Hi everyone:
Kathleen was released from the hospital this morning. Her numbers, while not ideal, were improved enough to allow her to return home.
Love,
Brian
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
New week, similar story
Hi everyone:
I drove Kathleen to her oncology appointment today. She was scheduled to receive an injection of Procrit, and to have her blood counts taken. The results of the latter (5.4 on hemoglobin, 14,000 on platelets) have again landed Kathleen in the hospital on a "23-hour stay". Kathleen was very weak today, so our hope is that the three bags of whole blood she's receiving tonight will be enough to keep her going and get her out of the hospital without an extended stay.
Kathleen is pretty frustrated that the chemo has not, as yet, yielded the results she had hoped for. Her oncologist said that he felt Kathleen would have to go through a third round of chemo (next week), and that he wasn't prepared to draw any conclusions yet about chemo's success or failure until after that third round.
Patty is spending the night with Kathleen. Please keep those positive thoughts heading her way.
Love,
Brian
P.S. On a positive note, if Kathleen responds to the blood transfusions as she has in the past, she'll probably be an Energizer bunny over the weekend. I just wish she could keep it going for more than a handful of days.
I drove Kathleen to her oncology appointment today. She was scheduled to receive an injection of Procrit, and to have her blood counts taken. The results of the latter (5.4 on hemoglobin, 14,000 on platelets) have again landed Kathleen in the hospital on a "23-hour stay". Kathleen was very weak today, so our hope is that the three bags of whole blood she's receiving tonight will be enough to keep her going and get her out of the hospital without an extended stay.
Kathleen is pretty frustrated that the chemo has not, as yet, yielded the results she had hoped for. Her oncologist said that he felt Kathleen would have to go through a third round of chemo (next week), and that he wasn't prepared to draw any conclusions yet about chemo's success or failure until after that third round.
Patty is spending the night with Kathleen. Please keep those positive thoughts heading her way.
Love,
Brian
P.S. On a positive note, if Kathleen responds to the blood transfusions as she has in the past, she'll probably be an Energizer bunny over the weekend. I just wish she could keep it going for more than a handful of days.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Visitors, visitors, visitors
Hi everyone:
Sharon, MaryKate, Brian, Emma, MaryBeth and Jeff visited Kathleen at her home today; here are a few pics:
Sharon, MaryKate, Brian, Emma, MaryBeth and Jeff visited Kathleen at her home today; here are a few pics:
Saturday, September 25, 2010
A rough start, but a pretty good day
Hi everyone:
Kathleen has really struggled with nausea lately, even with the near-wonder-drug Zofran in her arsenal of antiemetics. She bounced back enough yesterday afternoon to join Patty and I on a short trek to Utica for dinner. We were all a bit disappointed to be skirting Starved Rock State Park and seeing no color other than green, but it was still a nice, low-key outing on a gorgeous day. Along the way, we shared a ton of memories and laughs, and picked up a pretty cool studded pink leather cap for our patient. She can add this to her collection of knit caps and an amazing scarf she was sent by her Aunt Sue.
Upon our return, we stopped by a party Kathleen's friend Cindy was hosting, and then ran Kathleen back home. She was pooped, but happy about her full day. I was happy to be taking home a care package of tons of food from Cindy's party. Kathleen's feeling a bit nauseous this morning, but hopes to rebound to join her son Sean for a trip to the arboretum.
I'd share pictures from our afternoon out, but I had drained the battery with all the other snaps from recent days. Oops.
From what we've observed, Kathleen thrives if she can set her own pace for things and doesn't take on more than she can handle. Last weekend, at our house, Kathleen barely moved, except for our occasional photo ops; she was too weak to do much of anything. The chemo was being a monster to her, but everyone did their best to keep it at bay.
This week, after Kathleen received two rounds of blood products, she had what we've been calling a "blood buzz"; she has huge amounts of energy followed by equally huge amounts of fatigue. It's hard to convince someone to take it easy when she's feeling better than she has in several days. She's a tough cookie...and a stubborn one.
