Happy New Year! With the New Year, new changes in Mom's treatment are here. Mom is having LOTS of trouble with her iron levels regardless of the treatment she is currently on. Normal for iron is 140. Mom has reached 6000! This has caused our "very stable, nothing affects him or gets him to react much" Dr. Shrier to "panic" as Mom put it. Dr. Shrier pulled Mom off her fungicide medication because it was compromising her body too much and has increased her iron reducing medication by 1/3. As Mom so delicately put it, "I am not sure if the fungus or medication will get me." Mom is struggling to stay her optimistic self at this time. I know she is doing all she can to be strong for Dad. Mom has been so brave, strong and optimistic for the last three plus years. We are all very proud of her! I was glad when Mom shared that she isn't in any pain, just very tired most of the time.
Mom continues to take the iron reducing medication over the 12 hour period. Unfortunately, this increase in medication has caused an increase in side effects. Ugh! Mom is now having to carry around something all the time as she is vomiting somewhat regularly. With this in mind, who could think about eating?! Mom is losing weight and eating very little. Mom said that she will be at her wedding weight soon if this keeps up. Dad is able to get her to eat clear broth soups. Mom loves soup so this is a good thing. Mom is still neutrapenic so fresh fruits and veggies are out.
There are always bright spots in every situation if we just look for the blessing. For Mom this means that she get a bed at the Infusion Ward instead of a recliner since she is so sleepy and feels dizzy often. Now that Mom isn't taking the fungicide, her treatments are an hour less since the antibiotics take an hour less to administer and she gets to go back to the apartment sooner. Mom mentioned to her doctor that she was feeling "dizzy" and had more trouble thinking these days. He decided to check to see if she was have a breakdown in her mental abilities. He asked her to count backwards from a hundred by seven's which she easily did. (Many of you who know Mom know that math and numbers are Mom's strongest subject. If the doctor asked me, I be in real trouble!) The doctor told her that he had "had enough" of that kind of talk and that she is mentally fine. She may be a little slower these days but now she is just like the rest of us! Blessings...there are always some to be found!
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