I want to apologize profusely for not diarying the show last night. After I beg your patient & compassionate indulgence in reading what happened yesterday, I hope you'll understand why I just didn't have it "in me" to do it. I promise SO Countdown diary P (minus "this day in history") will resume afterwards. :)
I got to the hospital around 9:30 yesterday morning. It was supposed to be 90 minutes after everything was to begin, but because of some still missing (but not horribly vital) information, things were delayed just slightly. When I got there, the treatment had been going on for around 30 minutes; she was undergoing some sort of IV "flushing" proceedure that I guess is common. Her spirits were good, my Dad's spirits were good, and everything was OK.
Around 45 minutes later, the infusion of the actual chemo drugs began; the stuff is called Taxol. I was sitting next to my Mom talking to her, and I had my hand on her arm. The hospital chaplain was there, and he was talking with us, too. Everything was going very uneventfully. Suddenly out of the blue practically in mid-sentence, Mom's face turned bright red, tears were running down her face, she cried out more loudly & suddenly than I'd ever heard out of anyone or anything, she grasped onto my wrist & the arm of the chair she was sitting in for dear life, and began breathing extremely rapidly. She said she was in the most horrible agonizing pain she'd ever been through in her life in her back; Mom says all her labor with my sisters and me was in her back, but this pain was millions of times worse than any labor pain-a combination of horrible pain, burning sensations, feeling like she was being stabbed by a thousand knives, all that "good" stuff.
Where she was undergoing her treatment was about 5 or 6 feet away from the nurses' station. They absolutely heard what was going on, I ran over there, and within 30 seconds, she was surrounded by 3 nurses. Another nurse at the nurses' station contacted Mom's doctor to let him know what was going on. He ordered the Taxol to be discontinued; within 15 minues after they took her off that & back to some saline fluids, she was OK. The whole horrible episode probably lasted 5 to 10 minutes tops but felt like much MUCH longer. Later on in the afternoon, we learned this reaction to Taxol is common but not to the severity with which it affected Mom; her doctor made the decision to keep her overnight for observation. After she'd been off the Taxol for a bit, she was even hungry!
We had to wait in the chemo area around 45 minutes before a room was available, but after she got settled in, Dad & I went to the hospital cafeteria to have some lunch. At around 3:00, the other planned chemo drug (CarboPlatnum [spelling]) was administered. Everyone reassured us there was no history of serious reactions to this drug, this treatment went on uneventfully, and it was done in about an hour. I asked her every few minutes if she felt anything "weird" going on, and she said no.
Her future chemo treatments will involve the same drugs; the taxol will be administered at a much MUCH slower rate, and she is going to go ahead & stay overnight at the hospital after each treatment just to be on the lookout for any further reactions to the Taxol. Her doctor assured my Dad & me yesterday that what happened yesterday would have absolutely no detrimental effect on her further treatments or her good prognosis of recovery. When I left last night, she had wolfed down her dinner; at least at this stage, she still has an appetite!
I also want to share another brief story that helped put what happened yesterday (as horrible & frightening as it was for a bit) into perspective. When Dad & I were eating lunch, I saw a boy sitting at a table nearby eating; he couldn't have been more than about 11 or 12. He was in a wheelchair, he was dressed in hospital scrubs, he was extremely pale, and completely bald. Also attached to his wheelchair was an IV contraption; he was hooked up to seven - 7! - different solutions of something. I told Dad that as horrible as what happened to Mom was, she has not & will not go through the kind of suffering that boy already has in his short life. Her prognosis is good, she & Dad completely trust her doctor (he does seem to be a very good guy the few times I've talked with him), and she could live for YEARS more.
I saw last night's show and, of course, the final segment with Keith; I second to infinity & beyond what he said about living wills. After my Dad's prostate cancer back in 1993, he & Mom put together documents for their final wishes, a living will, and anything else that my sisters & I will need when those decisions have to be made; I've seen these documents during the course of Mom's illness. These conversations are not fun to have, and you have to fully discuss & acknowledge some not very pleasant stuff, but these conversations MUST BE HAD. You will be so grateful when the time comes that you've done so.
Let's Countdown.
It’s great to be back tonight; thank you again, Lawrence O’Donnell, for subbing for Keith!
#5 "The Final Push" AKA "Health – Care House Calls" AKA "House of Pain" AKA "Public Option, Public Battle" - President Obama is putting off a trip to Asia to be in town for when HCR passes. Huh, does he have an open – ended departure ticket? Although, hell, he’s got Air Force One; he can leave & return whenever he damn well pleases! ;D GOP Congress critters are maintaining their game plan to try to scare Dems in Congress about their re – election chances if they vote "yes" on HCR. Well, I’ll repeat what I’ve said a number of times; I want the GOP to maintain THEIR game plan to campaign with a straight face about why they wanted to kill it. Small Price to Pay Goldilocks told Chuck Todd this morning that it is his intention & his goal to make sure HCR never becomes law. Do "people" in his district care? Do they have a damn brain between them?! I mean, his seat’s up too, ya’ know!
