok. Normally there's a balance between the two. They're doing some diagnostic tests including a CT scan. I just wanted to let everybody know what's going on. Hopefully this will answer some major issues that have been going on.

I will update this Post later on this morning when I get the results. 


UPDATE!

The doctors diagnosis was correct.  This probably has been an ongoing problem since the chemotherapy started.  The chemotherapy kills things that you really don't want dead, like the good bacteria in your intestinal track.  When the good bacteria is killed, the only thing left is the bad bacteria and it causes major problems.  It is difficult to bring yourself to eat something when you know it is going right through you in a matter of minutes.  The doctor gave her two courses of antibiotics, a muscle spasm reducer and recommended Probiotics, which are microorganisms that provide health benefits when consumed.   This is to replenish those microorganisms that have been lost.  Harriet's potassium level is extremely low also.  Hopefully we can get these things balanced out in the next couple of weeks.


Thank you for your continued prayers and support.

Maranatha
Frank and Harriet

Time Change!

Harriet had a good day yesterday until evening rolled around. Just struggling with internal complications. Thank you so much for your continued prayers and emails of support. We know that we will be victorious in Jesus Christ! It is imperative to have the long-range view on matters. I try to encourage Harriet in this way. Even though she struggles with these nasty symptoms.

I hope that you'll be in the house of the Lord this morning, to worship the Creator of the universe.

Maranatha,
Frank and Harriet

First Week of Third Cycle Is Finally Over

You know that it's one of those things that you have to endure, I'm referring to these days right after the chemotherapy and taking the predisone.  It is very tough dealing with all the issues that come with it.  I'm looking forward to Harriet's next couple of weeks as she regains her strength   And gets ready for round four of the chemotherapy.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Maranatha,
Frank and Harriet