The Trend is... There Is No Trend

From one day to the next, we don't know what to expect. Jordan has a few good days in a row, and then suddenly, he's back in the throes of nausea and pain. Last Thursday's 12-hour nosebleed and transfusions were followed by more nosebleeding late Friday evening, which precipitated a night spent in the hospital with yet another transfusion of platelets. Saturday and Sunday went well though, lulling us into believing all would be well until treatment time came around on the 18th, just after Jordan's birthday on the 16th, and ST. Patty's Day on the 17th. Good, thought we, all we'll have to think about for the next few days is planning a great birthday bash for our green-eyed ladie.

But no such luck. Jordan's second bout with bone pain was at hand. Wrist, shoulder, spine, and sternum, to be exact. One of the drugs in his chemo cocktail (Doxorubicin) carries the risk of cardiotoxicity. Oxycodone and Hydrocodone provided welcome relief when the discomfort began on Sunday, but when he began to experience increasing chest pain and shortness of breath on Monday, they were no longer effective. Our friend, Jane, usually a model driver, sped him to the ER on the recommendation of the medical oncology team. After an EKG, cardio panel, X-ray, CT scan, and maybe a few other things, it was determined that the pain was likely due to bone pain caused by the Neupogen injections, and not a cardiac event after all. Six milligrams of morphine sent the pain packing, and another four mg a little later, slammed the door in its face!

Oh, but that sneaky nemesis, nausea, slipped through the keyhole to continue the assault. Jordan and Brianna have had very few chances to go out and have a little fun together for the last three months. He's had his eye on a Vietnamese restaurant located just a short walk from the hospital, so they decided to linger for awhile, in order to enjoy an early dinner there, and wait for Dan to finish up at work and bring them home. They ordered two dishes to share, a pork and vegetable stir fry with rice, and a wonton soup, both of which met with their approval, and reminded them of their carefree days in China. Unfortunately, what made the meal most memorable wasn't the food or the ambience, it was Jordan suddenly grabbing the most accessible container, which turned out to be Brianna's bowl of soup, and throwing up in it. Over twenty-four hours later now, the nausea continues unabated. The bone pain also returned, more morphine was administered today, potassium too, and at this point, no one feels like venturing a guess as to what the night, not to mention the next few days, may hold.

Happily, he has successfully avoided all mouth sores this time. The bone pain, while more than annoying, has been less debilitating than it was after the first treatment, when it was nothing short of excruciating, and had us all running scareder than scared. We're hoping and praying for an uninterrupted string of good days, because the next treatment is just around the corner, sure to present its own raft of challenges to overcome.