On Tuesday it was the day to visit the Infusion Department at Winship/Emory. The waiting room was wall to wall of people and caregivers where the crowd overflowed into the hallways. The backlog of patients was from the Ice Snow storm that paralyzed the Atlanta area last week along with Martin Luther King Jr Holiday on Monday. The wait was long. A nurse made an announcement that all 88 infusion chairs were in use and that they would get to each patient ASAP. It was about 5PM when we finally got to the back where the infusions are done. Joe's white blood cells were low at 1.4 thus I would start Joe on the neupogin shots daily. Joe's hemoglobin was at 8.6 so no red blood cells would be needed. Joe's platelets were at 82 thus a platelet transfusion was not necessary. We were delighted that Joe escaped transfusions or we would not have gotten home till 11PM at best.
Joe's next visit to Winship/Emory was today, Thursday, January 20 which turned out to be a very special day for us. Since the Infusion Lab completed a Type and Cross on Tuesday, we could escape the mob scene at the Infusion Department by going to the 2nd floor lab which was only a 10 minute wait rather than an hour and fifteen minute wait. Next on the schedule was Dr. Winton and his Physician Assistant, Jessica Neely. Jessica is such a delight to be around. She does all the leg work for Dr.Winton. She also agreed with me that the lab needed to get Joe's magnesium, phosphorus and uric acid levels so she called the lab requesting they get those completed ASAP. Joe told her (with my prodding) about the cramping of his fingers fifteen minutes at a time about an hour after he eats. She measured Joe's spleen which had decreased to 14 cm from a high point of 30 cm. We both grinned from ear to ear with that news since we have been trying to get that spleen smaller for the last three years. Joe's muscle mass is still small but thankfully he has been eating quite well. Jessica gave me a copy of the CBC (blood report) and stated that Joe did not need any transfusions. I anxiously looked at the report. After only two days since his last CBC, Joe's WBC improved to 3.2 with only three days of neupogin shots. Joe's RBC improved to 3.18. His hemoglobin went to a respectful 9.4. The hematocrit increased to 28.6. The platelets jumped to 107. It was good news indeed.
Dr. Winton came in and told us that Joe was doing GREAT in spite of the Myelofibrosis (MF-3) which was a concern of both cancer centers. Winton stated with Joe's neutrophil percentage being 16% and his red blood cells being 3.18 would make Joe's absolute neutrophil count at .51. Winton stated that being over .50 made him delighted with the results. He told us that we would not have to come back until a week from today when he would be readmitted to Emory for Part b of the HyperCVAD-R chemotherapy for about five days. Winton also instructed Joe to stop taking the neupogin and the antibiotics with the last day being Saturday. He stated that Jessica would contact us upon getting the results of the magnesium, phosphorus and uric acid to give us further instructions. Our next stop would be the Infusion Department for the interim Vincristine chemotherapy.
We took the elevator down to the Plaza level of the Winship Cancer Institute where the Infusion Department is located. It was a pleasant sight to see only five patients waiting to be called to have their infusions. We got beeped quickly and Joe was seated in his chair about 3:15PM but we had to wait till Winton's office faxed the chemo instructions and then for them to get the Vincristine. The RN asked Joe initially what he was there for and Joe says, "You tell me!" She proceeds to tell him that it was for platelets. I just do not understand why Joe does that. I told her that he was there for Vincristine. After she left, I asked Joe why did he ask her, "You tell me!" He mumbled some words to me that I would not want to decipher with that sneer of his. One these days he is going to harm himself by being a pain in the tush. Joe was through with the chemo about 4:45pm. We hung around waiting to get the rest of the lab results and finally for them about 5:30pm. A brief stop at the Emory Pharmacy was done to pick up Joe's needed cough medicine. We headed to the parking garage at 5:45PM when I got an e-mail from Jessica stating that Joe's phosphorus levels were low but it was not considered low enough to cause the cramping in his fingers. His phosphorus level was at 1.8 whereas normal is between 2.4 to 4.7. Winton's instructions were that Joe should drink 2 glasses of milk a day. The uric acid and magnesium levels were in the normal range. Joe's calcium level was 9.0 where as normal is between 8.9 and 10.3.
On the way home we stopped at Chili's for dinner on La Vista Road since Pig'N'Chick had not opened up yet where Dusty's BBQ used to be on Briarcliff and Clifton. As we waited for dinner, I went over and gave him a big hug and kiss since I was so happy with the news of today. It was our day to cheer good news and live happy for it, right now, since who knows the future holds.
Progress is the word of the day. Thank you to those who said prayers for Joe and me. God has been listening and we are so thankful.
Ciao and God be with all of you!
