Well, I thought we'd be going down today to start the Long Term Maintinance but nope, still didn't pass. Actually her counts were lower, 225 ANC from 250 last week. The other components of her blood look good though and have steadily been bouncing back. The doctors said not to worry and that it may take a while to have everything bounce back up to normal. So, the plan is to start now on Tuesday, but we have an eye appointment on the same day so I'm going to see if she can start on Wednesday instead or just later in the day on Tuesday. I'll straighten it all out with them soon, but if she still doesn't qualify on Tuesday then I don't know what they'll want to do.
She seems to be in good spirits, and it is nice to not have to give her much in the way of medicines too.
Well, stay tuned, and thanks again for all of the prayers, thoughts, comments and calls... and for just for reading too!
Friday, September 02, 2005
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Didn't pass again! :(
Well, Abby didn't pass the blood count requirement to start the next phase, she is still to low. They will test her again on Thursday and hopefully she will start on Friday. If she doesn't pass, they will most likely schedule a bone marrow aspiration again to check things out further. So, pray that she passes, I really don't want her to have to get another bone marrow test.
I really hope that it does come up soon, kind of worries me that it isn't... but I won't go down any those roads unless she doesn't pass on Thursday.
She's been doing relatively good in the 2 weeks since she's been off treatment, gets tired sometimes but really does good for having such low blood counts. Once her hemoglobin comes back up we are planning on going up the canyon a bit to see if any leaves have started to change up there, that is always a pretty time of year for the mountians.
Anyway, I'll write more on Thursday when we know the plan.
I really hope that it does come up soon, kind of worries me that it isn't... but I won't go down any those roads unless she doesn't pass on Thursday.
She's been doing relatively good in the 2 weeks since she's been off treatment, gets tired sometimes but really does good for having such low blood counts. Once her hemoglobin comes back up we are planning on going up the canyon a bit to see if any leaves have started to change up there, that is always a pretty time of year for the mountians.
Anyway, I'll write more on Thursday when we know the plan.
Thursday, August 25, 2005
On to the last phase... on Tuesday
So, Abby didn't pass on Tuesday, in terms of her counts, so she will have to wait until next week to start her final phase. That is fine with me, it is nice to have another little break, if you can call it that. She had a bit of a fever today, so pray that it isn't the beginning of another blood infection. It seems like every time she starts to get a low grade fever, something is brewing inside of her. She still in neuotropinic, under 500 ANC of her immunity count, so we have to watch all of that stuff closely. Also because of her ANC we can't take her out to crowded places or around sick people... that means once again we are hermitized for a bit. Hopefully her counts will come up soon and we can once again rejoin society as normal folk... for the most part anyway :)!
Other than that, things are still rockin' and rollin' around here. Anna decided that she wanted to become a big girl and use the "potty" instead of diapers and so we are on the potty training road... hopefully it will be a short trip. I'm getting more into the groove of the school year and am looking forward to Labor day weekend already! Actually the kiddos are fun, and I enjoy my classes, just long days compared to the flexible summer.
Off to sleep, I have to get up at 6am again tomorrow:(
Other than that, things are still rockin' and rollin' around here. Anna decided that she wanted to become a big girl and use the "potty" instead of diapers and so we are on the potty training road... hopefully it will be a short trip. I'm getting more into the groove of the school year and am looking forward to Labor day weekend already! Actually the kiddos are fun, and I enjoy my classes, just long days compared to the flexible summer.
Off to sleep, I have to get up at 6am again tomorrow:(
Saturday, August 20, 2005
Happy B-Day to Abby's Mom:)
Today is my lovely bride's Birthday! 33 years old! How crazy is that huh?! We still feel like kids except now we have kids too! Weird. But it is true and so we will celebrate!
One thing that has really hit me during these last several months of Abby's treatment is how much I love my wife. She is an amazing woman, let me just tell you that. In relation to Abby and Anna, she is the best mom around. As my wife... hands down... the best I could ever wish for!
These last few months have been stressful, yes, and through it all Tiffany has been there to hug, cry with, and talk to about deep things, life and death, God and who He really is, how spirituality and life's hardships really line up, and on and on... Lots of tears have been shed, voices been raised, and deep thoughts have been thought until my mind seemed too full to function... and through it all, my wife has been there, in-the-trenches, if you may, with all of this care our family.
I just want you wish my wife, yes you Tiffany Schreiber, the brightest happiest fulfilling birthday that you've every had!
One thing that has really hit me during these last several months of Abby's treatment is how much I love my wife. She is an amazing woman, let me just tell you that. In relation to Abby and Anna, she is the best mom around. As my wife... hands down... the best I could ever wish for!
These last few months have been stressful, yes, and through it all Tiffany has been there to hug, cry with, and talk to about deep things, life and death, God and who He really is, how spirituality and life's hardships really line up, and on and on... Lots of tears have been shed, voices been raised, and deep thoughts have been thought until my mind seemed too full to function... and through it all, my wife has been there, in-the-trenches, if you may, with all of this care our family.
I just want you wish my wife, yes you Tiffany Schreiber, the brightest happiest fulfilling birthday that you've every had!
Sunday, August 14, 2005
Still doing relativly "good"
You know people often ask me how Abby is doing these days and the reply I get to give them lately is "really good". That response is a little misleading in some ways though. I mean yes, side effect wise... she is doing outstanding, no mouth sores, no major hospitalizations, no heart problems, the list goes on and on. But I think I've also gotten used to some crazy things that I see as pretty routine. 2 blood transfusions in the last couple weeks, a extremely low platelet count last Thursday that made us drop everything and run her down to Denver, the effects of the last low platelet count expressed in her crooked eye gaze from that retinal hemorrhage last winter, not being able to take Abby out to public places until her counts come back up... Oh I could go on and on, but the point is that I just consider these medical procedures, like monthly spinal taps, routine and normal. Kind of weird what we can get accustomed to huh?!
Anyway, now that we are getting a bit more rested and normal around here, I'm starting to think a little bit more about how the whole DI experience effected us as a family. And all in all, I think we came out relatively unscathed. Medically, yes Abby did great! Anna, has gotten a little more demanding of our attention, expressed in very commanding renditions of her favorite songs... loud renditions, and any silly thing that she can do to draw our attention that way. Tiffany and I have faired well too, mostly just glad to not be soo tired anymore and very ready to be able to take Abby back over to our friends house and such, back into the world. We love our house, but what joy it would be to sit on our other friends couches with our girls again. Sounds kind of funny but we definitely miss that interaction.
