blood count update

Everything is going well with Andrew's blood counts -- we went for the blood draw on Thursday, which showed all his levels starting to climb back up.  He didn't need to have a transfusion after all, which was great news, but we have to go back for another blood draw on Monday.

Andrew's feeling pretty good - a bit tired and weak, but otherwise good.  He was really pumped up with fluid when he was discharged -- he's gone from 180 lbs. to 150 lbs in a week, and now he feels more or less back to normal.  He's just going to rest up for the next few days, enjoy the Superbowl, and get ready for round 4.

I apologize for slacking off on my updates -- we've been trying to settle back into our life, as much as possible, when Andrew's out of the hospital.  :)   Thank you for all of your continued love and support -- we're full of gratitude for our amazing friends and family!!  

Life on hold.

Things had been going along quite smoothly during this recovery period -- we made a quick trip to AMC on Friday for a pop of intrathecal chemo. Andrew was a bit under the weather for 2 days after that, but today he felt really good, and looked really good.  We were due back at AMC today for the last 15 minute infusion of vincristine which officially ends round 3A -- unfortunately, his blood draw showed that the white count had fallen to really "critical" levels, so they were unable to administer the chemo.  :(

We're now due back on Thursday for another blood draw and possible transfusion.  We're disappointed -- he seemed to be doing really, really well this time -- we were hoping to get into the city to see some friends, he was going to try to work a few days this week, -- you know, have a life.  Instead he'll be holing up at home trying to not contract an infection of any sort.  But we're learning that this is the deal on this regimen -- very little opportunity to do anything but get your chemo, recover from your chemo, and get your chemo again. Lather, rinse, repeat.   Life really, truly is on hold until summer it seems, so we're telling ourselves to just get comfy and settle in.  So to all of our friends,  we miss you!  Don't forget us -- we'll be back!!! ;)


xo
L

Home

Andrew came home tonight.  We have to go back on Friday and then again on Tuesday for 2 more quick pops of chemo, and then cycle 3 will be complete.

He's feeling pretty good, and looking really good.  He had the vincristine today, and I could tell it was taking a  toll as we were driving home, but he managed to stay up for dinner before heading off to bed.  All in all a big improvement over the last 2 homecomings, so that's encouraging.  He'll probably feel pretty bad for the next week or so as the blood counts dive.  But ... another round down, another day closer to cancer-free.

Inspiration

I was having a moment of darkness, as I seem to do whenever Andrew goes back into the hospital.  I much prefer it when he's home, and I can stay busy taking care of him, the kids, dealing with insurance, etc .... just keep managing the situation.  But when he's at the hospital, it's all out of my control, and I start to feel a bit at sea (though I'm aware my "control" over the situation is all an illusion).   Anyway, I've learned that if you google too much, you can get really depressed.  And if you get good at adjusting your search terms, you can find even more information and it gets worse.  So I was really thankful when Chuck emailed a great interview with Jonathan Alter, a journalist who was diagnosed with Mantle Cell lymphoma in 2004, at 46.  Naturally, as a journalist he tried to uncover everything he could about his disease.  I was mostly struck by his take on statistics and how they can be very deceiving (can you believe they don't really have good data on overall survival for those diagnosed at mid-life vs. elderly?), but really everything he says just resonates.  His experience is so familiar to me, and it really calmed me down to know many others have shared the horrors and indignities of this disease, and lived to tell the tale.   So of course, I googled him some more and found this great piece from a few years back.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2007/04/08/my-life-with-cancer.html

and here is the more recent interview:

http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/exchange-tv-chronic-illness/transcript-surviving-cancer


*  sorry, looks like the first one won't link -- you'll have to copy and paste it into your browser window.

up and running

No sign of any blood clots so the chemo was resumed today, although they will continue to monitor his heart very carefully.  chemo can be very difficult on the heart, which is why they do a special scan (MUGA) before beginning any chemo treatment.  hopefully, all will be well now.

i'm back home with the boys today.   chuck, tommy and annie came up to be with andrew -- so that must've been funny -- hope the nurses didn't have to ask you all to settle down!  ;)

xo

Bump in the Road

The doctors halted Andrew's chemo yesterday after discovering a slight heart arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat).  They don't seem overly concerned, and listed about 50 different things that could be causing it -- from side effects of the chemo, to lack of sleep.  They've given him an EKG, echocardiogram, and CT scan of the heart to rule out blood clots.  We're waiting for the results now, and the attending doctor said if they scan shows no sign of a clot, they will resume the chemo tomorrow morning.

And Away We Go

Veritable lazy susan full of drugs and blood products!

Here we go

Andrew was admitted to Albany Med yesterday for Round 3, "A" cycle.  When we saw the doctor in the morning, she said his hemoglobin count was very low -- 7 (normal counts are 13-17).  We knew he was having a hard time rebounding from the B cycle, but he was feeling relatively good yesterday -- I can only imagine what the counts must have been last week when he felt terrible -- yikes!  Anyway, the doctor ordered 2 units of blood for him, and said that between cycles he would need to have his levels checked.  He received the blood last night, and today they gave him an additional 2 units, as well as starting the chemo drugs.  "A" cycle is a little crazy, in that he gets many, many things at once.  They start the day with a cup full of pills -- antivirals, benedryl, allopurinol (to protect the kidneys), anti-nausea drugs.  Then they start the blood products, IV rituxan (antibody wonder drug), then fluids, mesna (more kidney protection), and 2 chemo drugs, decadron and cyclophosphamide.  Phew.

We got to peek at notes in his chart yesterday -- it was a little disconcerting, reliving those early weeks, and reading about how dreadful and widespread his cancer was (plus a lot of stuff we didn't understand).  But we also read this -- Current Status:  partial remission.  So, hey -- we thought that sounded pretty good after only 2 treatments!!

Just a side note -- if you haven't given blood in awhile and are blessed with good health, please trot over to your local blood bank and give some up!  It really is a lifesaver.  xoxo

L