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Gloria's
Progress Updates on
Gloria's battle with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma |
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Current
info of Gloria's condition. Her
regular appointments are every Tuesday.
I will update each appointment and during her week of treatments. June 19, 2006: I DO believe in miracles! Mama had her bone marrow biopsy last Tuesday. She called last Friday and was told the
cancer in her marrow was 30-40%. Mama
was so disappointed. It was too high
to take Bexxar, (our only chance for a true cure) and the numbers had not
changed much since the last biopsy.
Well, Dr. Beck’s office called this morning and the nurse she talked
to said “Guess what? I read those
numbers wrong and the doctor wants to talk to you!”, so then , Dr. Beck got
on the phone and said “They changed the form the usually put results on and
the nurse read you the percent of bone marrow USED in the testing. The percentage of cancer in your bone
marrow is not 30-40%, but 0%!!” They
could not find ANY cancer in her marrow!
We cannot believe it (sort of) it is such a blessing!! Her cancer is not the type you can just say
they are in remission and get checked up every few months, because the cancer
is still lurking and waiting for an aggressive re-attack (that’s what
happened last time she was in remission).
They will start Bexxar as soon as they can schedule to start it, which
will be hard on her physically but was our best option and chance for a cure
where she could truly be cancer free and healthy once again. Thank you again for all your prayers and
thoughts… keep praying, the battle isn’t over, but praise God for this great
news!!!!!!!!!!! June 13,
2006: Blood counts up! All the blood counts are up in a good range. Some are still a bit low, but not like they
have been in the past. It is a good
indicator of how her marrow is doing, so maybe the biopsy she is getting today
will prove her marrow below 18% so she can take Bexxar (you can read about
this drug below). Keep her in your
prayers, please as we wait for results.
I will let you know when we found out anything. June 8, 2006: No news is good news… Mama has had a little reprieve from doctor visits but will
have another biopsy next week to see what percentage of bone marrow is
cancerous to see what we will do next.
Remember those biopsies are very painful, please say a prayer for her
and I will update in the next few weeks to let you know the results and any
new plans. Thanks!! March 14,
2006: More changes Things have changed again already. Instead of her taking a chemo after this
round of four treatments of Rituxan, they are going to keep her off chemo for
three months, I guess just to see what happens. I haven’t gotten to talk to Dr. Beck myself
or hear the reason or anything, so if I get a better understanding from Mama,
I will explain more later on. My
theory is “fix her… and FAST”, but I know Dr. Beck is the expert and even
with my extra doses of love, what I would choose to do may not be what’s best
for her. Just keep her in your
prayers… she has been very tired and weak lately. Thanks again! March 13,
2006: Spine/hips better, lymphoma not
so good Please forgive me for not being more efficient on getting her
site updated lately. I plan to be much
better, so please keep checking! She
ending up NOT having staph again in her spine… it was bone damage from the
earlier infection that was flaring up.
The bone marrow biopsy she had in early January showed her cancer to
still be at 30% so they were unable to give her Bexxar. Dr. Beck put her on Rituxan AGAIN and she
is now in the process of completing 4 rounds (1 treatment per week) before he
performs another bone marrow biopsy to see if the tumor burden is less than
18%. If it is 18% or less, she will
start Bexxar, if it is more than 18%, I believe he will start another chemo
which will be very hard on her physically.
Bexxar is hard on the body too, so just keep her in your prayers. Again, the biopsy’s are preformed without
pain meds and is excruciating, and waiting for results are hard too, please
just remember Mama and Daddy at this time.
I will update with those biopsy results as soon as I hear, should be
in a few weeks. December 20,
2005: Pain returns… I know it has been a very long since an update. The reason is, she has been taking those 8
rounds (one treatment a week for 8 weeks) of Rituxan and hasn’t had any major
changes, she has just been tired mostly.
Her last round of Rituxan was last Tuesday, December 13th. She was so glad to have about 4-6 weeks off
treatment with no biopsy, so she could take a breath and enjoy
Christmas. Unfortunately, over the
weekend her lower back started hurting terribly. Most likely the Osteomyelitis (staph
infection in the bone of her spine) has returned. She went to the hospital yesterday for
blood cultures to be ran and has an appointment today with Dr. Beck. This is really an intense pain that affects
her sitting, laying, and walking.