MONICA SMITH AT MDACC 9/14/11
MONICA SMITH AT MDACC 9/14/11
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Sunday, January 16, 2011
1/16/11 THAW and RECOVERY
The HyperCVAD-R part A that Joe had at Emory last week has really wiped him out more than before. He told me two days after we got home that on Tuesday night of the day we came home, he had to crawl up the stairs to the bedroom since he did not have the strength to climb the stairs. It is one of the things Joe does that drives me crazy, withholding information from me. He rested quite a bit Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and most of Saturday.
On Thursday with Joe' s insistence we went to lunch at Chick Fillet and stopped by Publix for things we needed and items Joe had a craven for such as grapes and sherbet which he hardly ate previously. I tried to discourage him but he was convinced we would be okay. There was a big crowd at the Chick Fillet and Publix. We walked out with about 10 bags of groceries.
Getting back to the house was the real adventure of the day. The ice was so thick in our subdivision. First I came in from Gunstock over to Musket Lane. I could not get the car up the same hill there after several tries. I slid backwards onto Gunstock where one of the neighbors got some entertainment watching me try to get up Gunstock. The key is trying to find some exposed pavement to get some traction. On the 5th try, I made it up!!!Yeah!
Silver Hill Road also had some thick ice but thankfully it is flat. Driving in this stuff it is best to let a car from the other direction make their way pass you since you have no idea if your car will skid and slide all over the place. In order to make it off of Silver Hill Road onto Musket Lane, I had to ignore the stop sign to keep my momentum going, If you stop, you are stuck. Now our last challenge would be Musket Court which has a steep hill which was covered with even a thicker layer of ice and there was no asphalt showing. I got a running start off of Musket Lane up to Musket Court and a fourth of the way up, I got suck. I moved backwards and forwards and turned the wheels hoping to get back down the hill since I was not totally sideways blocking the whole road. Finally slowly the car slid all the way down to Musket Lane. I tried that hill six times and Joe thought he could do better. Now it was Joe at the wheel. He got stuck big time where I had to get out of the car to push it till it would slide down the hill. The hard part was getting out of the car on the ice and trying to get to the driver's side of the car so I could push it down. I was holding onto the car for dear life since my feet kept sliding. No wonder there were so many people in the emergency rooms with broken bones and worse. Joe tried it two more times with the same result and decided to leave the car parked on Musket Lane. He parked on the opposite side of the street where He would have to walk on the ice which was downright treacherous. I tried to get him to park on the other side of the street where he could walk on the lawns that had some traction with crunching your feet through the layer of ice. Since Joe's platelets are so low, he has such a huge danger of bleeding. I was terrified of him falling on the ice that I had to yell at him like a madwoman since he was not listening to me. He got angry at me but I kept yelling till he got to safety on the lawns. He walked up the hill on the lawns forgetting about all the groceries in the car. I got in the car and moved it to the opposite side of the street to get the groceries and get some traction on the ice snow. I consolidated the ten bags of groceries to five and headed up the hill, huffing and puffing. By the time I made it to the house I was drenching in sweat. I fully admit that I was peeved at Joe.
Joe was on the couch in the living room. He made some type of statement and all I said was, "I don't want to hear it!" I kept my mouth shut thankfully for a change. I put all the groceries away and sat in the den and did not want to move for any reason for the rest of the day.
I could not believe that Joe went outside and got his tractor going. He completely paved the driveway clear of the ice snow. He should not be doing stuff like this but I do understand why he did it. It was have to some control over his life.
The alarm clock goes off at 6AM Friday morning since we had to be a Winship at Emory Infusion department for blood work and transfusions. Neither of us wanted to get out of bed but we did. Our car was at the bottom of the hill so we trekked down on the ice snow in the darkness where the only sounds were the crunching of our feet into the frozen matter and our huffing and puffing. Driving to Emory slowly on the slick roads were the key to safety. Panera Bread was open which was a shining star for us where we had a light breakfast before going over to Emory. Joe's appointment was for 7:30 AM and they finally called him for the blood draw at 8:30AM. Now we had to wait around for the results which they told him could be in thirty minutes which would be excellent. Every thing else was closed at Emory so all one could do was to wait in the waiting area. Surprise! They called Joe into the Infusion area at 9AM. The RN came over to us and stated that they were waiting for the full chemistry results. At 9:30 the RN came over and said Joe did not need any transfusions which was a shock. Joe's red blood counts got better and his platelets held decently. Celebration, come on! Joe was producing red blood cells.