Other than above, things have been relatively "normal" in their own sort of way. We did take a little trip up the Big Thompson Canyon and then up towards Glen Haven to play near a smaller creek. The girls loved it! That is what the picture above is from, it was a great time, we'll have to do it again before the summer slips away.
Anyway, now that we are getting a bit more rested and normal around here, I'm starting to think a little bit more about how the whole DI experience effected us as a family. And all in all, I think we came out relatively unscathed. Medically, yes Abby did great! Anna, has gotten a little more demanding of our attention, expressed in very commanding renditions of her favorite songs... loud renditions, and any silly thing that she can do to draw our attention that way. Tiffany and I have faired well too, mostly just glad to not be soo tired anymore and very ready to be able to take Abby back over to our friends house and such, back into the world. We love our house, but what joy it would be to sit on our other friends couches with our girls again. Sounds kind of funny but we definitely miss that interaction.
Other than above, things have been relatively "normal" in their own sort of way. We did take a little trip up the Big Thompson Canyon and then up towards Glen Haven to play near a smaller creek. The girls loved it! That is what the picture above is from, it was a great time, we'll have to do it again before the summer slips away.
Thursday, August 11, 2005
Worn out but winding down
Worn out
You know I'm glad it is starting to get more normal around here but man, talk about being worn out by it all. I'm glad Abby doesn't have 2 Delayed Intensifications (DI) like a lot of kids do... for her sake and mine. Seriously I feel like I have been in a fog for the last few months, well, maybe more of a tunnel. We've just been so focused on all the Abby things to do and take care of plus just trying to continue to do life, which on a normal day with 2 little kids is probably challenging anyway. Then add on all the beginning of a school year job stuff and bam, we suddenly became a very crazy family. But, like I said, I think it is starting to wind down, and wind down to a more reasonable level for the long haul.
Let's recap. Abby is almost done with DI and has done very well in the side effects category with very few to mention. It looks like the 3 weeks of intense antibiotics and Vanco/Heparin locks in her Broviac tube took care of it. If she doesn't get anymore infections then we won't have to be in a hurry to take it out. Abby still has no, and I mean NO immunity protection, her total white blood cell count is still around 300 (normal kid = 15000 I think) and her ANC, immunity component of her total white count, is unreadable. She's only needed one transfusion so far of packed red blood cells and 1 of platelets. If she goes any lower on either though, they'll have to transfuse her again. Currently her red count is at 8.9, normal is around 15, and platelets are around 30,000, usually 150,000-200,000 is normal. So thing are looking up but she still is a bit "in the woods" you might say.
With her immunity gone, we don't get out much unless the place is really empty. Last night we went to the ice cream store, ordered and then went and sat outside. And this last weekend we went a little bit up the canyon, not too far up with so little hemoglobin (oxygen carrying red blood cells), and the girls got to get out and played by a little creek, that was a lot of fun. So, as you can see, things are getting much better.
Let me also fill you in on the future plans... DI finishes on the 23rd I believe. From there they let her counts all come back up for a week or more and then start her on the Long Term Maintenance (LTM). LTM will last, well a long term of time, a little under 2 years. I'll try to post the image of that road map, but basically it is a reoccurring rotation of nightly meds, monthly or maybe 6 in between spinal taps, some IV chemo and monthly or more blood work, plus check ups. Also in the beginning of this phase she will be getting her Broviac out and a Medoport put in. This device is also an access port but it hides under the skin and to access it she'll get one "oweee". We are still deciding what way we want to go with this issue. Finally, she will be getting a corrective surgery for her eye once her counts get high enough to do that. The nice thing about all of these surgeries is that if she doesn't have any blood infections she can have them done all at the same time, eye, Broviac out, Medoport in, while she is under general anesthesia.
So, that's the scoop.
You know I'm glad it is starting to get more normal around here but man, talk about being worn out by it all. I'm glad Abby doesn't have 2 Delayed Intensifications (DI) like a lot of kids do... for her sake and mine. Seriously I feel like I have been in a fog for the last few months, well, maybe more of a tunnel. We've just been so focused on all the Abby things to do and take care of plus just trying to continue to do life, which on a normal day with 2 little kids is probably challenging anyway. Then add on all the beginning of a school year job stuff and bam, we suddenly became a very crazy family. But, like I said, I think it is starting to wind down, and wind down to a more reasonable level for the long haul.
Let's recap. Abby is almost done with DI and has done very well in the side effects category with very few to mention. It looks like the 3 weeks of intense antibiotics and Vanco/Heparin locks in her Broviac tube took care of it. If she doesn't get anymore infections then we won't have to be in a hurry to take it out. Abby still has no, and I mean NO immunity protection, her total white blood cell count is still around 300 (normal kid = 15000 I think) and her ANC, immunity component of her total white count, is unreadable. She's only needed one transfusion so far of packed red blood cells and 1 of platelets. If she goes any lower on either though, they'll have to transfuse her again. Currently her red count is at 8.9, normal is around 15, and platelets are around 30,000, usually 150,000-200,000 is normal. So thing are looking up but she still is a bit "in the woods" you might say.
With her immunity gone, we don't get out much unless the place is really empty. Last night we went to the ice cream store, ordered and then went and sat outside. And this last weekend we went a little bit up the canyon, not too far up with so little hemoglobin (oxygen carrying red blood cells), and the girls got to get out and played by a little creek, that was a lot of fun. So, as you can see, things are getting much better.
Let me also fill you in on the future plans... DI finishes on the 23rd I believe. From there they let her counts all come back up for a week or more and then start her on the Long Term Maintenance (LTM). LTM will last, well a long term of time, a little under 2 years. I'll try to post the image of that road map, but basically it is a reoccurring rotation of nightly meds, monthly or maybe 6 in between spinal taps, some IV chemo and monthly or more blood work, plus check ups. Also in the beginning of this phase she will be getting her Broviac out and a Medoport put in. This device is also an access port but it hides under the skin and to access it she'll get one "oweee". We are still deciding what way we want to go with this issue. Finally, she will be getting a corrective surgery for her eye once her counts get high enough to do that. The nice thing about all of these surgeries is that if she doesn't have any blood infections she can have them done all at the same time, eye, Broviac out, Medoport in, while she is under general anesthesia.
So, that's the scoop.
Friday, August 05, 2005
No transfusion needed today
Just a quick note to let you all know that Abby went down to Denver today ready to get another blood transfusion and didn't have too. Her counts were high enough from the last transfusion on Tuesday so back home they come.
Anyway, she's doing really good and has been mostly back to her old self, laughing, playing, arguing with her little sis Anna, and just being plain old cute!