Please pray that the doctors can get this handled quickly. She will have another bone marrow biopsy in
about 4-6 weeks to see if cancer burden is less than 18% so she can take
Bexxar. The last time they tested it
was 30% in one hip and 50% in the other.
Thank you. October 28,
2005: A few changes Dr. Beck is going to give Mama 8 rounds of Rituxan instead of
4-5. This will at least give her a
little reprieve from another bone marrow biopsy. Dr. Beck thinks this will better her
chances of the cancer being at the right percentage to take Bexxar. Also, she has two large knots come up over
this week, one on her shoulder and one under her arm that is causing a great
deal of pain and sleepless nights. She
needs her rest and your prayers, thank you.
October 22,
2005: Disappointment Mama got the results of her bone marrow biopsy that she
received this past Tuesday. The cancer
had to be less than 25% of her marrow to begin taking Bexxar, which, although
it is a powerful and strange drug, it was one that came with great hope. The biopsy came from both hip bones… one
showed 30% cancer involvement and the other showed 50%. This was not good news because we not only
had hoped to take Bexxar, we also hoped the cancer would have been beat back
better than this. The plan now, is to
start back on Rituxan this next Tuesday, take about 4-5 rounds of it (once a
week for 4-5 weeks), have ANOTHER bone marrow biopsy and see if it is less
than 25% then. This is hard on Mama
because she has to wait longer to get the drug she was ready for and she has
to endure more bone marrow biopsies which are utterly painful and the dreads
them more than most of us could ever know. Please pray that the cancer WILL
recede and she can begin treatment that will not just sustain her life, but
really move toward complete remission.
Thanks. September
21,2005: What is up ahead Right now, Mama is still in a waiting period. In about 3 and ½ weeks she will have another
bone marrow biopsy to see if the cancer is less than 25% of her marrow. If it is, they will then schedule her
(about 2 weeks from the test) to start Bexxar, which will be once a week for
two weeks. This is a radioactive
treatment and will lower her counts and she will not be able to be around
those pregnant or any children for two weeks, and she will have to limit
activity around all others. This is a
new thing to us, and it is a bit scary, but we have to do what is our best
option and this is it. Please start
praying that this will be a very effective treatment. You can read more about
Bexxar at this link (if link does not work, copy and paste) August 31,
2005: A few weeks off Mama doesn’t go in for another checkup and possibly more
treatments for four more weeks. The
type chemo she has been on for the past few weeks continues to work for
months, so we do not have to fear that the cancer is re-growing as we
wait. She looks like she feels much
better than she did a few weeks ago when she was so weak and had to be
hospitalized. We are still with great
hope! Thanks for your concern! August 23,
2005: Things are looking up! Mama had chemo again today (last Tuesday as well) and this
week, her platelets are WAY up and the red and whites are holding their
own! We are excited! She isn’t feeling really good physically
though. Maybe the chemo is taking its
toil. Thank you for all your prayers,
I will update again next Tuesday. August 10,
2005: Yesterday’s chemo and doctor
visit The Rituxan infusion was not as bad as last week, they ran it
very slowly and I do not believe they gave her the entire dose. It had to be stopped once for chest pains,
but she was pleased that it wasn’t as painful as before. Her blood levels are dropping a bit, with
her whites back down to 2.8 and her platelets down to 26,000. Dr. Beck seemed more concerned with the
white count than the platelets, so we are trusting that things can remain
alright with the platelets at their present level. If anything should happen this week I will
post it here and I will update after her visit next Tuesday. Thank you all for your prayers. August 7,
2005: Home from the hospital This will be a long one… I will give an update on this past
week. Last Tuesday, Mama received her Rituxan infusion, which was
tough. It took six hours to administer
and caused terrible chest pains, but they were able to give her the whole