I went upstairs to Dr. Winton's office receptionist since he was not there nor his nurse. I had wanted to know if Joe should start taking the neupogin shots but the white blood cells were in the normal range. I could not get an answer so I decided to hold off till Joe's next appointment. We were told when Joe checked out of the hospital to go to Winton's office and make a follow up appointment for him, blood tests and transfusion. The receptionist where Winton practices said no that you do it downstairs in the hematology department. I go back downstairs and got a sweet receptionist to went the extra mile to assist me. It turned out that all of Joe's appointments were set up and that Joe would come back on Tuesday afternoon for the blood and infusion. They were closed Monday for Martin Luther King's birthday. On Thursday afternoon he would see the doctor and get the chemo Vincristine The receptionist printed out the appointment list and that was great.
The sun was shining brightly on Friday which assisted in melting some of the ice snow. The roads were getting better but still the subdivision was awful. After leaving Emory Infusion we headed over to Emory Clinic hoping to see an internist for my Urinary Tract Infection. I was blessed that I only had to wait 15 minutes to see a resident. All I wanted was a prescription to kill the miserable burning infection. I got it and off we drove back home where we stopped for lunch and a stop at Kroger at Five Fork's Trickum and Rockbridge Road to fill my prescription. I sat Joe down over at the in store, Starbucks, to get his Caramel Frappacino and a Hot Chocolate for me. The clerk at the pharmacy that it would take an hour. I surely did not want to go home and get back out of the road especially since the Dekalb police had shut down Old Stone Mountain Road where a truck got stuck and a car was in the ditch. The officer said that it was even icier down the hill and further down. This is a very busy road and it is still impassable on Friday. Thankfully the prescription was ready in thirty minutes. We were not on our way home for the rest of the day and night. I got a fast start off of Musket Lane to get up the hill on Musket Court with a wee bit of slipping and spinning, I made it to the top and into our garage. SUCCESS!
Joe loves the Atlanta Falcons thus is the reason we already had tickets to the playoff game at the Dome against the Green Bay Packers for Saturday night at 8PM. My oldest son, Keith, who lives in Memphis was coming into town to go with us though his ticket was elsewhere. He was surprise by the amount of ice still on the roads after almost a week since the storm. We never had snow stay around so long.In the afternoon Joe and I easily made it over to Penneys Northlake to buy red Falcon jerseys for the game. We both got RYAN #2.
We left at home at 5:30 PM to start the evening with an Italian dinner at Capozzi's on Clairmont. Clifford already had our bottle of Pinot Grigio on ice since he knows I love it very cold. We all enjoyed our dinners. Joe had Chicken Parmesan which is said was terrific. I had my favorite, Chicken Marsala. After dinner I drove over the the Decatur MARTA station and dropped Joe and Keith off on Church Street so Joe would not have to walk very far. I found a parking spot near Decatur High School which would had been a difficult walk for Joe. I caught up with them both downstairs at the rails and of course, we had just missed the train which always seems to be the case but another train came in five minutes which was not too bad since Joe had a place to sit. We all also got seats on the train since by the time we got to Five Points it was people shoulder to shoulder. We always get off at the Vine City Station which is one station further down from the Dome. As we pulled from the Dome Station, we could see a huge line of people trying to get to the stairs and passage way to the Dome. It crept along. Thank goodness we were able to avoid that or Joe would have wiped out. At the Vine City Station we took the elevator to the street level and followed the crowd a short distance to the Dome entrance. Thankfully the security lines were not very long. We also used the elevator to get to the upper level seats. Our seats were in row 13 so Joe did not have to climb too much. Once he was in his seat, he stayed there the entire pathetic game. I ran back and forth to the concession stands to get whatever he wanted. He had another craving for a tub of popcorn and he ate every last kernel himself. By the third quarter we were losing so bad that we both wanted to leave. With stinky yellow Cheeseheads in front and back of us made the lost even more unbearable. It is hard to maintain one's cool as your team is being insulted by unwanted drunk guests. Keith and I were texting back and forth and decided that we would leave with 10 minutes left in the 4th quarter unless they scored two touchdowns. Hell would have to freeze over for that to happen since Green Pay was invincible and we played the worse game of the year at the wrong time. So many upsets this time! The mighty Patriots lost to the New York Jets this evening. I know my New York buddies are thrilled. We took the elevator down to the street level and followed the other early defeated fans over to MARTA. To make things harder, it took MARTA forever to get a train there. We all wanted to get home and drown our sorrows. Kidding! I neglected to remember to use the elevator at the Decatur station and Joe proceeded to follow me up the long stairs to the street level. Oh my! He was having such a difficult time and moving so slow. I ran down the steps to help him but he refused help and two men behind him offered to help him also but he also refused. I felt so bad about that but then again he could have gone to the elevator himself. We caught up with Keith and I instructed them to wait on Church Street while I got the car. All was well and after we got home, he rested on the couch and watched Saturday Night Live and whatever came on later which meant he was recovering from the active day.