I’m not getting what Speaker Pelosi said about the public option today in the reconciliation process; she says it’s not going to be a part of the legislation. Huh? Yea for Congressman Anthony Weiner {insert standing ‘o’ here}! Senator Dick Durbin is now apparently prepared to whip up support for a public option amendment in the Senate bill should a Senator try to introduce one. So, what was Speaker Pelosi smoking today? Rep. Weiner had some less – than – charitable comments about the Senate; yea, I’ll go along with him on that score. He had some not – so – positive comments about President Obama, too; yea, I’ll go along with him on THAT score, too. Here’s Adam Green. Isn’t he a "Kossack," or am I confusing him with someone else?! OK, all this process talk is making my eyes glaze over. I wish all the Senate seats were up every 2 years, too!
#4 "Water on the Brain" - Lawrence isn’t real pleased with former GWB peeps plugging their own books; that was a hell of an intro to this segment! HELLO?! TurdBlossom went across the pond to brag about waterboarding & fib about the results waterboarding produced. So, can we count this bragging as confession to a war crime like when DICK did it on ABC a few weeks back?! PLEASE??!! TurdBlossom wants people to read those memos? Could he per chance be talking about those memos from Jay Baybee, John Yoo, and Mr. Bradbury (can’t remember his first name)? Honey, I DID READ THOSE MEMOS; they nearly made me upchuck.
Here’s Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson; he’ll have some comments about TurdBlossom being turdy, I’m sure! Lawrence made such a wonderful point that others have made but bears repeating over & over & over & over again; "people" like Mark Thiessen, TurdBlossom, and DICK who are so wildly enthusiastic about torture haven’t spent day one in the military. DICK asked for his 5th deferment when Mrs. DICK was pregnant with DICK’s spawn. Colonel Wilkerson called them cowards; I imagine he would’ve liked to have said something stronger. He’ll have to go to HBO & Bill Maher’s show for that. ;D He compared TurdBlossom’s further supposition that what we did wasn’t torture because doctors were there to Nazis! I said long ago that any doctor or shrink to had a role in advocating & supporting these activities should have their licenses revoked. I don’t suppose that’s happened, has it?
#3 "Becklash" - Lonesome Rhodes is peeving off churchies! Any church concerned with "social justice" or "economic justice" is a heathen commie socialist church that should be avoided. His Bibles must have the New Testament left out – including that whole suffering children coming to Jesus & the comparative ease for a camel passing through the eye of a needle against a rich man entering Heaven. These "Christians" that take bits of the Bible out of context just continue to be a hoot to this 18 – year Sunday school & church goer!
All righty, if anyone sees Lonesome Rhodes eating shell fish at some fancy restaurant, go up to him & tell him he’s doomed to the fires of Hell! ;D Man, and crab legs & lobster are good eatin’! So, these churches are both Nazis & Commies? HA! All right! How ‘bout that church sign in New York state?
Sorry Mr. Beck. Jesus preached social justice.
Jesus was a bit of a community organizer, too! Here’s Rev. Jim Wallis, who’s written some "interesting" letters to Lonesome Rhodes since his little anti – social justice & anti – economic justice shtick began. Lonesome Rhodes called on people to turn in their preachers to "the authorities"? Are you $hitting me?! Well, he works at the same place as a guy who threatened to sic FAUX security onto someone, so I shouldn’t be surprised, I guess. Mormon leaders have contacted Rev. Wallis to express their sorrow & embarrassment at Lonesome Rhodes’ comments & have offered apologies. Wow! Are these the same Mormon leaders who helped with Prop 8? Sorry, but Mormons have left the proverbial bad taste in my mouth for a long damn time. I guess I should be charitable & express gratitude if what Rev. Wallis said is true. A whole hell of a lot of "Christians" should do likewise with Pat Robertson, John Hagee, and Jerry Falwell when he was still "gracing us" with his life. Wow, Rev. Wallis giving Lonesome Rhodes that shredded Bible would be a hell of an image; that part of the segment was GREAT!
#2 "Snark & Snorkels" We get the late – night comedian view of the mess that is Eric Massa. And, to go briefly off – topic sort of, I saw that "my guy" got put on Massa duty last night! ;D Wow, he had to take a break from writing his next book for THAT?! EEK! I saw the Jon Stewart bit; Jon didn’t even show the best looks from Lonesome Rhodes during his little "massive teh fail" interview with Mr. Massa. HA! How ‘bout David Letterman’s little dig at DICK?! LOVE IT!
#1 "Saturday Night White" AKA "Golden Girl" AKA "White Night" - Ya’ know, in all fairness, Abe Vigoda should at least get an appearance, too; he was damn funny in that SuperBowl ad! Betty White’s hosting SNL Mother’s Day weekend. At 88, she’ll be the oldest host ever! And, look at that "ladies reunion" line up! OK, I’ve got a shiny new dime that Tina Fey gets to don those glasses yet again & portray "that woman" in a skit that night! Who’s with me? ;D SNL’s been going after her for awhile! Here’s David Matthews – the creator of the Facebook page pleading for Betty White to host SNL.