Love,
Brian
Kathleen has really struggled with nausea lately, even with the near-wonder-drug Zofran in her arsenal of antiemetics. She bounced back enough yesterday afternoon to join Patty and I on a short trek to Utica for dinner. We were all a bit disappointed to be skirting Starved Rock State Park and seeing no color other than green, but it was still a nice, low-key outing on a gorgeous day. Along the way, we shared a ton of memories and laughs, and picked up a pretty cool studded pink leather cap for our patient. She can add this to her collection of knit caps and an amazing scarf she was sent by her Aunt Sue.
Upon our return, we stopped by a party Kathleen's friend Cindy was hosting, and then ran Kathleen back home. She was pooped, but happy about her full day. I was happy to be taking home a care package of tons of food from Cindy's party. Kathleen's feeling a bit nauseous this morning, but hopes to rebound to join her son Sean for a trip to the arboretum.
I'd share pictures from our afternoon out, but I had drained the battery with all the other snaps from recent days. Oops.
From what we've observed, Kathleen thrives if she can set her own pace for things and doesn't take on more than she can handle. Last weekend, at our house, Kathleen barely moved, except for our occasional photo ops; she was too weak to do much of anything. The chemo was being a monster to her, but everyone did their best to keep it at bay.
This week, after Kathleen received two rounds of blood products, she had what we've been calling a "blood buzz"; she has huge amounts of energy followed by equally huge amounts of fatigue. It's hard to convince someone to take it easy when she's feeling better than she has in several days. She's a tough cookie...and a stubborn one.
Love,
Brian
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
A few pints short...
Hi everyone:
Kathleen received a call from her oncologist's office yesterday. Turns out that their preference would have been that Kathleen stay in the hospital, because even with the three pints of blood her numbers were too low. She was asked to come in to the outpatient area of the hospital this morning to receive more blood products; Don took her. Hopefully, this next round will bump her numbers to a higher, safer level. I'll let you know if/when I hear more.
Love,
Brian
Kathleen received a call from her oncologist's office yesterday. Turns out that their preference would have been that Kathleen stay in the hospital, because even with the three pints of blood her numbers were too low. She was asked to come in to the outpatient area of the hospital this morning to receive more blood products; Don took her. Hopefully, this next round will bump her numbers to a higher, safer level. I'll let you know if/when I hear more.
Love,
Brian
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
A whirlwind 24 hours
Hi everyone:
Kathleen had a terrible morning yesterday. When I arrived, she had been vomiting, was alarmingly pale (think "Man from Glad") and weak (she almost fell over a couple of times when she stood too quickly). Her doctor suggested that she come into the clinic for fluids--the theory being that she was suffering from dehydration.
Kathleen's friend Cindy drove to the 2:30 appointment, and I tagged along. At the weigh-in, Kathleen was down four pounds in just five days. Carol, a great nurse at the clinic, drew Kathleen's blood; when the results came back, she looked quite alarmed. Kathleen's platelets were low, and her hemoglobin was running at 5.2gm/dl (normal is 11.7-13.8). The nurse expressed surprise that Kathleen was even conscious, let alone ambulatory, and said it was a good thing she came in when she did.
Arrangements were made for Kathleen to be admitted on a "23-hour hospitalization", which meant that if all went well, she would receive blood transfusions and then be released. Given Kathleen's recent hospital track record, none of us were too optimistic she'd have a short stay. Last night, Patty and I traded places; she stayed the night, during which Kathleen received three pints of blood. The last of it dripped about a half-hour after I arrived this morning.
This morning at around 9am, Kathleen was released and I brought her to her home, where I'm writing this. You would not believe the difference in her within a single day. Today, she's moving around (probably a little too much), and seems quite a bit more like her old self. Her appetite, which had been pretty much non-existent (constant puking will do that to a person), has been, by Kathleen's standards, legendary. It's nice to see.
We're hoping any future visits to the hospital (and there will, no doubt, be more) are short like this one.
Stay tuned...
Love,
Brian
Kathleen had a terrible morning yesterday. When I arrived, she had been vomiting, was alarmingly pale (think "Man from Glad") and weak (she almost fell over a couple of times when she stood too quickly). Her doctor suggested that she come into the clinic for fluids--the theory being that she was suffering from dehydration.
