Surprise, Surprise

I know everyone was anticipating our Doctor’s appointment today, as were we. Van had his blood levels checked and everything is looking great.

Before the doctor could come in to see Van he asked if the nurse could just check my heart because it had been racing for the past 2-3 hours. She did and my pulse was 220 and I didn’t have a blood pressure (they checked four times). The Doctor came in and said, get this girl to the ER immediately. I was wheeled to the ER and given an IV with fluids and they ran an EKG which indicated I have Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) which is a tachycardic rhythm originating above the ventricular tissue. I’ve been trying to catch this on an EKG for 9 years. Usually my heart starts beating fast but stops all of the sudden within 10-15 minutes. This time it didn’t stop so they gave me a drug in my IV that stops my heart and then restarts it again. I'm so exhausted. They said it was like I ran a marathon. They referred me to an Electrophysiology Doctor and I will probably need a heart procedure or take medicine for the rest of my life.

They cancelled Van’s Doctor’s appointment and ask him to go home to take care of me. WOW, what a humbling experience. While I was in the ER I asked if any sibling bone marrow match came back and they said it would be a few more days at least but they will probably tell us next Thursday at his next appointment.

At his next appointment they are going to do spinal tap chemotherapy which will take most of the day. This will be the first of six treatments. Leukemia is a blood disease but if by chance he has even one cell in his spinal fluid there is a zero percent chance of survival. They will give him two treatments before his bone marrow transplant and four afterwards. There is a lot to learn about a bone marrow transplant. They gave us a binder to read before coming back next time.

Van’s parents are here to take care of things while I rest, and I’ve already started to feel a little better. What an interesting and exciting day. Every day is a new adventure.