I'll try to post some pictures soon.
Anyway, she's doing really good and has been mostly back to her old self, laughing, playing, arguing with her little sis Anna, and just being plain old cute!
I'll try to post some pictures soon.
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
Blood Transfusion
Hey all,
Abby went down for her morning chemo appointment today and was sent over to the hospital to get some blood/platelets transfusions.
She should have just started getting the platelets and they'll take an hour to go in. Then she will have to wait a bit and then they will start the blood, packed red blood cells to be exact. The blood will take about 4 hours and then she can come home as long as she doesn't get a fever. When kids are neutropenic and get a fever they admit them for the night and often when kids get blood they will get a fever just from the transfusion process, so, she may stay overnight. We'll just have to wait and see.
Other than that she is doing fine, her counts are low obviously, but all in all she is doing really well with the treatment. She is also off Vancomyacin for now, just finished this morning. Hopefully she can stay off of the antibiotics because that is a lot of work and probably is not the best for her body. I'll post more as I know more, or maybe I'll just go to sleep instead. :)
Abby went down for her morning chemo appointment today and was sent over to the hospital to get some blood/platelets transfusions.
She should have just started getting the platelets and they'll take an hour to go in. Then she will have to wait a bit and then they will start the blood, packed red blood cells to be exact. The blood will take about 4 hours and then she can come home as long as she doesn't get a fever. When kids are neutropenic and get a fever they admit them for the night and often when kids get blood they will get a fever just from the transfusion process, so, she may stay overnight. We'll just have to wait and see.
Other than that she is doing fine, her counts are low obviously, but all in all she is doing really well with the treatment. She is also off Vancomyacin for now, just finished this morning. Hopefully she can stay off of the antibiotics because that is a lot of work and probably is not the best for her body. I'll post more as I know more, or maybe I'll just go to sleep instead. :)
Saturday, July 30, 2005
Reds are Meds.
So yes, this is a picture of our calander for this week. All the red things are Abby's meds... Crazy huh?! Abby's doing great with all though, I don't know if we could say that for Tifffany and I but we're doing OK. Here's the typical daliy schedule for a few more days and then we'll see if we have to keep up the antibiotics or not.
6am- hook up Abby to Vancomyacin
8am- unhook her, and put in a Vanco/Heprin lock (in her Broviac)
8am-Kytril (to counteract nausea)
8am after breakfast... Zantac
8am after breakfast... Mouthwash and Nystatin (to keep mouth sores at bay.)
12pm after lunch Mouthwash and Nystatin
2pm hook her up to Vanco again
4pm unhook her and give AraC
4pm lock her with Vanco/Heprin
6pm Zantac
6pm mouthwash/Nystatin
7-8pm give her 6-TG(hour after food, no milk, no citrus... they make it not work, milk, or super potent, citrus).
10pm Hook her up to Vanco
12am unhook her and lock her with Vanco/Heprin
I write that all for my memory as much as I do for your information. Lots to take in and do huh. But as I said, Abby is doing really well with all. She is playing much more with Anna, walking around pretty good, and is very giggly. She doesn't want to leave the house much but neither do we after 3 trips down to CHOA last week. They ended up putting her on a second Antibiotic on top of the Vanco for a couple days last week becuase she had a little fever and they wanted to make sure it wasn't the blood infection. She's had this blood infection for pushing 3 weeks now so they are really trying to knock it out for good. The crazy thing is that she might not have had any blood infection, it could all just be contaminates from handleing it but they don't want to take any chances, so they treat it and keep culturing the samples.
Other than that, there really isn't much to say. This is just our life now, and it's pretty demanding. But the high pace is offset by having my smilely little girl back and that is worth it all.
Off to drink more coffee.
6am- hook up Abby to Vancomyacin
8am- unhook her, and put in a Vanco/Heprin lock (in her Broviac)
8am-Kytril (to counteract nausea)
8am after breakfast... Zantac
8am after breakfast... Mouthwash and Nystatin (to keep mouth sores at bay.)
12pm after lunch Mouthwash and Nystatin
2pm hook her up to Vanco again
4pm unhook her and give AraC
4pm lock her with Vanco/Heprin
6pm Zantac
6pm mouthwash/Nystatin
7-8pm give her 6-TG(hour after food, no milk, no citrus... they make it not work, milk, or super potent, citrus).
10pm Hook her up to Vanco
12am unhook her and lock her with Vanco/Heprin
I write that all for my memory as much as I do for your information. Lots to take in and do huh. But as I said, Abby is doing really well with all. She is playing much more with Anna, walking around pretty good, and is very giggly. She doesn't want to leave the house much but neither do we after 3 trips down to CHOA last week. They ended up putting her on a second Antibiotic on top of the Vanco for a couple days last week becuase she had a little fever and they wanted to make sure it wasn't the blood infection. She's had this blood infection for pushing 3 weeks now so they are really trying to knock it out for good. The crazy thing is that she might not have had any blood infection, it could all just be contaminates from handleing it but they don't want to take any chances, so they treat it and keep culturing the samples.
Other than that, there really isn't much to say. This is just our life now, and it's pretty demanding. But the high pace is offset by having my smilely little girl back and that is worth it all.
Off to drink more coffee.
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Starting DI, round 2
Hey all,
I took Abby down to the eye doc yesterday and we stopped by CHOA to get her blood counts. The machine said that she wouldn't pass, ANC 400, but when they did the manual count under the microscope she passed with a 748! Weird, I was sure that she wouldn't make it especially after they ran it on the machine and it came back with a 400. Anyway, she needed a 750 to start the 2nd part of Delayed Intensification (I put the roadmap here that should be big enough to read) so she will start today.
Today on the menu is: 1 Spinal tap with Mexthotrexate chemo, 1 dose of Cyclophosphomide, 1 dose of Ara-C, and 1 pill of 6-TG... to counter the side effects of these chemo drugs she will also get Kytril for nausea, Zantac for her stomach, and Nystatin & Perodex 3 times a day as a mouth rinse. They sure know how to load these kids up huh!? Well from here on out the mountain of meds should be substantially smaller.
Please be praying for no side effects on these drugs as some of them have pretty scary yet uncommon side effects such as making the patient sterile. Here is a good link for side effects of the common Leukemia drugs if you want more info.
As for the hair situation, yes it still is gone, just some rouge hairs left looking for company. Actually she has lots of peach fuzz. If you want to see what she looks like click here. It's amazing how quickly it all came out and yes we're still getting used to her new look. Once her cheeks go down a bit and she can smile with out her cheeks closing her eyes that will be better too. Not much to say about her eye from the doctor. He'll see her in 6 weeks and then we'll decide on surgery then, most likely they'll do a surgery.
