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.