Good News !!!! December 19th.

Sorry about the delay in updating the blog, but each day this past week has involved some activity related to Jan’s illness. For example, last Thursday…..more blood tests (surely they have collected ten gallons of blood these past nine weeks); Friday………more blood tests followed by the bone marrow biopsy; Monday…….a meeting with the Bone Marrow Transplant team (more on that at a later date); Tuesday……a Cat Scan to follow-up on the chest infection that Jan experienced while in the hospital; Today……..more blood tests and a meeting with the oncologist to review her Friday biopsy and to discuss the course of action for the upcoming weeks. Here’s the good part………Jan’s bone marrow biopsy was clean!!!! This means that she remains in remission and can proceed to the consolidation therapies. A negative report would have meant that we start all over again, so thanks to everyone for your prayers. HE must have been listening.

Also during these past days, Jan celebrated (sort of) her birthday on December 15th. She actually asked that no gifts be purchased and that any celebration be postponed until she felt better, and could actually taste food. Whenever those taste buds kick in we plan a nice and tasty dinner out with the family.

Getting Stronger - December 10th.

Jan continues to get stronger with each passing day. Her primary complaint continues to be a lack of taste, or a metallic taste to many foods. This is a common side effect of chemotherapy, and could last for weeks. As a result, her appetite is not where we would like it, but she is able to eat a sufficient amount to maintain her weight. Fatigue and a general lack of energy are also very noticeable. Any activity tires her quickly. We believe each passing day will bring her new energy. The Moffitt nurses indicated that it takes many patients three days for every one day in the hospital to regain their prior energy level, and Jan was hospitalized for 42 days. So, it may take many weeks for the fatigue to disappear completely.

This week we have a follow-up meeting with Social Services, and then another bone marrow biopsy on Friday. This will be a critical biopsy to confirm if all the treatment given thus far is working. We are very anxious about this next test. If the biopsy results are good, then we expect that Jan will be re-admitted to the hospital right after Christmas for a 5-6 day round of consolidation chemotherapy. We expect that this will be repeated at least two more times, about six weeks apart.

White Count Soars !!! December 4th.

The past four days have been a bit of an emotional roller coaster. Jan still has no energy, is fatigued just walking from the bedroom to the living room, and has almost no appetite, although in the past day or two she has taken a few bites of some foods that she showed no interest in just a few days ago. So, I call that progress.

On Monday, Jan went to the hematologist to get blood drawn. The results were to be faxed to her oncologist. Today we had a meeting with a social worker at the Moffitt hospital to help evaluate and assist with Jan’s depression and anxiety. We’re scheduled to return for another visit soon. We’ve learned that you must attack any serious illness both physically and psychologically. In many ways, the depression and anxiety can be more debilitating than any physical problems. Jan had more blood tests today, followed by a visit with her oncologist. It was a busy afternoon. We received some uplifting information. First, her white count has increased. In fact, it has gone hog-wild. Remember when I told you that a normal white count is between 5,000 and 10,000 cells per microliter (see biology lessen in the article dated November 27th). Well, Jan’s white count today was 53,000!! Normally, this might be reason for alarm, but not in Jan’s case. You may recall that we have been giving her nightly injections which promote the growth of white blood cells. It appears that we may have given her a couple of unnecessary doses and stimulated a little too much growth. Not to worry. The human body is a marvelous machine, and it will adjust the numbers to within normal limits in a few days. However, with this news she will no longer need bi-weekly blood exams, so a few less needles.

We also learned that her consolidation therapy (that 5-6 day follow-up chemo) will not be done until after Christmas. So, with grandson Lucas arriving from Utah next Wednesday, it was great news to know that Jan won’t be in the hospital. Instead, she’ll be home to give him a big hug. We’ve had to forego most of our Christmas plans this year, but at least she’ll be home for that as well. On a down note, we confirmed that the 5-6 day consolidation chemo will have to be repeated 2 to 3 times, every six weeks. Each will require a hospital stay. This treatment is necessary to ensure a prolonged remission.

The doctor tried to explain that her body has taken a pounding these past few weeks, and it might take a month for her to regain her strength and energy. It continues to be a long, hard fight, and I look forward to that day when she is smiling again.

Home Sweet Home?? December 1st.

Jan is back home again!!! After 42 days in the hospital, Jan finally got the news that her white count was high enough to be discharged. We got home around 6:00 P.M. on Thursday. We had been thinking about this day for the past six weeks. No more I.V.’s, or vital signs every two hours, or unpleasant tests, etc. etc. We were returning to the comforts of our home. However, our first day back was not pleasant for Jan. She was afraid to be home. When you’re in the hospital, every problem is attended to immediately. Doctors, nurses, technicians all our at your bedside within minutes to attend to any problem, and Jan had several during her hospital stay. You develop a security blanket, and a certain comfort level, that is no longer available to you when you go home. This was an unexpected reaction. We hope Jan will find more comfort as each day passes. We have three appointments next week, with more blood tests at each appointment. Then, another bone marrow biopsy is scheduled in two weeks, and another Cat-scan in three weeks to follow-up on her chest infection. This has been a long, hard road, and we still have a few more hurdles, but we’re getting there.