The last 3 days have been quite a rollercoaster. Dr. Morgan switched my steroid meds from Dexahexamethasone to Prednisone on a taper down schedule on Tuesday. I was able to get through the day teaching at Belmont on Wed. However, when I was driving home, my heart started racing and I had shortness of breath. This continued as I tried to lay on the couch to relax. I felt like I was hyperventilating. I called Meghan to find Dr. Morgan but spoke with another doctor on call. He suggested I head to the ER at Vanderbilt to be safe. Luckily, my good friend Andy Seale was coming by to bring me dinner and he was able to rush me to the hospital. We waited in the ER for approximately 30 min and I was seen. I was crying, rocking back and forth and my blood pressure and heart rate were way up (heart rate was 188 when I was finally checked by the nurse). I felt like a junkie on withdrawl.

Meghan arrived and settled me down. I was kept in the hospital Wed night for observation. During Wed night I had several bloody stools and stomach cramps and could not sleep at all. The change in medicine had really done a number on me. The next day the doctors gave me a GI test to make sure I didn't have any internal bleeding or other issues, but it checked out fine. Thursday I received a chest xray, CT scan and a echocardiogram. I had done all of these at MD but the doctors at Vandi wanted to see if anything had changed. I was finally prescribed Nexium, which helped control my stomach bleeding.

Friday was chemo day and my third day at the hospital. I received a permanent IV line up my right arm to give easy access for all future treatments. After that I waited in my hospital room until 4pm. At that point the nurse started chemo, which ultimately ended up lasting until midnight. The only drug that really effected or scared me was the Rituxan which made my heart race and made my blood pressure rise. Meghan slept on the chair next to my bed and helped calm me down. I swear, you have to have a strong heart to endure all of this!
Today I woke up feeling completely exhausted--like one might feel the day after running a marathon. I couldn't move, eat or get out of bed. I did get a little sleep, but that's hard to do when the nurses come in every 30 min during the night to check your vitals. I just had a Smoothie King and I am now at home, typing on my laptop and trying to enjoy and relax with my family as they leave tomorrow.

Dave