Our Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Timeline:
1/20: a huge horrific bloody nose that just wouldn't stop. I was on the phone with Kelli and had to hang up on her to deal with it... if it had bled for a minute more, we would have gone to the ER and we'd have had a dx that day.
1/24: we had an opportunity for free dental work, so off we went for an extraction and some fillings. The paperwork said to call our doctor if the bleeding continued for more than 2 hours; after 4 I called, sure I wasn't putting enough pressure on the site; after 6 it finally stopped.
1/25: Hannah no longer has a tan, she complains of leg pain and weakness, doesn't want to walk -- I begin to schlep her everywhere important enough for her to go. After a piggyback ride to the car, I drop her between the carseat and the dash, she bumps her ankle on the car body, the blame for the continued lack of desire to walk. We see the doc socially that day, but he's not terribly concerned at first view. Her first fever in many, many years...
1/26: Health be damned, we leave town for Bemidji to visit the Traaseths. Honestly, I could use some perspective on the whole situation and would greatly appreciate the extra help, support and comfort. Hannah's excited but lethargic and pale and feverish.
1/27-1/29: Hannah has zero interest in playing, hanging out -- anything but crunching ice and sleeping and whining. Her fevers become uncomfortable for both of us and the leg/bone pain continues. There are sporadic nosebleeds throughout these days, too (and Kelli let us continue to sleep on the white sheets!!!) but nothing uncontrollable, just PITA.
1/30: Our trip to Acutecare #1: I give the whole list of complaints to the doc, she looks at Hannah's ear, judges me a horrible mother, diagnoses a "raging ear infection", scribbles a rx for antibiotics and we leave (I haven't gotten the bill yet, should I contest it??
1/31: Hannah's response to the antibiotics is immediate and exiliarating... and short lived. She perked enough to play for a bit, but still not interested in much beyond crushed ice and sleeping.
2/02: She sleeps all the way home from Bemidji... then sleeps all night.
The days between here all seem a blur... Hannah has a couple of waking hours, sometimes lively and sometimes whiney. Her legs still ache and hurt, I'm carrying her as much as I can. She's sleeping and not talking much.
We saw a chiropracter and noticed the swollen liver, but attributed it to too much McDonald's (of which I may be guilty). I got liver cleansing tea, some acidophilis supplements and armed myself with iron building techniques for Hannah. We discovered that baby carrots are delicious when wrapped in baby spinach and dipped into ranch dressing. She tolerated the vitamins and other supplements in apple sauce. She was willing to do anything not to have to go to the doctor! The nosebleeds are now a nightly routine, not much blood, but it's not very dark red either...
2/11: Lunch with Aunt Donna! Hannah's looking forward to her favorite restaurant (Spezia) and her favorite foods (bowties alfredo with broccoli or red sauce with meatball???). We piggyback to the car and right to the table. Hannah decides she doesn't want to eat (Really loud alarm bells ringing now!!) and she snuggles up to me saying the room is spinning and her tummy feels funny. Off to the bathroom, we make it to the sink when lastnight's bloodclot comes flying out of her. I figured she'd feel much better without it anyway... but there was no improvement. Donna gave me "the look" and said we had to take her to Acutecare. I call the doc to find out where it is and his wife informs me he's on duty at the clinic, yay! She's very comfortable with this man and trusts him, being at the doctor was not nearly as traumatic as I'd anticipated. After a very brave blood draw, we discovered her Hemoglobin was 6 and her platelets were 12,000 -- cause for immediate admit to the hospital, if only for transfusions.