dose, which is good. This first dose
is usually the worst, so that is now behind her. Her platelets this day were at 37,000 which
is a very low count. (normal platelets are 140,000-300,000) Her red and white blood cells were low as
well. Wednesday, she went to Thursday, Her fevers were coming and going, the platelets now
were 25,000 and her white blood count was .8, Dr. Beck told the doctor at Friday, her platelets were up to 38,000 and she finally received
her platelet transfusion. Her white
blood is down to .6, but our spirits were up that things would improve. Saturday, her platelets still holding at 39,000, her whites
are up to 2.6! She looks and feels
much better. Sunday, (today) platelets, again at 39,000, her whites a
whopping 4.6!! Thank you, Lord! The doctor on call released her and she
will go back for chemo and/or to see Dr. Beck this coming Tuesday. Please pray her blood counts hold there
own. I will update after Tuesdays
visit. July 26,
2005: Confirmed Relapse Not good news. The
lymphoma is back in the bone marrow at 60%, which is worse than when she was
first diagnosed. We aren’t sure if it
is anywhere else right now. Dr. Beck
is concerned about the swiftness of its return. He is going to give her four weeks of
Rituxan, once a week, starting next Tuesday to try and get the cancer down
and then give her an oral chemo + steroids to beat it down further. The goal is to get the cancer beat back to
less than 25% in her marrow so they can use a new promising drug called
Bexxar. She is disappointed and so
exhausted, but we still have hope. I
will update each week to let you know if her blood count is rising and they
will do another bone marrow biopsy after the Rituxan treatments in about four
weeks and I will tell you what the marrow involvement is then. Thanks. July 25, 2005:
Again… waiting Mama talked to her nurse, Alan today and he said they haven’t
gotten results back yet, but they will just see her tomorrow. I am sure we will get the results
then. I am going with her and Daddy to
see what Dr. Back thinks is going on and will update as soon as I get home. I
am sure we will get the results then. Thank you. July 23,
2005: Still waiting We didn’t get any results Friday, for those wanting to find
out any news. Mama’s nurse said they
should have them this Monday. We will
only find out whether or not the cancer is in her bone marrow by this
test. We will find out much more
Tuesday at her doctors appointment. I
will update Monday if we find out anything and then again on Tuesday. Thanks for checking in. July 20,
2005: Bone Marrow Biopsy Daddy and I insisted Mama go get her blood checked yesterday
instead of waiting until next Tuesday.
She had gotten worse through the week.
When they checked her blood, all the rates have dropped even
lower. Her platelets are down to
37,000. Instead of waiting until next
week to do a MRI and then a bone marrow biopsy, Dr. Beck just bypassed the
MRI all together and went ahead and did the biopsy right after her blood test
yesterday. This is a very painful
procedure, so we hated she had to go through that AGAIN, but, we are glad the
doctor is getting to the bottom of this quickly. She should get the results for that by this
Friday. They are pretty definite she
has relapsed. Her nurse said that even
if the bone marrow is clear of disease that, with her platelets so low, the
lymphoma is somewhere in her body.
PRAY PRAY PRAY for Mama and Daddy, this is disappointing and so hard
to deal with. Also, Mama is so weak
she has a hard time holding her head up.
Thank you. July 12,
2005: Concerns I know it has been a long time since I have updated the site,
but I was going on the “No news is good news” notion. It really has been nice for Mama to be in
remission and we pray it continues.
She hasn’t been doing really well the past couple of weeks. The fatigue has been overwhelming at times.
She had a couple of doctor visits with her oncologist put off for different
reasons, but finally made it in today.
Her blood counts are all low.
The reds, whites, hematocrit, hemoglobin and platelets are especially
low. For example, normal platelets are
between 150,000-400,000 with 150,000 being an “okay” low, and hers are
42,000. Her spleen is also enlarged.
This is frightening for us because all of this is what happened when
she was first diagnosed, so we fear relapse.
