April 24, 2006

This is a tough blog to write. It's been a difficult day for Erica and by default, it makes it a little harder for me... This morning was our scheduled appointment at the hospital for week 2. She only received one chemotherapy shot today and again takes the rest at home during the week. After her appointment, we came home to recooperate, rest, and watch some ALIAS. (we're totally addicted!) Since Jamie offered to cook us a fabulous feast for dinner, we all took a trip to Whole Foods for some groceries. On our way to checkout, Erica's legs buckled and she couldn't stand. I held her up while Jamie grabbed a chair. I ran out to bring the car to the front of the store, only to see THREE people carrying my unconscious sister to my car. Needless to say, I was panicking at this time---she had fainted. One of the gentlemen carrying her just happened to be a doctor at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and knows Erica's Attending Physician! He advised us to head directly to the ER at Brigham and Women's Hospital and he called ahead to let our doc know we were coming. Upon arriving, I reached via telephone our doctor's PA who calmed me down, gave me background that this is common for patients coming off the steroids she took the past week, and gave us the green light to take her home to rest.
So now, we are sitting on the couch, completing a crossword puzzle, and realizing that things are coming at us that we hadn't ever thought of... the real fear is the unknown. It was shocking and scary... My fear is that just moments before I had left her to pick up something in another aisle because she told me she could stand---what if I wasn't there? What would I have done without Jamie being here?? ... physically and emotionally, we are hitting some lows. But we are determined and looking forward to a better week ahead. It helps to realize that we are conquering each obstacle and makes us a little bit stronger.