We'll lots to do on day 29! Hope all is well with you.
I took Abby down to the eye doc yesterday and we stopped by CHOA to get her blood counts. The machine said that she wouldn't pass, ANC 400, but when they did the manual count under the microscope she passed with a 748! Weird, I was sure that she wouldn't make it especially after they ran it on the machine and it came back with a 400. Anyway, she needed a 750 to start the 2nd part of Delayed Intensification (I put the roadmap here that should be big enough to read) so she will start today.
Today on the menu is: 1 Spinal tap with Mexthotrexate chemo, 1 dose of Cyclophosphomide, 1 dose of Ara-C, and 1 pill of 6-TG... to counter the side effects of these chemo drugs she will also get Kytril for nausea, Zantac for her stomach, and Nystatin & Perodex 3 times a day as a mouth rinse. They sure know how to load these kids up huh!? Well from here on out the mountain of meds should be substantially smaller.
Please be praying for no side effects on these drugs as some of them have pretty scary yet uncommon side effects such as making the patient sterile. Here is a good link for side effects of the common Leukemia drugs if you want more info.
As for the hair situation, yes it still is gone, just some rouge hairs left looking for company. Actually she has lots of peach fuzz. If you want to see what she looks like click here. It's amazing how quickly it all came out and yes we're still getting used to her new look. Once her cheeks go down a bit and she can smile with out her cheeks closing her eyes that will be better too. Not much to say about her eye from the doctor. He'll see her in 6 weeks and then we'll decide on surgery then, most likely they'll do a surgery.
We'll lots to do on day 29! Hope all is well with you.
Sunday, July 24, 2005
Hair today, gone tomorrow
Well, actually that would have been a better title a couple days ago being that Tiffany finally cut off what was left of her hair yesterday morning.
I've know it was coming and during the last big round her hair definitely thinned out a bunch but I still wasn't looking forward to it or was I prepared for it all to just come out so fast. Basically it took about 24 hours for her to go from looking pretty normal in the hair department to real sparse. It just came out by the handful, the weirdest thing really, kind of made me nauseous, I don't know why, it just did. I didn't want Tiffany to cut it at first but by Saturday morning I decided that she would probably look better without the remaining hair since it was so spotty.
The first night that it came out she was just bald on the top with the mullet look in the back, she decided to dress up. She got this little skirt on, and some beads, put on a bikini top over her shirt and some clip-on ear rings. I was working downstairs when all of this was going on and when I came upstairs and saw her I couldn't help but laugh. She was all decked out as pretty as could be with her wispy hair just smiling with how beautiful she has made her self. I didn't tell her but all I could think in my head was that she looks like a bag lady... with Gollum's hair.
Actually it is great to see her all lit up and trying to be all beautiful, dressing up, playing, laughing and smiling more it really does offset the fact that her appearance has changed so dramatically. Those are the things that make me see my little Abby more. Past the chubby cheeks, the wandering eye, and her little bald head I really do see daughter more now and that is a great thing. It is amazing how Decadron can change not only Abby's appearance, but also her mood, emotions, and metal functions so much. Crazy stuff. Her face and belly will get more normal looking in the next couple months but she will still have quite the puffy, "moon face" as they call it through the term of her treatment since she'll be on Decadron for 5 days out of each month.
As for us, we're tired. Abby still isn't sleeping very well at night. Actually the last couple nights I found her sleeping on the floor our room or the guest room in the middle of the night. I don't quite know why but I think she is just sore and achy and is having a kind of Decadron withdraw since she wasn't weaned off of it like is often done with these drugs.
Well, speaking of tired, I'm gonna go take a nap. I'll post a puffy-faced-bald-headed picture for you all soon... you have been warned. :)
I've know it was coming and during the last big round her hair definitely thinned out a bunch but I still wasn't looking forward to it or was I prepared for it all to just come out so fast. Basically it took about 24 hours for her to go from looking pretty normal in the hair department to real sparse. It just came out by the handful, the weirdest thing really, kind of made me nauseous, I don't know why, it just did. I didn't want Tiffany to cut it at first but by Saturday morning I decided that she would probably look better without the remaining hair since it was so spotty.
The first night that it came out she was just bald on the top with the mullet look in the back, she decided to dress up. She got this little skirt on, and some beads, put on a bikini top over her shirt and some clip-on ear rings. I was working downstairs when all of this was going on and when I came upstairs and saw her I couldn't help but laugh. She was all decked out as pretty as could be with her wispy hair just smiling with how beautiful she has made her self. I didn't tell her but all I could think in my head was that she looks like a bag lady... with Gollum's hair.
Actually it is great to see her all lit up and trying to be all beautiful, dressing up, playing, laughing and smiling more it really does offset the fact that her appearance has changed so dramatically. Those are the things that make me see my little Abby more. Past the chubby cheeks, the wandering eye, and her little bald head I really do see daughter more now and that is a great thing. It is amazing how Decadron can change not only Abby's appearance, but also her mood, emotions, and metal functions so much. Crazy stuff. Her face and belly will get more normal looking in the next couple months but she will still have quite the puffy, "moon face" as they call it through the term of her treatment since she'll be on Decadron for 5 days out of each month.
As for us, we're tired. Abby still isn't sleeping very well at night. Actually the last couple nights I found her sleeping on the floor our room or the guest room in the middle of the night. I don't quite know why but I think she is just sore and achy and is having a kind of Decadron withdraw since she wasn't weaned off of it like is often done with these drugs.
Well, speaking of tired, I'm gonna go take a nap. I'll post a puffy-faced-bald-headed picture for you all soon... you have been warned. :)
Thursday, July 21, 2005
20,000 hits prize
Last week when I saw the total hit counter fast approaching 20,000 total hits I thought that I should do something special for the person that made the little hit counter hit 20,000. I-Tunes does it, the customer that downloads the 100,000 song or the 200,000 song, etc.. gets an i-Pod and a bunch of free music. I think the millionth song download is coming up and that person get a ton of stuff! Anyway, I don't make I-Pod's and there are no customers her at this site but still I thought I should do something... So what would I do? I thought all morning long, well for as long as I could concentrate on it anyway, at least a minute... I thought of a bunch of ideas: maybe give that person the last Decadron pill that we have left over, or maybe a chemo spill kit, or a loc of Abby's hair since it will all come out anyway. Those all seemed too weird, or sad, or just plain boring so I got another idea. Whoever hits on the 20,000 has to... I mean gets to give me a shoulder massage! Much better idea indeed.