Kathleen's friend Cindy drove to the 2:30 appointment, and I tagged along. At the weigh-in, Kathleen was down four pounds in just five days. Carol, a great nurse at the clinic, drew Kathleen's blood; when the results came back, she looked quite alarmed. Kathleen's platelets were low, and her hemoglobin was running at 5.2gm/dl (normal is 11.7-13.8). The nurse expressed surprise that Kathleen was even conscious, let alone ambulatory, and said it was a good thing she came in when she did.
Arrangements were made for Kathleen to be admitted on a "23-hour hospitalization", which meant that if all went well, she would receive blood transfusions and then be released. Given Kathleen's recent hospital track record, none of us were too optimistic she'd have a short stay. Last night, Patty and I traded places; she stayed the night, during which Kathleen received three pints of blood. The last of it dripped about a half-hour after I arrived this morning.
This morning at around 9am, Kathleen was released and I brought her to her home, where I'm writing this. You would not believe the difference in her within a single day. Today, she's moving around (probably a little too much), and seems quite a bit more like her old self. Her appetite, which had been pretty much non-existent (constant puking will do that to a person), has been, by Kathleen's standards, legendary. It's nice to see.
We're hoping any future visits to the hospital (and there will, no doubt, be more) are short like this one.
Stay tuned...
Love,
Brian
Monday, September 20, 2010
Still struggling
Hi everyone:
Thought I'd share some of the photos we snapped this weekend--whenever Kathleen was alert and able. She's spent much of the time lately feeling either exhausted or nauseous. What's more, the chemo causes her pain in her muscles and bones, especially in her thighs. We hosted her at our home for most of the weekend, which meant Patty was able to give her the round-the-clock TLC the chemo insists upon.
Kathleen came out for a couple of hours for a face-painting fundraiser at Patty's school early Friday evening. Even bundled up in a comfortable lawn chair, she was too weak to last through the event, so I took her back to our house. She wants so much to be a part of things, but just doesn't have the fuel in the tank to sustain any activity for long.
On Saturday, Don and a friend of his came over to watch some boxing; we cooked up a major feast and, later, shaved the head of Denise, our good neighbor and friend. On Sunday, our neighbor Trish stopped in to say hello to Kathleen. It seems Kathleen makes friends wherever she goes.
All in all, Kathleen made the most of a lousy weekend. This morning, I'm at her house to keep an eye on her while I work. She's feeling miserable and is having real challenges keeping any food or liquids down, so I believe Don will be calling the doctor sometime this morning. I suspect she will soon need fluids and perhaps blood products. Everyone's hope is to avoid another prolonged hospitalization.
If anyone happens to have a wheelchair kicking around that they could loan us, could you please let us know? Kathleen is able to participate in more activities (and life in general) if she's not required to walk any distance.
Keep those positive thoughts coming...and check out the pics below.
Love,
Brian
Thought I'd share some of the photos we snapped this weekend--whenever Kathleen was alert and able. She's spent much of the time lately feeling either exhausted or nauseous. What's more, the chemo causes her pain in her muscles and bones, especially in her thighs. We hosted her at our home for most of the weekend, which meant Patty was able to give her the round-the-clock TLC the chemo insists upon.
Kathleen came out for a couple of hours for a face-painting fundraiser at Patty's school early Friday evening. Even bundled up in a comfortable lawn chair, she was too weak to last through the event, so I took her back to our house. She wants so much to be a part of things, but just doesn't have the fuel in the tank to sustain any activity for long.
On Saturday, Don and a friend of his came over to watch some boxing; we cooked up a major feast and, later, shaved the head of Denise, our good neighbor and friend. On Sunday, our neighbor Trish stopped in to say hello to Kathleen. It seems Kathleen makes friends wherever she goes.
All in all, Kathleen made the most of a lousy weekend. This morning, I'm at her house to keep an eye on her while I work. She's feeling miserable and is having real challenges keeping any food or liquids down, so I believe Don will be calling the doctor sometime this morning. I suspect she will soon need fluids and perhaps blood products. Everyone's hope is to avoid another prolonged hospitalization.
If anyone happens to have a wheelchair kicking around that they could loan us, could you please let us know? Kathleen is able to participate in more activities (and life in general) if she's not required to walk any distance.
Keep those positive thoughts coming...and check out the pics below.
Love,
Brian
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