Dr. Beck wasn’t very encouraging either, but he wants to wait a couple
of weeks and recheck her blood levels and perform a MRI. If the levels are still low, they will do
another bone marrow biopsy to see if she has relapsed. We are remaining hopeful that this is not
the lymphoma but something else that can be explained. Please pray for her these next couple of
weeks while we wait to see. Thank you
so much. April 19,
2005: Prayers are answered! Mama had her Pet Scan last Friday. Today, she went to Dr. Beck’s to get those
results and to find out where she was with the lymphoma. She is officially in complete remission!! No sign of cancer on any of the tests. They could tell by the Pet Scan that the
staph is improving as well! This all
is of course, is an absolute answer to prayer. We pray the remission lasts for years and
years. I will keep this site updated
as she goes back for check-ups and to let you know how she is! Thank you everyone for all your thoughts
and prayers! April 12,
2005: Bone Biopsy results are in! We have been waiting a week to get the results of Mama’s
recent bone marrow biopsy to see where we are with her cancer now, to see
what good the chemo did to the cancer cells.
We were supposed to get a percentage of how much cancer is in her
marrow specifically and the answer is… 0%.
There is 0% cancer in her marrow!!
Praise be to God! We are SO
excited, as you can imagine. Dr. Beck
will not officially call it “remission” yet because she has to undergo a few
more tests to confirm it, but, it is looking good! She has a pet scan this week, and then she
has another appointment with Dr. Beck next Tuesday and I will hopefully go
with them to see what is going on and what will happen next. Just a little over a week ago, Paul called
and said he was moving back to this area and will help Daddy with the shop,
which was wonderful news, and now, this news is even sweeter! Mama is so happy… we all are! Thanks for every single prayer and
thought. If we could just get this
staph under control, she should be feeling great… better than she has in
years. I will update on her doctor
report next week and let you know if she is in remission! Take care! March 31,
2005: Watching and waiting Mama had an appointment for a bone marrow biopsy to see where
she is with the cancer but it had been postponed until next Tuesday. Her blood counts haven’t been looking very
good because her white blood count has been dropping but the counts
concerning infection have crept back up.
We try not to be alarmed watching the blood counts, but we are afraid
of her body not being able to fight this staph if her white blood gets too
low. Her red blood has been going down
too, so she is feeling anemic and tired.
Please pray that her body just becomes stronger and stronger and
starts to compensate the needed cells to fight the cancer AND the staph. March 14,
2005: Curious blood work I wish I had updated sooner because things have been looking
so great. Her pain was better about a
week and a half ago, she went to the doctors who encouraged her about getting
her next bone marrow biopsy and even thought, with her blood work, maybe
remission was a possibility. This past
week hasn’t been so great. Her pain
has intensified again and her blood work doesn’t look good for the staph or
the lymphoma. Her next appointment is
next Tuesday. Her biopsy is scheduled
for then, but she thinks they may postpone it because of the infection. When she gets some info on her counts I
will let you know what they say. This
is an emotional (and physical for her) roller coaster for us all. Please keep her in your prayers. My prayer is the blood counts go right back
up where they are supposed to be.
Thanks for so much for checking and for your prayers. February 7,
2005: Not much improvement… yet A week later, Mama says the pain is about the same. (If you know her well, she isn’t a
complainer) She is fine as long as she
lays perfectly still, but, to sit up or go to the restroom is a feat and it
leaves her in throbbing pain for a while, but to even try to bathe and wash
her hair by herself, has so far been impossible. The home health nurse told her today that
with the staph in her bones, there is probably swelling in her spine that is
pinching nerves which makes the pain worse.
The staph is in the spine, but the pain extends down her hips and legs
as well. Please pray she sees a lot of
improvement in the pain and mobility real soon. Thanks so much. February 1,
2005: There’s no place like home… Mama arrived home yesterday afternoon and looks like her
spirits are up a bit. The ride home was very painful, but she is
glad to be back. Daddy got her a
better recliner and Dr. Beck prescribed her a different pain medication, so
we are hoping this will work better for her.