So, I was all ready to implement this fabulous idea and post this message above when I decided to go look to see if there were any comments this morning. I opened up the site, clicked on the comment and BAM!.. Guess who was # 20,000?
Yup, me... So here I sit trying to type with one hand and give myself a lousy shoulder massage with the other. Oh well, it was a good idea. I'll just have to wait for #30,000.
So on the Abby front, she is much more pleasant today. The Decadron must be wearing off because she is much less hungry and a lot more playful/smiley. That is a great thing! Her hair has been falling out and today it started to come out in clumps so, probably by my next post I'll have a bald little girl... It's about time really, most kids loose it the first month or two so it is pretty amazing that she still has so much of it 7 months into the treatment. Still stinks that she has to lose it at all but I'm sure we'll get use to it in time. Otherwise things are relatively calm, especially in comparison to the last 3 weeks. We'll get more info on what to do about her lazy eye on Monday, most likely surgery, and we'll also see if her counts are good enough to start the next round of chemo on Tuesday.
That's about it... I've got to go and finish giving myself a back rub. :)
So, I was all ready to implement this fabulous idea and post this message above when I decided to go look to see if there were any comments this morning. I opened up the site, clicked on the comment and BAM!.. Guess who was # 20,000?
Yup, me... So here I sit trying to type with one hand and give myself a lousy shoulder massage with the other. Oh well, it was a good idea. I'll just have to wait for #30,000.
So on the Abby front, she is much more pleasant today. The Decadron must be wearing off because she is much less hungry and a lot more playful/smiley. That is a great thing! Her hair has been falling out and today it started to come out in clumps so, probably by my next post I'll have a bald little girl... It's about time really, most kids loose it the first month or two so it is pretty amazing that she still has so much of it 7 months into the treatment. Still stinks that she has to lose it at all but I'm sure we'll get use to it in time. Otherwise things are relatively calm, especially in comparison to the last 3 weeks. We'll get more info on what to do about her lazy eye on Monday, most likely surgery, and we'll also see if her counts are good enough to start the next round of chemo on Tuesday.
That's about it... I've got to go and finish giving myself a back rub. :)
Monday, July 18, 2005
My Chipmunk-Cheeked Girl
Hey all,
Here's a recent pic for you all. Ahh the wonders of steroidal drugs. Not just grumpy and hungry but "moon face" too. That's what they call it, the cubby cheeks and Buddha-belly, comes from water gain and salt retention... crazy stuff. Anyway, it will gradually go away and she will look more like her normal cheeked self. She'll still have a bit of the puffy cheeks through the course of the treatment since she will still be on this same steroid, Decadron, for 5 days each month.
Wanna hear the good news????
She is done taking the grumpy pill tomorrow evening! Yippee, day 21 is finally here! And if that wasn't enough good news, our doctor called today and told us that we can take her off the monster antibiotic, Vancomyacin, and switch her to another more narrow spectrum one that we only have to give her ONCE A DAY!!! Yippeeee!!! We have to give her the Vanco 3 times a day, every 8 hours and it takes 2 hours to infuse it via her broviac so.... guess how much consecutive sleep we get while doing that?... Ahhh... I see you all paid attention during that math class, yes, you are correct... 6 hours... minus the snacking and potty breaks of course:) Actually she has been doing good on that front too. Only really wakes us up maybe once a night or not at all. She still goes to the bathroom her self and the big bowl of cheerios seems to last her through the night. The only thing that I occasionally wake up to is the sound of loud crunching at 2am in the adjacent room:) I just chuckle and fall back to sleep.
See what else?... Still a challenging pace but we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Tiffany's mom Vicky is leaving on Wednesday so we will miss the help but hopefully we are through the most demanding times. Hey Robin... Thanks for loaning us your wife for so long. It has been sooooo needed and very helpful! Dr. Smith said that they will probably pull the Broviac after we are done with DI, if she can make it through without a ton of infections. Abby's eye has been more crossed since the start of DI, probably since she is weaker and more tired but I'll have to ask the eye specialist why when we go next week. The tentative schedule for the eye is to do corrective surgery after DI is finished. So, looks like lots of surgeries in September and November... Oh well, one day at a time.
I think that is about it. Just taking it day by day. Some days, like yesterday and today, she does really, really well. And some days are a bit harder. She has a week off of chemo now so that will be a good thing for her, but also this is the danger zone and Dr. Smith told me not to be surprised if she gets admitted again in the next couple weeks. I
In general though she's doing great. She's been playing a little bit, mostly with her kitchen and food toys and watching a lot of videos... she really likes the Blues Clues Snack Time video! The only problem letting her watch is that she starts asking for everything that they make! I can't keep up with the video when they have something new every 5 minutes! :)
Well, there is the long and short of it. I'll have to write more later about how she makes these little noises when she eats... kind of reminds us of rain man... and how she pretty much mumbles constantly about everything and anything that is going on around her. All I have to say is Chemo is some pretty strange and often disturbing stuff!
Bye for now.
Here's a recent pic for you all. Ahh the wonders of steroidal drugs. Not just grumpy and hungry but "moon face" too. That's what they call it, the cubby cheeks and Buddha-belly, comes from water gain and salt retention... crazy stuff. Anyway, it will gradually go away and she will look more like her normal cheeked self. She'll still have a bit of the puffy cheeks through the course of the treatment since she will still be on this same steroid, Decadron, for 5 days each month.
Wanna hear the good news????
She is done taking the grumpy pill tomorrow evening! Yippee, day 21 is finally here! And if that wasn't enough good news, our doctor called today and told us that we can take her off the monster antibiotic, Vancomyacin, and switch her to another more narrow spectrum one that we only have to give her ONCE A DAY!!! Yippeeee!!! We have to give her the Vanco 3 times a day, every 8 hours and it takes 2 hours to infuse it via her broviac so.... guess how much consecutive sleep we get while doing that?... Ahhh... I see you all paid attention during that math class, yes, you are correct... 6 hours... minus the snacking and potty breaks of course:) Actually she has been doing good on that front too. Only really wakes us up maybe once a night or not at all. She still goes to the bathroom her self and the big bowl of cheerios seems to last her through the night. The only thing that I occasionally wake up to is the sound of loud crunching at 2am in the adjacent room:) I just chuckle and fall back to sleep.
