Tag: cancer
-
The Last Chapter
I have avoided writing this post for over a month. The trauma of watching George decline and make the transition from hope to resignation was almost too much to bear. It still is sometimes during my day. It’s not just the absolute devastation of losing the love of my life, it is also the cumulative…
-
Fighting the Fight
Today is December 18. George has been in the hospital since October 18, with the exception of 5 days after Thanksgiving weekend. It has been a hard stay this time. One, because it is so long. But also, because of the extremely discouraging news we received, George’s weakness and all the other challenges he is…
-
Hard Conversation
Wednesday evening Dec 6, Dr. Loren came and had a difficult discussion with us. The first thing she said was that the most recent MRI showed that George has leukemia in the bones of his spine. That’s what was causing the back pain – the leukemia was expanding/swelling and push against the bone which caused…
-
9 Hours in the ER Waiting Room
George was scheduled for a regular infusion appointment on the morning of Friday, December 1st. But at about 3:00 a.m. he awoke with some pretty wicked back pain. We had no idea what was causing it but we have been here before. He had awful back pain while in the hospital, but mercifully it went…
-
HOME!
Sunday, November 26, I went and picked up George from the hospital and brought him home. He was so happy to be back in his recliner! He was sent home with instruction on how to take his blood sugar four times a day and administer his insulin before each meal and at bedtime. This will…
-
Clinical Trial – Week 5
Wednesday: George texted me this morning at 9:34 saying he was being transported down to IR (interventional radiology) and so I started getting myself ready to head up to the hospital to visit him. Normally, the biopsy takes around an hour and a half. It is now 1:20 and he’s still not back in the…
-
Clinical Trial – Week 4
This week has been a tough one. It started pretty well…on Thursday, the 9th, the doctor said George’s inflammation markers were going down and he thought that perhaps the CRS has peaked. That was good news! Friday, George started having gastrointestinal issues – bloating, gas and occasional diarrhea. Saturday is when things started to really…
-
Clinical Trial – Week 2
On Sunday, Oct 29th, George started complaining of chills and he was cold. Hello, fever. We have been expecting you. The nurses followed protocol and took blood cultures because it could be an infection causing the fever. George’s blood counts are extremely low and he is severely immunocompromised. They immediately started him on broad spectrum…
-
Clinical Trial – Week 1
George was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday, October 18. He woke up that morning with an almost debilitating back ache. The pain was in the center of his mid-back and made working a challenge. He could not get comfortable in his chair and it hurt to make pretty much any movement. Because of the…
-
Office Visit
Wednesday, we drove to Philadelphia again and met with Dr. Loren, George’s primary oncologist/hematologist. She said that although Dr. Lai believed he didn’t need any chemotherapy while we wait for his CART-38 cells to be manufactured, she thinks he does. Dr. Lai felt that since his higher than normal blast counts were confined to the…
Diagnosis: Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). A Journey 