Tag: chemotherapy
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Day +5 and +6
On day +5, the side effects from the chemo and radiation started to emerge. George said his throat was hurting…like after you have a long coughing episode. He is also experiencing more fatigue, which is understandable as his blood counts are in the basement. He started feeling queasy off and on, but not nauseated. He…
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Day +2 and Day +3
Day +2 wasn’t very eventful. At least that’s what George told me because I wasn’t at the hospital. I took a day off and went to Cape May for lunch at a winery and a walk on the beach with a friend. I know that once George is discharged from the hospital and comes home,…
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Day Zero! Happy Birthday, George!
The day we have been anticipating since George was first diagnosed with AML has finally arrived! Since we were told that the only route to the chance for an actual cure for George was a bone marrow transplant, we have been moving towards this day with intention and hope…completing all the tests required to clear…
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Days -3, -2 and -1
George’s chemo ended on Day-4 and on Day -3, he started his TBI (total body irradiation). The transport folks come and get him very early in the morning, between 5:30 and 6:00 and wheel him down to the radiation department. He lies on his side the entire time and the staff there plays some classic…
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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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Here We Go….
Yesterday afternoon, we got the phone call we have been waiting for. We were informed that George has a bone marrow transplant hospital admission date of Saturday, July 2nd. The next day, he will start on his 2 day regiment of high intensity chemo followed by 3 days of total body radiation (twice daily). Then…
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Friday the 13th
For the last few days, concern has been increasing over the fact that George’s white blood cell count hasn’t started going back up after this last round of chemo. Dr Ghimire expressed his concern on the phone when he called earlier this week to discuss the results of the blood work George had on the…
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Consolidation Chemo – round 2
As requested by Dr. Ghimire’s office, George started his second round of chemotherapy on Thursday, the day after his lumbar puncture. This was going to be a different experience from his induction chemo and his last round of chemo, both of which were administered while he was hospitalized. This time, his chemo will be administered…
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What a Busy Week!
Now that we have decided that George will have his bone marrow transplant at UPenn, there is much to do to get him ready, as well as keeping him on the path to healing and staying in remission. On Monday, the home health nurse from Bayada came by and looked at George’s wound on his…
Diagnosis: Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). A Journey 