She is taking antibiotics by IV for three months and also by mouth for
a while. We pray she will start to see
improvement with the pain in the next week or so while this antibiotic is
working. I’ll let you know how she is
a about a week unless there is something else to report. Thanks for checking in. January 27,
2005: Diagnoses information Click on the link below to get an explanation of Mama’s
diagnoses. She is still in extreme
pain in the hospital. Hopefully she
will come home soon. Thanks for your
prayers. Osteomyelitis of the Vertebrae January 26,
2005: Back to the hospital This past Saturday, Mama had all the pain she could take. Daddy and I took her back to Please pray for her as she still has bone pain that radiates
down her spine, hips and legs whenever she tries to walk or sit up. Please pray for a FAST recovery and for
Mama to regain her strength so we can get back to fighting the lymphoma. Thanks to everyone for their care and
concern. It means a lot to us. January 12,
2005: P-A-I-N I am sorry I haven’t been updating very frequently. Mama hasn’t had regular appointments and
the holidays are always crazy, but I will try harder to do better. The reason for the title of this update
(Pain) is that is how her days have been spelled since the staph
infection. She always hurts, every
minute of every day, sometimes terribly, and sometimes less, but always pain. Dr. Beck and his nurse Allen, have said
that they think the staph infection has caused bone damage in her hip joint
and leg bone. We do not know at this
time what they can do for her. The
usual treatment is surgery and she cannot undergo any surgeries at this
point. She has various pain meds, but
they either do not work well, or make her feel and act “goofy” in her
opinion. Please pray that they can
find SOME way to help her pain. Her next appointment
is in early February. We think they
will set up her bone marrow biopsy then so we will know what the next plan of
action against her cancer will be.
Thank you all for your concern and remember to pray for the pain. Bone pain is intense and affects her
walking as well. Thanks. December 13,
2004: After last visit Mama went to the infectious disease doctor last Friday and he
has agreed to take her pic-line out this coming Tuesday. (The reason I said “agreed” is, Mama used
her charm to get it out a little earlier than expected) She will be put on an oral antibiotic to
take for a full month. She has gotten
much better since she was in the hospital!
Daddy and I think she looks great.
She still is having a hard time getting around and keeping the pain
under control. Keep her in your
prayers! Merry Christmas!! December 8,
2004: Still improving + doctor visit Mama has graduated back to her upstairs bedroom! She is able to walk with a cane more now
than the walker. She still is on the
IV, but she has an appointment with the infectious disease doctor Friday to
see how the infection is and how much longer she will have to use the
IV. She went to Dr. Beck’s office
yesterday and he still seems encouraged by her blood counts! Now that we have the staph under control we
can focus back on getting the cancer in control too. The chemo is still doing its work, but
again, we will know more clearly HOW good it has done this coming March. The pain has been an issue still, in her
back, hip and down her right leg. They
think maybe she has hurt a nerve with the infection and Dr. Beck said she has
bone damage in her hip. The pain is at
times excruciating, but yesterday she got a couple of medications prescribed
that will help during the day and at night so she can rest. She always feels much better after a good
nights sleep. Thank you all for your
prayers! I will update Friday after
the following Dr. appointment. November 15,
2004: Getting better… slowly but
surely Mama is gaining ground, an inch at a time, but progress is
progress. She is still very weak, can only
get around with a walker and her lungs have not cleared. The good news is she is better than she was
about two weeks ago, there is no doubt about that. She is recuperating better at home. Joe (my husband) has gotten her lap top
working at great speeds, so she has been able to check in on her kennel
website, which, if you don’t know her well, is her passion. We are encouraged by her progress and look
forward to her improvement in weeks to come!
Thank you each for your prayers. November 9, 2004: Coming Home!! Daddy is on his way to bring Mama home as I type! I know she is thrilled and I know Dolly and
Chi-Chi will be thrilled as well. She
will still be on pain meds and IV, but she will be able to rest at home. Thank you all for your prayers and for God
in Heaven hearing them! November 8,
2004: Good news update Seems that Mama has been showing off and walked down the hall
today with a walker, so the doctor said she might be able to come home
tomorrow or the next day. Mama is
counting on tomorrow I can tell. She
will still need the IV drip and with home health care, but I can assure you,
that is FINE with her. She hasn’t had
any fevers for a while and the pain is a bit better, though still quite
present. Keep your prayers going up;
she’s got a ways to go! But, thank God
we have finally seen a great improvement!
