Dispatch from Mayo

Email Subject: We are at Mayo today
From: Mavis
To: Kathleen, Sylvia

Okay Ma just started treatment about 15 minutes ago- 9:35 a.m. CST. Today her platelets were 184 White Blood Cell Count is 3.0 which is borderline, neutrophils are 1.6, and hemoglobin is 9.8 the hemoglobin is the only thing that is down a bit this week ideally it should be 12.5-16.0 To increase hemoglobin levels the nurse suggested eating spinach, broccoli, red meat (lean) eggs and nuts. Thank goodness I cooked Ma that lean steak the other night.

The nurse gave me Ma's next appt sheets. I will photocopy these and mail out a copy to all of you except Kass since she will be here tomorrow. She is scheduled to return to Mayo on January 9th at 8:30 a.m. for venipuncture specimen collection and blood tests, then has an oncology evaluation appt with Dr. Hartmann at 1:30 p.m.the same day and chemo therapy at 2:30 p.m. So after today she'll have a break for a while.

I spoke to the nurse about transferring chemo up to Abbott she said we have to talk to Hartmann or Hartmann's staff about this and have a regular doctor up in the Twin Cities (internist) which I have been working on finding the last two days. I need to check my voice mail here as soon as I am off the phone to see if Dr. Harmala called me back. I also have my cell phone with me today and it is turned on.

Since I am here I will also be attending the Chemotherapy Nutrition Class down in Gonda on 1st floor at 10:15 a.m. They teach about nutrition during, and after chemo treatments so that should be interesting.

Mavis