See what else?... Still a challenging pace but we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Tiffany's mom Vicky is leaving on Wednesday so we will miss the help but hopefully we are through the most demanding times. Hey Robin... Thanks for loaning us your wife for so long. It has been sooooo needed and very helpful! Dr. Smith said that they will probably pull the Broviac after we are done with DI, if she can make it through without a ton of infections. Abby's eye has been more crossed since the start of DI, probably since she is weaker and more tired but I'll have to ask the eye specialist why when we go next week. The tentative schedule for the eye is to do corrective surgery after DI is finished. So, looks like lots of surgeries in September and November... Oh well, one day at a time.
I think that is about it. Just taking it day by day. Some days, like yesterday and today, she does really, really well. And some days are a bit harder. She has a week off of chemo now so that will be a good thing for her, but also this is the danger zone and Dr. Smith told me not to be surprised if she gets admitted again in the next couple weeks. I
In general though she's doing great. She's been playing a little bit, mostly with her kitchen and food toys and watching a lot of videos... she really likes the Blues Clues Snack Time video! The only problem letting her watch is that she starts asking for everything that they make! I can't keep up with the video when they have something new every 5 minutes! :)
Well, there is the long and short of it. I'll have to write more later about how she makes these little noises when she eats... kind of reminds us of rain man... and how she pretty much mumbles constantly about everything and anything that is going on around her. All I have to say is Chemo is some pretty strange and often disturbing stuff!
Bye for now.
Saturday, July 16, 2005
Back from the Hospital
Just a quick note to let you all know that Abby was discharged yesterday about 4pm and is doing good at home.
She is on Vancomyacin and is still very hungry but all in all she is doing fine. Her face is getting very puffy again from the steroid drugs but we are done with those on Tuesday!!! Yippee!!
I'll write more as I have time.
She is on Vancomyacin and is still very hungry but all in all she is doing fine. Her face is getting very puffy again from the steroid drugs but we are done with those on Tuesday!!! Yippee!!
I'll write more as I have time.
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
One of the 70%...
So Abby is now one of the 70% that gets admitted to the hospital during DI. Tiffany just took her down today after they did a blood culture when Abby was down for her chemo yesterday. They have Abby on antibiotics again and from what I've heard they are checking to see if this is the same bacteria infection that she has had before. If so then they may have to do surgery to remove her Broviac line encase it is laying dormant in the line.
So, that's all I have right now. I'll try to post as I have time and access to the Internet. Please be praying for her infection to clear up and for her not to have to get her line removed.
Thanks!
So, that's all I have right now. I'll try to post as I have time and access to the Internet. Please be praying for her infection to clear up and for her not to have to get her line removed.
Thanks!
Monday, July 11, 2005
Ravenously Hungry
I'm still in California for the TEAM conferance with the Youth Leadership Institute at APU but I wanted to give a little update as to how things are going on the Abby front.
Abby is still relatively healthy, grumpy and hungry but healthy. Actually VERY hungry in the last 2 days. The request for food has grown and now is even at night. Being a very independent little 3 year old, Abby decided to solve her own problem of hunger the other night. Late into the night and early in the morning she was found roaming around the kitchen and helping her self to different food items in the pantry. Since that wasn't exactly what we wanted to be the norm in our house and since it was an exhausting hight Tiffany decided to put up the baby gate last night and provide snacks in a basket for Abby to eat through the night.... That worked to a point, but the basket still had to be refilled a couple times during the night with snacks.
Now, Abby is a good little girl that has been to taught to share as any child would be at her age. And she is getting pretty good at it too. For instance, last night Abby decided to share her snacks with Anna. Makes sense you know, sharing is a good thing. So..... Tiffany and Vicky found Anna in the crib this morning with various snacks strewn about. Popcorn, rice crispies, and chocolate cookies were probably a lovely breakfast for Anna but probably also a pain to clean up out of her crib.
So, be praying for energy for my wife and mother-in-law while I'm gone. Pray that Abby won't eat us into the poor house, and that she continues to to well with the chemo effects.
Abby's 3rd chemo week is coming up on Tuesday and for the next couple weeks she will be, as our doctor says, "in the danger zone" for this phase. The point when 60-70% if kids are admitted to the hospital. Please be praying that she will be one of the 30-40% that does not have to go in.
Thank you once again for all of your comments, prayers and encouragement!
Abby is still relatively healthy, grumpy and hungry but healthy. Actually VERY hungry in the last 2 days. The request for food has grown and now is even at night. Being a very independent little 3 year old, Abby decided to solve her own problem of hunger the other night. Late into the night and early in the morning she was found roaming around the kitchen and helping her self to different food items in the pantry. Since that wasn't exactly what we wanted to be the norm in our house and since it was an exhausting hight Tiffany decided to put up the baby gate last night and provide snacks in a basket for Abby to eat through the night.... That worked to a point, but the basket still had to be refilled a couple times during the night with snacks.
Now, Abby is a good little girl that has been to taught to share as any child would be at her age. And she is getting pretty good at it too. For instance, last night Abby decided to share her snacks with Anna. Makes sense you know, sharing is a good thing. So..... Tiffany and Vicky found Anna in the crib this morning with various snacks strewn about. Popcorn, rice crispies, and chocolate cookies were probably a lovely breakfast for Anna but probably also a pain to clean up out of her crib.
So, be praying for energy for my wife and mother-in-law while I'm gone. Pray that Abby won't eat us into the poor house, and that she continues to to well with the chemo effects.
Abby's 3rd chemo week is coming up on Tuesday and for the next couple weeks she will be, as our doctor says, "in the danger zone" for this phase. The point when 60-70% if kids are admitted to the hospital. Please be praying that she will be one of the 30-40% that does not have to go in.
Thank you once again for all of your comments, prayers and encouragement!
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
Noodles... Lots of noodles
Well, yes here appetite is back! For a brief glimpse into our life, I give you the breakfast menu.
7:30am Milk
7:45am Request for "Real Pancakes".... "with syrup"
8:05am Pancakes served... with syrup and butter
8:10am Bananas ordered and served
8:15am More bananas... "in the peel please" (at least she still is polite in her demands:))
8:20am Done with pancakes, asks for noodles... Penne pasta to be specific.
8:22am Finished convincing her that Spaghetti Noodles were already cooked and would be better.
8:25am-8:35ish Abby eats 3 bowls of spaghetti "with sauce... without tomatoes please"
At this point I ran and errand but when I returned at around 9am, I found her seated at the table again eating....
9am.... Ice cream, Haagen-dazs of course! Mummmmmm. Breakfast of champions really!