J November 8,
2004: STILL in hospital… All the scans and x-rays and tests (and there were plenty)
have proven that she has staph in her blood stream and it has attached to her
lungs and in her pelvic and hip bones.
The infectious disease doctor told her that this is the worst staph
infection he has ever seen, but they think they can control this and overcome
it with antibiotics. They have not
given us a date she will come home, but the oncologist who was on call
yesterday said she will have to have a week of physical therapy in the
hospital BEFORE she can come home, to prove she can walk, and they haven’t
started the physical therapy yet. She
has NOT been able to walk since she has been in. When she MUST get up for any reason, she
has to have her cane and another person to shuffle her feet across the floor
to her destination. It has been up and
down for her this week. The main
problem has been severe pain in her hips and pelvic area, her breathing has
been shallow and wheezy some of the time, and she is just tired and
weak. Her oncologist has already told
her when she DOES come home, it will be with an antibiotic drip and they
foresee her needing it for at least six more weeks. Please pray for her nerves, she misses
home, and of course for a speedy recovery.
God bless. November 3,
2004: Still in hospital… Mama is still in the hospital.
They have found out that the spots on her lungs are a staph infection,
which is more in the lining of the lungs than the lungs themselves. That is good news, we are praying they can
clear that up with antibiotics. She
has been on an antibiotic drip since Sunday and she is still spiking high
fevers, so, maybe they will change what they have been using. They are going to do an MRI on her hip and
pelvis today. She has still been in
extreme pain since Sunday. The pain
has now extended to her back. She is
very tolerant of pain, so to see her hurting so badly is awful. She of course is tired from not sleeping
much. Please continue to pray for her
pain, and her hip and pelvis scan.
Thanks. October 31,
2004: In hospital… Mama has been admitted into the hospital today. She was up last night hurting severely at
the top of her right leg. She is also
running a fever that won’t quit. She
had an appointment tomorrow already, because she has had some bad coughing
and breathing problems these past couple of weeks. Last Tuesday the 26th, Dr. Beck
ran a CT scan of her chest last Tuesday where some spots showed up on her
lungs. She will still be seen by the
lung specialist tomorrow. They have
been giving her antibiotics via IV today.
I was with her and Daddy at the hospital from about 5 – 8 pm tonight
and she is still in much pain and she still has not gotten her fever
down. We do not know how long they are
planning on keeping Mama, but I will try my best to keep everyone posted on
this site. PLEASE pray, thank you. October 5,
2004: GOOD NEWS!!! Mama had a CT scan done last Friday so Dr. Beck could see if
the cancer has shrunk back and to see if her spleen was smaller than when she
was diagnosed. This means the chemo has been doing its job! This does not mean she is in remission, and
the spleen is still enlarged BUT, Dr. Beck said the chemo will continue to
work these next few months while she is not taking treatments and they will
do another bone marrow biopsy in about 4-5 months to see how much the cancer
is shrunk back then. He thinks she will
be eligible for the drug Bexxar we were hoping for after that biopsy. Thank you all for every prayer and keep
sending them up. This was great news
today, but I am still rooting for complete remission! Praise be to God! J September 24,
2004: Not well Over the past two days, Mama has gotten
progressively worse with a chest cold/head cold. I was with her all day Wednesday and she
wasn’t feeling great, but she was able to get around and be in good humor. Yesterday she felt a bit worse, and today I
called her and did not even recognize her voice. It was so bad that I checked the number I
dialed because I honestly didn’t think it was her. She has had hard chills, a constant cough
and a terrible headache. She had an
appointment with Dr. Beck last Tuesday and he prescribed her an antibiotic
because her chest (they took an x-ray) had the possible beginnings of
pneumonia. Please pray that this
clears up very soon. September 8,
2004: Last round!! I haven’t done a very good job keeping everyone up to date
lately, sorry. Mama is on round 6/6
this week. She has been experiencing a
lot of bone pain this past week, unbearable at times. She is checking with Dr. Beck today to see
if there is something they can give her to relieve it and to find out why she
is having it. She went into this week of chemo with lower white blood and
platelets than she usually starts the chemo week with, so please be praying
that this doesn’t cause a major drop next week. I believe her white blood was about 2.7 and
her platelets were 136, so we really do not need that going too much lower
than that. She has gotten a cold also
so she was given a prescription to clear that up asap. There are decisions to be made after this
treatment is complete and test to be ran to see what the cancer is doing now,
so keep Mama and us in your prayers.
