The coyote might be Headed West

On Wednesday of this week, my sister's secretary was late to work. Being late was unusual for her. She went to work but then around 10:30 in the morning she went to Belle and said :

I have to go see the Medicine Man.

Why?

A coyote ran across my path.

Oh? That's a problem?

Of course it is.


Belle let her go and she returned around noon.

So, how did it go?

It is going to be fine. The coyote was running West. No need for a Sing.
( A long involved healing ceremony.)

Translation, the world was not out of balance.

The Navajo is a culture based on balance. Nature and man must be in balance with each other. Most often man pulls himself out of balance with nature but sometimes events do. A Navaho would seek the help of the Medicine Man to restore the balance.

We have been out of balance. I now know I need to be looking for the wayward coyote in our neiborhood.

On Monday we came to clinic for an evaluation and to be admitted. We were packed and ready. M-E had great platelets and red blood cells. She had been very low on platelets last week. They thought that she would need a transfusion. Evidently her marrow heard that it had been dilatory and began over producing platelet's like crazy. It seems the marrow can produce two things at a time but cannot do three. Her ANC was way down. We were sent home.

I just knew I had failed some how. Did I not give her the right food? Did I not make sure she was in bed on time? Was it a mistake to let her spend the night with her best friend? Am I pushing too hard for school? Should we be doing some exercise? Except for needing more exercise, I did not doubt any of my decisions. What to do? Well, we needed to keep the Red Blood Cells going so we did the obvious and went to Outback for big meat.

24 hours later we were back at clinic. A quarter size bump that hurt like crazy had appeared. We went for a check. They gave her a for a huge dose of antibiotics and some horse pills and sent us home.

24 hours later we returned. Being from a family of high achievers, she had produced something that looked angry and kind of scary. Bad news: the red spot had doubled in size and we were admitted. The good news: M-E's ANC was high enough to start consolidation.

But then you can not begin Consolidation with an active undiagnosed, unresolved infection. So here we sit. Twice a day a dose of antibiotic is administered. The doctors come by and say, " Well........." And we wait. Watching an infected area grow and shrink is not a thrilling event but a necessary evil.

How do we get to the balance? I am beginning to wonder if this is a "bump" in the road to just make me really really want Consolidation to begin. I dreaded it so much and yet now want it to begin. I would hate to loose these moments of remission. I have been assured that we have some time. She would probably stay in remission for up to six months or maybe only six weeks. We are not willing to find out. I know that a relapse would be a very bad thing.

We don't have a Medicine Man readily available but something worked after 4 days in the hospital. It could have been a number of things. Maybe it is the world of prayers being said on M-E's behalf. Maybe I needed to leave the hospital for 16 hours and let nature take it's course. Maybe she needed some good energy from her dad who spent the night. She always sleeps better when he is here.

While I was gone, the news of the start of consolidation was released. We start in a couple of hours. Zofran and then the Cytoxin will go in over an hour and then an Ara-C IV push will be given. Then we wait. The IV drips. We wait. The hours tick and we wait. What will she do? What weird and unusual side affect will occur? We wait.

She is ready. I am more than ready. Mom is on her way and M-E has her Consolidation earrings. Blue topaz in the shape of Rain Drops. The jeweler told me they were tear drops but I don't want them to be tear drops. Rain Drops bring good things. We are counting on good things ahead.

Thanks for your prayers and watch out for non-West going coyotes.