I've been out since then but I'm sure she's found some more stuff to eat. That is actually a good thing really, she needs to gain some weight. She's been about 28-30 lbs since she was diagnosed and we don't want her to lose any more during this phase if possible, so on I'll go being a short order cook and letting my child have her 9am ice cream rendezvous....
The only problem that I see is that I end up eating everything that she "orders" and then doesn't want... Man this is going to be worse than the "Freshman 15" for me! I guess I just have to start throwing food away... so hard for me to do... Oh well better than buying all new clothes. :)
Out for now.
7:30am Milk
7:45am Request for "Real Pancakes".... "with syrup"
8:05am Pancakes served... with syrup and butter
8:10am Bananas ordered and served
8:15am More bananas... "in the peel please" (at least she still is polite in her demands:))
8:20am Done with pancakes, asks for noodles... Penne pasta to be specific.
8:22am Finished convincing her that Spaghetti Noodles were already cooked and would be better.
8:25am-8:35ish Abby eats 3 bowls of spaghetti "with sauce... without tomatoes please"
At this point I ran and errand but when I returned at around 9am, I found her seated at the table again eating....
9am.... Ice cream, Haagen-dazs of course! Mummmmmm. Breakfast of champions really!
I've been out since then but I'm sure she's found some more stuff to eat. That is actually a good thing really, she needs to gain some weight. She's been about 28-30 lbs since she was diagnosed and we don't want her to lose any more during this phase if possible, so on I'll go being a short order cook and letting my child have her 9am ice cream rendezvous....
The only problem that I see is that I end up eating everything that she "orders" and then doesn't want... Man this is going to be worse than the "Freshman 15" for me! I guess I just have to start throwing food away... so hard for me to do... Oh well better than buying all new clothes. :)
Out for now.
Sunday, July 03, 2005
I just like this poem
I THE BRIGHT FIELD
R.S. Thomas
I have seen the sun break through
to illuminate a small field
for a while, and gone my way
and forgotten it. But that was the pearl of great price, the one field that had the treasure in it. I realize now
that I must give all that I have
to possess it. Life is not hurrying
on to a receding future, nor hankering after
an imagined past. It is the turning aside like Moses to the miracle
of the lit bush, to a brightness
that seemed as transitory as your youth
once, but is the eternity that awaits you.
I found this poem today while I was reading some blogs. I really like it. I like that it give such a good image of living in the present. I like that it reminds of our heritage, of God's promises to our forefathers, and to us.
I so often hurry on to get through things, to the future... The future must be better right? If I'm not longing for the future, then I'm just as often "hanker after an imagined past." Oh how we twist the facts in our minds of the future and the past always thinking the grass is greener somewhere else. That God was so much bigger in our lives then or will be bigger in our lives in the future... But what about now? What burning bushes are just outside of our view if we would stand still enough to look around and find them?
So yes life is still demanding with my moody little girl, often so much that we barely get to sit down... exhausting. I live my days lately longing for the future and the past... anything but the present. Nap time, bedtime, morning coffee... these are music to my ears. But almost a week into, I find again that these times do not satisfy. The coffee doesn't quench my thirst, the afternoon nap does not fill me up, the "I'm so exhausted from the day so lets watch Seinfeld reruns" don't rejuvenate me as in the moment I think they will.
You know what does? .... Sitting in the hammock rocking my little girl, drying her tears, and comforting her. Redirecting her little misguided request for 3 different types of cheese laden pasta within 3 minutes with love and a solid boundary that I really do know what's best for her. Praying in the midst of chaos for God not to rescue me from my circumstances but to comfort me and rock me through them; to give me boundaries in love that really help me to know that He knows best for me. Just talking to friends, looking them in the eye, and with that contact knowing that my family is loved. And in the same way, turning to look past my often misguided focus, to see the burning bushes in my life; realizing that I am on holy ground, right now, in the present, and that more than anyone else, God is drenching our family in love.... If I would only look over to see it more.
R.S. Thomas
I have seen the sun break through
to illuminate a small field
for a while, and gone my way
and forgotten it. But that was the pearl of great price, the one field that had the treasure in it. I realize now
that I must give all that I have
to possess it. Life is not hurrying
on to a receding future, nor hankering after
an imagined past. It is the turning aside like Moses to the miracle
of the lit bush, to a brightness
that seemed as transitory as your youth
once, but is the eternity that awaits you.
I found this poem today while I was reading some blogs. I really like it. I like that it give such a good image of living in the present. I like that it reminds of our heritage, of God's promises to our forefathers, and to us.
I so often hurry on to get through things, to the future... The future must be better right? If I'm not longing for the future, then I'm just as often "hanker after an imagined past." Oh how we twist the facts in our minds of the future and the past always thinking the grass is greener somewhere else. That God was so much bigger in our lives then or will be bigger in our lives in the future... But what about now? What burning bushes are just outside of our view if we would stand still enough to look around and find them?
So yes life is still demanding with my moody little girl, often so much that we barely get to sit down... exhausting. I live my days lately longing for the future and the past... anything but the present. Nap time, bedtime, morning coffee... these are music to my ears. But almost a week into, I find again that these times do not satisfy. The coffee doesn't quench my thirst, the afternoon nap does not fill me up, the "I'm so exhausted from the day so lets watch Seinfeld reruns" don't rejuvenate me as in the moment I think they will.
You know what does? .... Sitting in the hammock rocking my little girl, drying her tears, and comforting her. Redirecting her little misguided request for 3 different types of cheese laden pasta within 3 minutes with love and a solid boundary that I really do know what's best for her. Praying in the midst of chaos for God not to rescue me from my circumstances but to comfort me and rock me through them; to give me boundaries in love that really help me to know that He knows best for me. Just talking to friends, looking them in the eye, and with that contact knowing that my family is loved. And in the same way, turning to look past my often misguided focus, to see the burning bushes in my life; realizing that I am on holy ground, right now, in the present, and that more than anyone else, God is drenching our family in love.... If I would only look over to see it more.
Saturday, July 02, 2005
The grumpy pill
There is a point in every bloggers life when they have to figure out how much to share in this open journal of sorts. That is probably one of the main reasons why I haven't posted since DI started, I just don't really know what to share. Do I share that every morning and night now as I grind up this little pill and cover it with chocolate syrup to disguise it's taste that I feel like I'm poisoning my daughter. Do I share the angst and frustration that really just comes from a deep sadness of having to watch my little girl go from her playful little self to a grumpy, tired, whiney little girl who just wants to zone in front of the TV and how it happened virtually overnight? Do I share the resurfacing fears of losing my daughter not to the cancer but to the side-effects of these drugs that are suppose to help her? Aren't meds. suppose to make you feel better?
