Tag: chemo
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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…
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Chemo infusions complete…
For seven days, we braved the traffic and drove to and from Philadelphia for George’s infusions of Vidaza. He finished his last infusion yesterday and now he will continue taking the oral chemo, Venclexta until July 30th. For the first time, George was nauseated and had dry heaves and vomiting after his treatment. This happened…
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Well, Damn.
We actually got the preliminary results from George’s bone marrow biopsy on Friday, June 30th, but I opened them first and when I read them, I chose not to tell George they were available. Why? Because I saw words that I knew would cause him stress and fear….”increased blasts” and “the findings are consistent with…
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Day +17 – HOME!
24 days after going into the hospital for his bone marrow transplant and 208 days after his first hospital admittance, George was discharged with new donor cells working hard to manufacture new blood cells! He was supposed to be released on day +16 because his counts were recovering so well! But, on Saturday he didn’t…
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We can see the light!
*light at the end of the tunnel: a long-awaited indication that a period of hardship or adversity is nearing an end. On Day +13, I went to visit George and he was lounging in his recliner, tired and still not feeling great. He still had mouth pain, but he said it wasn’t as bad. Not…
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Encouraging news!
Day +12 – the doctor came into George’s room and told him she was happy to see that his white blood cell counts were slowly going up! She said he was where they had hoped he would be at this point in his recovery. Whaat?? That’s fantastic news! I took it as a sign that…
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Day +10 and +11
When I walked into the hospital room Monday afternoon, I was shocked to see George working! He looked exhausted and was ready to knock off for the day, after somehow putting in 8 hours. He moved from the makeshift work station to his bed and I sat in a chair near by. I gave him…
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Days -5 and -4
The day a transplant patient receives their new stem cells from their donor is referred to as Day Zero. The days leading up to it are listed in a T-minus manner, meaning in a way that indicates a specific amount of time remains before the main event. And the days after in the same way,…
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What’s Your Line? (Central & PICC)
Friday, July 1, George went in to the hospital and had his Hickman catheter, or central line and his peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC line) placed. What are those things? I’m glad you asked. A Hickman catheter, or central line, is a soft, small hollow tube that is placed into a vein in the chest…
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Playing the Waiting Game
It’s been a while since I have written anything. That’s because I feel like we have just been waiting for the show to get on the road and for George to be admitted for his bone marrow transplant. But in reality, a lot has been happening these past couple of weeks. First, George received the…
Diagnosis: Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). A Journey 