Good news David stay the course and fight the fight.

David,

Sounds like progress! You can also check with ostomy companies and get some "samples" for the future. When I was taking care of my other for 9 months they were very generous and made sure we had adequate supplies. Just a thought.

Ed

Stay strong!!! and more power to Linda.

So glad for the quiet weekend and progress you all have had. Good for you and Michael and Linda!

ahere I am again. Been a while and sorry about that. Linda had chemo #3 today, delayed again for a week as she was in the hospital last week when it was scheduled. I had taken her to the e.r. last Monday sept 30, because she was very confused and dizzy. They felt she was having a reaction to the antibiotic Reglan, and changed her script and released her. Then on weds she really went in to a tail spin, she was dizzy, coul barely get off the bed and was beligerant and delirious. Called an ambulance to take her back to e.r. That was about 4 pm. they kept her in the e.r. til 4 am thurs, during which time she was hallucinating and just completely freaking out. She couldn't keep still and kept wanting to get up and then lie right back down. Turned out that her magnesium level was extremely low and that was causing her problem. She was admitted and stayed thur and fri nights. She was supposed to have had chemo on thurs. Rescheduled chemo for this wed but her blood count was down to 6.7 (11-14 is normal) so they gave her 2 units of blood on wed and 1 unit yesterday. So finally got chemo today. We don't know what caused the low blood count. I know that years ago when she had ulcers it got almost that low, but there's no sign of ulcers so we just don't know. Anyway, she has felt much better since receiving blood. Not sure how she manages the strength to continue fighting through all of this. Call her Wonder Woman.

David, how horrible! The medication reglan (Im pretty sure) is for nausea. As always wishing both you and Linda all the best with everything.

Sorry, you're right Christine. She's been on so many meds I can't keep them straight. She also had a bad reaction to cipro, which is an antibiotic.

I'm sorry to hear of the continued troubles, David. RBC last approximately 90-120 days, and die off continuously, and are continuously replaced, but chemo and radiation can compromise bone marrow production where RBC are made, so fewer are made available to pick up oxygen in the the lungs, Hemaglobin, in addition too, RBC being killed off by the body or by treatment faster than they can be replaced. They may go down again in several months, sooner, and process continues, and have had a number of transfusions, epogen, shots myself from treatment, and from a metabolic disorder to raise my Hemaglobin. Mine is never higher than 10.5, usually 9.5 or less, but anything under 7 is dangerously low. But even at 8, 9, if the person is in respiratory distress it can be life threatening, and may be give transfusions at that level or when the oncologist orders because anemia can cause one hypoxia to be chemo and radio resistant.

Reglan is for nause vomiting, GERD, but it's not a antibiotic.

Good luck.

Thanks Paul. That's more info than the infusion staff could give us. I know that Enloe is one of the top ranked hospitals but sometimes they do disappoint.

I'm glad it helped, bur may not be the sole reason, of course, other medication, factors may be involved. I was hospitalized 187 days, had blood tests several times a day, and always wondered if they could take less? I found out, not practiced yet, they can use an infant syringe to take less blood to those with low blood counts.