So I do know what to share really, it's just I don't know how to share it. I think what's up above is a pretty good start. I know that I need to share these thoughts and these feelings with you all because you all are part of this journey too. God created us for community, to share in the tough times and the fun times. I hope you feel closer to my family and Abby by now and that you really will know what is truly going on when you read a post here. I know that we are not alone in this and I thank you for all of your prayer, support, encouragement, and comments. Keep the comments coming please, it's nice to hear from you all.
So as you can see Abby is doing ok. She went from her smiley chipper self to a grumpy, crying shell of herself over night. When we awoke on Wednesday morning we had a different little girl living with us. I don't know if you can really relate but Tiffany says that it seems like Abby's having a 10-fold killer PMS type week. Just out of control and inconsolable one hour and then seemingly happy and ready to go swing in the back yard the next minute. Couple that with the fact that she had a spinal tap on Tuesday and another chemo drug that makes people very nauseous for days, and one more that makes Abby very constipated, oh ya, and the Decadron that makes them hungry with mood swings and yes... what we have here is a very tired, grumpy, crying one minute/smiling the next, hungry, nauseous, sore, dizzy little girl who doesn't understand why she feels like this and the only comfort that she seems to be able to find is by smelling her blanket and sucking on her fingers.... constantly. On that note, pray that she doesn't get raw sores on her fingers, her middle 2, because she has them in her mouth when ever she is awake lately.
She also saying that she thinks that she needs to go to the Hospital a lot lately since she doesn't feel good. Breaks my heart really. We actually did go down to the hospital yesterday, she was excited for a minute until I put the Emla cream on her things. This is a numbing cream, topical, that they have you put on before they do spinal taps or shots, yesterday was the 2 shot day (see the roadmap for PEG, day 4). I put it on right as we where about to pull out of the driveway and she did NOT want that on... She is pretty smart now and can see the signs of what is going to come when we put Emla on. She cried for about a half an hour... all I could do is tell her that it would help and keep driving. She did ok with the shots but must have been pretty sore on the way home because she just sat there and looked out the window, didn't want to play or talk, she didn't even want to get a new toy from CHOA (they give the kids a toy especially when they get a painful procedure).
Well, the girls are up now so off I go... I've got to go crush up that nasty little pill, drowned it in syrup and give it to my little girl for another day of fun. :)
So I do know what to share really, it's just I don't know how to share it. I think what's up above is a pretty good start. I know that I need to share these thoughts and these feelings with you all because you all are part of this journey too. God created us for community, to share in the tough times and the fun times. I hope you feel closer to my family and Abby by now and that you really will know what is truly going on when you read a post here. I know that we are not alone in this and I thank you for all of your prayer, support, encouragement, and comments. Keep the comments coming please, it's nice to hear from you all.
So as you can see Abby is doing ok. She went from her smiley chipper self to a grumpy, crying shell of herself over night. When we awoke on Wednesday morning we had a different little girl living with us. I don't know if you can really relate but Tiffany says that it seems like Abby's having a 10-fold killer PMS type week. Just out of control and inconsolable one hour and then seemingly happy and ready to go swing in the back yard the next minute. Couple that with the fact that she had a spinal tap on Tuesday and another chemo drug that makes people very nauseous for days, and one more that makes Abby very constipated, oh ya, and the Decadron that makes them hungry with mood swings and yes... what we have here is a very tired, grumpy, crying one minute/smiling the next, hungry, nauseous, sore, dizzy little girl who doesn't understand why she feels like this and the only comfort that she seems to be able to find is by smelling her blanket and sucking on her fingers.... constantly. On that note, pray that she doesn't get raw sores on her fingers, her middle 2, because she has them in her mouth when ever she is awake lately.
She also saying that she thinks that she needs to go to the Hospital a lot lately since she doesn't feel good. Breaks my heart really. We actually did go down to the hospital yesterday, she was excited for a minute until I put the Emla cream on her things. This is a numbing cream, topical, that they have you put on before they do spinal taps or shots, yesterday was the 2 shot day (see the roadmap for PEG, day 4). I put it on right as we where about to pull out of the driveway and she did NOT want that on... She is pretty smart now and can see the signs of what is going to come when we put Emla on. She cried for about a half an hour... all I could do is tell her that it would help and keep driving. She did ok with the shots but must have been pretty sore on the way home because she just sat there and looked out the window, didn't want to play or talk, she didn't even want to get a new toy from CHOA (they give the kids a toy especially when they get a painful procedure).
Well, the girls are up now so off I go... I've got to go crush up that nasty little pill, drowned it in syrup and give it to my little girl for another day of fun. :)
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Getting on the "Road" of DI
Merging with traffic on a freeway always has been a hard thing for me to do. You're driving nice and slow, enjoying the scenery and all, and then you hit the on ramp. You hit the gas and faster and faster you go, accelerating towards a mass of fast moving cars at this crazy angle of attack, hopefully finding a spot at the end to fit your car into amongst them.
That's kind of how I feel to day. I'd rather take a country drive, a country drive on Sunday even to really slow things down .in a tractor. But nay, on to Denver we go, roadmap in hand, off to start DI.
So, yes the roadmap that you see in the image above is not your typical roadmap, but for us it is becoming more typical. Every phase of this treatment has its own "roadmap" to help us know what's coming up. This roadmap is a complete protocol of what Abby will be getting, and when, for all of the Delayed Intensification time frame, 59 days in all. As you can see from the top all patients must qualify for this phase with a certain ANC (immunity) count of 750 and a certain level of platelets. Yesterday Abby finally qualified since her ANC was 1600 but last week she was only at 200, that's why she couldn't start.
Well we've got to get going. down to Denver to get all of day 1's Meds. I can feel the car accelerating already:-).
That's kind of how I feel to day. I'd rather take a country drive, a country drive on Sunday even to really slow things down .in a tractor. But nay, on to Denver we go, roadmap in hand, off to start DI.
So, yes the roadmap that you see in the image above is not your typical roadmap, but for us it is becoming more typical. Every phase of this treatment has its own "roadmap" to help us know what's coming up. This roadmap is a complete protocol of what Abby will be getting, and when, for all of the Delayed Intensification time frame, 59 days in all. As you can see from the top all patients must qualify for this phase with a certain ANC (immunity) count of 750 and a certain level of platelets. Yesterday Abby finally qualified since her ANC was 1600 but last week she was only at 200, that's why she couldn't start.
Well we've got to get going. down to Denver to get all of day 1's Meds. I can feel the car accelerating already:-).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)