If anything new develops this week I will post again. Thanks for checking in. August 10, 2004: Mama has just started month 5 out of 6 for chemo. She is excited to be this far, and to be
almost through. Dr. Beck told her
yesterday that she didn’t have to take the 6th month if she didn’t
want to, but that he would if it were him, so, as usual she is going to take
his advice on that. We have been
reading into another possible drug she can try called Bexxar which she
mentioned to Dr. Beck today. He said
she would have to wait a year (we are not sure if he meant after treatment or
after diagnoses) and that she will have to have less than 25% bone marrow involvement
to be eligible. She will have to have
another bone marrow biopsy L in a couple of
months when she is through with this treatment, and we will see how much bone
marrow is involved. Bexxar is another
monoclonal antibody, but may help when Rituxan has failed to get the patient
into complete remission. Please allow me to take a moment to thank Shalon, Julie, Alan,
Natalie and Dr. Beck for being so sweet to Mama. You have all made this experience hopeful
and encouraging. She doesn’t speak of
you like the “medical staff” at the hospital; she speaks of you on a first
name bases like friends. I know ya’ll
have meant the world to Mama at this time of her life, but it also means a
lot to me and the rest of our family that only wants the best care for her. Sometimes, the best care isn’t only which
medicine or regimen, but, the people behind the needles and IV’s. Thank you.
August 6,
2004: Hard week These past few weeks have been rough on Mama with
fatigue. Her platelets are low too,
because her color is not real good. I
know the news hasn’t been very uplifting here lately, and trust me, I hope to
be posting some great news real soon, but I wanted to share with ya’ll what
she is going through so you can say a prayer for her. Her chemo is supposed to be next week and
we need her blood counts up for her to receive treatment. Her and Daddy’s anniversary is today… 39
years! July 28,
2004: Whites low Mama’s white blood count is down to 1 (normal low is 4.1), so,
she will have to stay out of public places completely for a while. Her port in her chest became infected week
before last during chemo, so she had been on antibiotics for that (plus a
threat that she’d have to be admitted into the hospital for 5-6 days if it
didn’t clear up). The port looked
better this past Tuesday, but they gave her another round of antibiotics
because it hasn’t healed completely.
With her whites blood count low, she must be very careful with any
infection or sickness. She has also
had to deal with sores on her tongue and roof of her mouth, caused by the
Fludara, they are very painful and take quite a while to heal. Her spirits are up though and she is still
up and trying to do ordinary things.
Her chemo is on regular schedule, although, she must have white blood
counts higher than 1.6 to take the chemo.
Pray the counts rise quickly.
Thanks! (“shug” page has been
updated with birthday party info!!!)
July 13,
2004: No remission I know the last post said Mama would not go into complete
remission this round, but Dr. Beck told her today she would not be going into
complete remission ever. I guess the
cancer is too far gone… I really don’t understand completely. He just said she would finish this
treatment to get it beat back as far as she can, and they would try to
maintain it where it is, but that she will not ever go into remission. She has felt very bad for weeks, so was
already “down”, this news didn’t help.
