1st Day In Hospital: Chemotherapy Postponed... Ali Admitted To Hospital For Evaluation To Address A New Concern (November 6, 2024)

Ali has been facing some hurdles since her last chemotherapy treatment on October 25th, which was her ninth round. She’s been experiencing not only the usual discomfort and side effects but also something more worrisome that prompted her to ask if she could be admitted for evaluation. Right now, whenever she tries to eat or drink, it feels like it’s all getting stuck right where her esophagus meets her stomach. Eventually, that lingering food or liquid makes her nauseous and leads to her getting sick.

The "standard" route for urgent admission is through the emergency room. If you’ve been following along with us, you’ll know our history with the ER at Vanderbilt Hospital hasn’t been great. Back when we had to go through the ER regularly, Ali was a lot stronger. Her immune system wasn’t perfect, but it was definitely in better shape than it is now. Sitting in a crowded ER waiting room for hours just isn’t an option anymore, so I had to work around that.

Thankfully, over these last six months, we’ve accumulated a few direct lines to bypass the usual switchboard. I reached out directly to Dr. Michael Gibson’s office and got Nurse Candice on the phone. She really stepped up and went above and beyond. After hearing my rundown of what Ali’s been going through and our hope to avoid the ER, she assured me she’d make a plan and get back to us. She ended up getting in touch with Dr. Angela Marie Fitzpatrick, who we were already scheduled to see the next day.

Dr. Fitzpatrick confirmed that she couldn’t admit Ali right away. But she assured us that if we came to our appointment the next morning, she could assess Ali’s condition then… and if needed, admit her without going through the ER.

This morning started early with a 7:30 AM bloodwork lab, where they also hooked up Ali's port apparatus. Following that, we met with Dr. Fitzpatrick. Given everything Ali’s been dealing with, Dr. Fitzpatrick decided to cancel today’s chemotherapy treatment to get her admitted for a closer look instead. That felt like a huge relief, honestly… a small blessing in the middle of everything.

Ali will be in the hospital for at least two days, maybe more, depending on what they find with the tests they’ll start running in the morning. For now, the nurses are focused on keeping her comfortable, hydrated, and improving her nutrition levels, which they’re managing mostly through her port.

Ali’s sister, who has tomorrow off, offered to stay overnight at the hospital, so I left around 7:30 PM to settle in with the kids and spend the night with them. It was a long day for everyone, but at least we’re a bit closer to understanding what’s going on and hopefully finding a way to make eating and drinking a little easier for Ali again.

Tomorrow, I’ll start the day by getting Avalynn and Liam fed, getting Liam off to school, and then heading back to the hospital to be with Ali. My plan is to work from the hospital all day since I only have three meetings. Every single day is a juggling act, but we’re keeping on.