Although thankful for the quiet month celebrated in my last column, the joy was short-lived.  Right after my column was published, my sister Deana, who has multiple myeloma, developed a head cold.  At that point, we were off to the races, as the saying goes.

Following instructions, Deana called her oncologist Dr. Agha immediately and was prescribed ciprofloxacin (Cipro).  Her condition was not improving, and according to my trusted Assistant Team Captain, our sister Darrie, Deana didn't look good.

On June 14, with the situation unchanged, Deana called the doctor again, at which time it was suggested that she try Claritin (loratadine), as perhaps she was suffering from allergies.  As the day wore on, a fever developed, and Deana found herself in the emergency room.

This news made its way to me at about 8 p.m., while I was attending an important meeting at Sea Island, Georgia, about five hours from home.  Not to mention, the Atlanta airport would be an additional journey if I needed to get to Pittsburgh to help Deana.

It will come as no surprise to those who regularly read my column that I was in a full-court panic.  I stayed in close touch with Deana and Darrie through the evening.

(Let me pause to share that Darrie does not get her due.  She is awesome. Although she had worked a full day, she was not going to let Deana be alone, so she got to the hospital as soon as she could.  And Darrie’s husband, Rob, deserves kudos too.  He has done so much to help since this all began.  That night, he took Deana's children to dinner and looked after them until their father got home from work.)

The good news from the ER visit was that Deana's hemoglobin was 11.9.  The unfortunate news was that she was borderline neutropenic (abnormally low count of neutrophils, a type of white blood cells) because of the infection.  The ER doctor heard decreased breath sounds in the right lower lobe, but the chest X-ray was inconclusive.  All agreed it that it was perhaps too early to see pneumonia.  Since the treatment for pneumonia, bronchitis, or a sinus infection would be a Zithromax (azithromycin) Z-pak, that was prescribed.

I wish that Deana would have been admitted to the hospital, as the rest might have done her some good. However, she did not want to miss seeing the children off to school the following morning, as it was the last day of the school year.  Thus, she was discharged with instructions to return if her fever kept spiking or if she felt worse.

Our mother was on a cruise and called Darrie the morning after the ER visit to check in.  Darrie holds the distinction of being our family's central hub, since she is very reachable.  Darrie provided our mother with the report, at which time, our mother tells me, her heart sank.

Mom emailed with the challenges of making the "right" decision in this situation.  Should she pack up and head to Pittsburgh?  What could or should she do to be helpful?

We keep reminding ourselves this will be the "new normal."

To wit:

• In my panic, my husband Peter assured me there are going to be bumps in the road.
• Deana comforted the children's concerns about the ER visit by reinforcing that this is how life will be from now on when she gets sick.

Those of you on the multiple myeloma journey know from whence I speak.  Maybe with the passage of time, my family will become more accustomed to the bumps, or better yet, maybe there will be a cure so that for Deana and her fellow survivors, a cold will just be a cold.

By Monday, June 18, Deana was at a walk-in clinic with her daughter Clare, who was sick.  Since Deana also had ear pain, she called Dr. Agha to ask if she could be seen at the clinic.  She was diagnosed with an ear infection and prescribed amoxicillin.

A week later, she was still not feeling much better, so she called Dr. Agha again.  Dr. Agha was on vacation, but the doctor on call changed the medicine again.

As I write this column, I am on vacation in Shanghai, and I am hearing mixed reports as to what is going on.  Much like my vacation last year, I have been concerned about Deana the entire time.  I've emailed daily.  Deana assures me that she is not ready for my assistance and that I should enjoy China. (Her language was a bit more colorful than that…)

Easier said than done, dear sister.

Today, she has an appointment with Dr. Agha.  I regret my travel schedule will not allow me to attend, as I am anxious to hear his views regarding this nagging infection.

Of course, I will be calling Deana as soon as she leaves his office in order to get the full report!