Please pray for her and us, as we try to be what she needs right now. June 23,
2004: “Not going to hit a homerun” Mama had an appointment and, although we weren’t expecting to
find out today, Dr. Beck was able to tell her how the treatments were going
with her cancer. He told her she would
not be “hitting a homerun” with this chemo she has been taking. In other words, she will not be going into
complete remission on the medication she is on. They will continue the last three rounds
with the two meds and see if she will go into partial remission (aka partial
response) where the cancer will be less than it was, but not beat back as she
needs it to be. She has so looked
forward to feeling good again physically that this has been a huge
disappointment to her. She hates not
being able to get around and do even the little things. Not to mention, it is frightening to not
have the cancer go into remission. We are not definite what route Dr. Beck
will take after treatments, and we are not sure whether or not she will go
into partial remission either. Just,
please pray for her as she deals with this news. June 17,2004: Not feeling well Mama has had a hard weekend and week so far. She has just been more weak than usual for
more days in a row than usual. With
the past two treatments, her “bad times” have been at the end of the 2nd
week and 2nd weekend after chemo, but this time, it has been
both. She says she feels better today
than she has felt for the past 6 days, but she has done nothing at all in all
those days. She just isn’t able. She did not have an appointment this past
Tuesday because one of Dr. Beck’s nurses, Alan, said he didn’t want to bring
everyone down with low blood counts from chemo, so they are waiting until the
counts are expected to be up and then will check it. She had to have medicine called in this
past week because of mouth sores that have been caused by the chemo. We have to assume the weakness is also only
caused by the chemo, and of course, we pray it is just doing its job. Praying it is uphill from here until next
round of chemo. Thank you for all your
prayers!! June 11,2004:
Round two at an end This week hasn’t been easy at chemo. Mama has nodes swollen everywhere, a very
sore throat and sores in her mouth, which, the doctor’s staff says is all
caused by the chemo itself. She has
also been quite weak. Our prayer, of
course, is still that this chemo is doing its job and that whatever grief
Mama has to endure will be well worth it because she will be remission and
feel better than she has in years!
Pray for a good weekend and the next week ahead too, because that time
has been rough so far. I will update
early next week to let you all know how she is. May 25, 2004:
Lymph Nodes Mama didn’t have to go to see Dr. Beck today, although the
past two days, her lymph nodes have been swollen and tender all over. She may have contracted a virus like before
when they were swollen, we don’t know.
But, please just pray they go down soon, to relieve her discomfort and
that her blood levels are still up when she goes for her check up next
Tuesday. May 18, 2004:
Blood tests Mama had a regular appointment, checking her blood levels and
today they were good! They didn’t give
her Procrit today (the medicine that raises red blood levels) because her red
blood has held up this week on its own.
Please pray they continue to hold!!
Her white blood count IS low, which means she doesn’t need to be out
and around the general public still, but this is common with the type chemo
she is on. She is still terribly weak
and tired often, but since her blood counts are good, it is probably just her
body fighting the cancer, which is good news.
More good news… she doesn’t have to go to the doctor next week unless
she has trouble. She may have to go
the week after, and she will definitely be going the next week because it
will be time for another round of treatments.
Keep her in your prayers!! The
battle is on!! J May 14, 2004: End of Round two This week of chemo has taken its toll. Mama is weak and still has pain throughout
her lymph system, especially her joints.
Please pray for her for this weekend and upcoming week. We are excited to see how mush she improves
in her blood count after the initial drop!!
Tuesday’s appointment may show lower blood levels because of the chemo,
but should rise the following week, even higher than this last round! May 12, 2004: Round two – continued Mama’s lymph system is still causing her pain and she is
fatigued. This weekend and next week
is when she really gets zapped. Keep
her in your prayers, please. May 10, 2004: Round two of chemo begins We had a WONDERFUL Mother’s Day weekend. Paul, Kim, Joe, me and all the kids spent
Saturday with Mama, giving her gifts and filling the house with laughter and
fun memories. Her blood counts are really good today. The only one low is her white blood count,
which was expected with Fludara. She
stays out of stores to keep from contacting germs and is even very careful in
the waiting room at the cancer center.
Her arms, joints and legs have been hurting pretty badly, the
nurse staff said it is the lymph system doing attacking those cancer
cells. She had no complications from
the Rituxan with this infusion and everything went a little more quickly than
before. She still has four days of
Fludara left for this week, so pray her white blood count doesn’t drop too
low and that her other counts will remain up.
She needs her strength to continue the treatments. Her brother, Buddy and his wife, Nikki came today and stayed a
good long while to check on her and lift her spirits…. I think it
worked! I will continue posting this week. April 20, 2004:
Doctor's check-up |
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