January 23, 2026
Day 14
We finally had a Ruffles reunion! She’s been on a different schedule and we’ve missed our daily hospital visits with her and Cole. They’re moving to a different floor which is so sad, but they come down to see us after work.
Day 1 of 3 ivig infusions started this evening. We’re concerned about adding the ivig side effects (increased pain and migraines) onto an already complex picture. Tate is grateful for the pca, but the longer she’s on it, the longer we’re here.
Tate’s labs revealed a very high white count and ANC for her. We aren’t sure exactly why it’s higher yet than we’ve ever seen it. Her surgical pain is improving but she’s still saying she’s not feeling great. Her body has been through so much while she’s been here. It’s hard to weed out what is what. Repeat labs and another chest CT on Sunday will hopefully paint a reassuring picture.
A little information on the tumor that was removed from Tate’s paraspinal area in her neck. Layman’s term for it is actually pseudosarcoma. It grows like it, looks like it, etc. It’s very fast growing and is, of course, rare. It usually is found in the forearm in adults and is typically smaller than what they found lying on Tate’s spine. Hers was too deep, but usually they can be felt under the skin. The combination of hearing Friday night that it was a tumor when they laid eyes on it with the mystery lung nodules was a scary combination. Nobody would say the words sarcoma with lung mets to us, but the mood was grim all around and everyone was thinking the same thing and talking amongst themselves. It takes expert pathology to decipher the difference. What a blessing that is exactly what we had here. We arent 100% sure whats in Tate’s lungs just yet. ID is speculating on many small blood clots that are now infectious. We will see how they respond in time.
Tate has a love for sweet clementines and sugar bee apples. Nurse Rachel brought in a sumo orange to share with Tate and add to her fruit repertoire. Such a simple gesture of love. Our nurses are a gift.