Sunday Joe stayed home from church to get some more rest. It was calming for me to attend church and see all our wonderful members. When I got home, I told Joe about all the good wishes and thoughts that he was pleased and thankful to hear that he was not forgotten. I made a light lunch and watched some more football even though our team was eliminated.
I want to thank Joe's sister and brother for the text messages that we received from them at the game since they made us laugh in spite of us losing. I hate losing. I am not a good loser but within a few minutes, I am over it.
Joe's brother in law, Rick, stent placement was successful to open up the 90% blockage. He is doing great and we are all thankful since we care so much for Rick and Donna as well as all the girls.
I still have not heard from our friends in Queensland, Australia and keep praying that they are Okay. They are such wonderful fun people. They are strong and a resilient bunch but it still must be horrible for them with the massive historical floods.
Tomorrow is a great man's day of honor, Martin Luther King's birthday. Thinking of how he made the black people's voice be heard in a non-violent powerful way. It is even more unreal in today's turbulent times. All of us can learn what made him tick. He is a man for all ages, colors and nations.
Peace be with you and may God make your troubles go away!
On Thursday with Joe' s insistence we went to lunch at Chick Fillet and stopped by Publix for things we needed and items Joe had a craven for such as grapes and sherbet which he hardly ate previously. I tried to discourage him but he was convinced we would be okay. There was a big crowd at the Chick Fillet and Publix. We walked out with about 10 bags of groceries.
Getting back to the house was the real adventure of the day. The ice was so thick in our subdivision. First I came in from Gunstock over to Musket Lane. I could not get the car up the same hill there after several tries. I slid backwards onto Gunstock where one of the neighbors got some entertainment watching me try to get up Gunstock. The key is trying to find some exposed pavement to get some traction. On the 5th try, I made it up!!!Yeah!
Silver Hill Road also had some thick ice but thankfully it is flat. Driving in this stuff it is best to let a car from the other direction make their way pass you since you have no idea if your car will skid and slide all over the place. In order to make it off of Silver Hill Road onto Musket Lane, I had to ignore the stop sign to keep my momentum going, If you stop, you are stuck. Now our last challenge would be Musket Court which has a steep hill which was covered with even a thicker layer of ice and there was no asphalt showing. I got a running start off of Musket Lane up to Musket Court and a fourth of the way up, I got suck. I moved backwards and forwards and turned the wheels hoping to get back down the hill since I was not totally sideways blocking the whole road. Finally slowly the car slid all the way down to Musket Lane. I tried that hill six times and Joe thought he could do better. Now it was Joe at the wheel. He got stuck big time where I had to get out of the car to push it till it would slide down the hill. The hard part was getting out of the car on the ice and trying to get to the driver's side of the car so I could push it down. I was holding onto the car for dear life since my feet kept sliding. No wonder there were so many people in the emergency rooms with broken bones and worse. Joe tried it two more times with the same result and decided to leave the car parked on Musket Lane. He parked on the opposite side of the street where He would have to walk on the ice which was downright treacherous. I tried to get him to park on the other side of the street where he could walk on the lawns that had some traction with crunching your feet through the layer of ice. Since Joe's platelets are so low, he has such a huge danger of bleeding. I was terrified of him falling on the ice that I had to yell at him like a madwoman since he was not listening to me. He got angry at me but I kept yelling till he got to safety on the lawns. He walked up the hill on the lawns forgetting about all the groceries in the car. I got in the car and moved it to the opposite side of the street to get the groceries and get some traction on the ice snow. I consolidated the ten bags of groceries to five and headed up the hill, huffing and puffing. By the time I made it to the house I was drenching in sweat. I fully admit that I was peeved at Joe.
Joe was on the couch in the living room. He made some type of statement and all I said was, "I don't want to hear it!" I kept my mouth shut thankfully for a change. I put all the groceries away and sat in the den and did not want to move for any reason for the rest of the day.
I could not believe that Joe went outside and got his tractor going. He completely paved the driveway clear of the ice snow. He should not be doing stuff like this but I do understand why he did it. It was have to some control over his life.
