You can’t make this shit up

With Kara’s platelets being so low, we needed to repeat labs on Monday in DeWitt.

I also knew she was due for her Xgeva injection but no one had called us yet to schedule it.

And if you’ve never had the joy of dealing with this particular shot, here’s the fun part: once insurance approves it, you have to keep getting the monthly injection at the same location. So even if we’re already physically at Genesis in Davenport on the day she’s due, we still have to schedule time to go to DeWitt.

For a long time, that was only a slight annoyance.

Now it’s misery. Because every extra trip out of the house takes extra planning and is exhausting Kara. It’s exhausting all of us.

Despite my best efforts, we couldn’t arrange for her to get her shot while we were there Monday because they needed to order the medication first.

Dang.

That morning while I was putting on Kara’s socks and shoes, I noticed swelling in her feet. I figured we’d elevate them when we got home and see if they improved.

They didn’t.

So next thing you know, we’ve got her homecare nurse, Tami over checking her out. She calls to report it to oncology and we are told she needs an ultrasound ASAP to rule out any blood clots. As an example of how tired we are, we respond with asap… could that be on like Thursday?

But of course the answer is no. So on Tuesday, it’s back to DeWitt we go.

I asked the night before if we could tackle the Xgeva shot while we were already there.

Still not able to get it in.

Damn.

The ultrasound itself was simple enough and no blood clots.

Woo hoo!

For a moment, it was a sigh of relief to be headed back to the comforts of home.

Then we got to the parking lot.

I assisted Kara out of her wheelchair and after one step it was like her knees just… buckled. Her legs gave out completely.

Total dead weight.

I was behind her holding her up, but she was giving me nothing from her body. It was like a slow-motion fall. I cursed my own body for not being able to hold her up. And then she started crying.

I held her and backed up to get her off her knees to sitting on the ground. My sister Michelle had literally coached us the day before on how to pick Kara up if she goes down. Mom and I got on either side of her and helped her up and into the car.

And I just lost it.

I was bawling my eyes out because I tell this girl every day, multiple times a day that I will never let her fall. That I will never let anything bad happen to her.

A promise I couldn’t keep.

We decided to report the fall to oncology because with Kara’s platelets being so low, internal bleeding is always a concern + her bones are brittle… felt too risky to mess around with it.

We were told to go to the ER.

And God… all of us just wanted to go home.

We were so exhausted. Kara complained about being so hungry. And I apologized a hundred times.

But Kara, being the trooper that she is, just went along with it. Happy as can be, going back in to see her old pals in the ER like it was a casual social visit.

The X-ray came back clear.

Thank God.

I know it all could have been so much worse. I know I should be grateful that I was able to keep her from hitting her head or falling hard.

But emotionally?

I feel wrecked.

I took the day off work today because I was already a mess before all of this even happened. Maybe God just knew I wasn’t going to be able to deal with work today.

I just love her so damn much. And I hate that I can’t protect her from all of it.

So anyway… that was our Tuesday.

We will see our DeWitt friends again on Thursday for the Xgeva shot and more labs… hopefully that visit goes much more smoothly.

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If You're New Here

Hi, I’m Alisha, Kara’s sister and biggest advocate. Kara was diagnosed with Stage 4 Triple-Negative Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (TNBC) in December 2024. Her cancer spread to her bones, liver and other areas, making this an incredibly difficult and uncertain journey.

Despite it all, Kara’s light still shines so brightly. She’s full of love, giggles and endless positivity. This blog is where I share updates on her fight, the highs and lows and the incredible community rallying around her.

Thank you for being here, for your love, support and prayers. We need them more than ever. 💛 And of course, Go Hawks!

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