The alarm clock goes off at 6AM Friday morning since we had to be a Winship at Emory Infusion department for blood work and transfusions. Neither of us wanted to get out of bed but we did. Our car was at the bottom of the hill so we trekked down on the ice snow in the darkness where the only sounds were the crunching of our feet into the frozen matter and our huffing and puffing. Driving to Emory slowly on the slick roads were the key to safety. Panera Bread was open which was a shining star for us where we had a light breakfast before going over to Emory. Joe's appointment was for 7:30 AM and they finally called him for the blood draw at 8:30AM. Now we had to wait around for the results which they told him could be in thirty minutes which would be excellent. Every thing else was closed at Emory so all one could do was to wait in the waiting area. Surprise! They called Joe into the Infusion area at 9AM. The RN came over to us and stated that they were waiting for the full chemistry results. At 9:30 the RN came over and said Joe did not need any transfusions which was a shock. Joe's red blood counts got better and his platelets held decently. Celebration, come on! Joe was producing red blood cells.
I went upstairs to Dr. Winton's office receptionist since he was not there nor his nurse. I had wanted to know if Joe should start taking the neupogin shots but the white blood cells were in the normal range. I could not get an answer so I decided to hold off till Joe's next appointment. We were told when Joe checked out of the hospital to go to Winton's office and make a follow up appointment for him, blood tests and transfusion. The receptionist where Winton practices said no that you do it downstairs in the hematology department. I go back downstairs and got a sweet receptionist to went the extra mile to assist me. It turned out that all of Joe's appointments were set up and that Joe would come back on Tuesday afternoon for the blood and infusion. They were closed Monday for Martin Luther King's birthday. On Thursday afternoon he would see the doctor and get the chemo Vincristine The receptionist printed out the appointment list and that was great.
The sun was shining brightly on Friday which assisted in melting some of the ice snow. The roads were getting better but still the subdivision was awful. After leaving Emory Infusion we headed over to Emory Clinic hoping to see an internist for my Urinary Tract Infection. I was blessed that I only had to wait 15 minutes to see a resident. All I wanted was a prescription to kill the miserable burning infection. I got it and off we drove back home where we stopped for lunch and a stop at Kroger at Five Fork's Trickum and Rockbridge Road to fill my prescription. I sat Joe down over at the in store, Starbucks, to get his Caramel Frappacino and a Hot Chocolate for me. The clerk at the pharmacy that it would take an hour. I surely did not want to go home and get back out of the road especially since the Dekalb police had shut down Old Stone Mountain Road where a truck got stuck and a car was in the ditch. The officer said that it was even icier down the hill and further down. This is a very busy road and it is still impassable on Friday. Thankfully the prescription was ready in thirty minutes. We were not on our way home for the rest of the day and night. I got a fast start off of Musket Lane to get up the hill on Musket Court with a wee bit of slipping and spinning, I made it to the top and into our garage. SUCCESS!
Joe loves the Atlanta Falcons thus is the reason we already had tickets to the playoff game at the Dome against the Green Bay Packers for Saturday night at 8PM. My oldest son, Keith, who lives in Memphis was coming into town to go with us though his ticket was elsewhere. He was surprise by the amount of ice still on the roads after almost a week since the storm. We never had snow stay around so long.In the afternoon Joe and I easily made it over to Penneys Northlake to buy red Falcon jerseys for the game. We both got RYAN #2.
We left at home at 5:30 PM to start the evening with an Italian dinner at Capozzi's on Clairmont. Clifford already had our bottle of Pinot Grigio on ice since he knows I love it very cold. We all enjoyed our dinners. Joe had Chicken Parmesan which is said was terrific. I had my favorite, Chicken Marsala. After dinner I drove over the the Decatur MARTA station and dropped Joe and Keith off on Church Street so Joe would not have to walk very far. I found a parking spot near Decatur High School which would had been a difficult walk for Joe. I caught up with them both downstairs at the rails and of course, we had just missed the train which always seems to be the case but another train came in five minutes which was not too bad since Joe had a place to sit. We all also got seats on the train since by the time we got to Five Points it was people shoulder to shoulder. We always get off at the Vine City Station which is one station further down from the Dome. As we pulled from the Dome Station, we could see a huge line of people trying to get to the stairs and passage way to the Dome. It crept along. Thank goodness we were able to avoid that or Joe would have wiped out. At the Vine City Station we took the elevator to the street level and followed the crowd a short distance to the Dome entrance. Thankfully the security lines were not very long. We also used the elevator to get to the upper level seats. Our seats were in row 13 so Joe did not have to climb too much. Once he was in his seat, he stayed there the entire pathetic game. I ran back and forth to the concession stands to get whatever he wanted. He had another craving for a tub of popcorn and he ate every last kernel himself. By the third quarter we were losing so bad that we both wanted to leave. With stinky yellow Cheeseheads in front and back of us made the lost even more unbearable. It is hard to maintain one's cool as your team is being insulted by unwanted drunk guests. Keith and I were texting back and forth and decided that we would leave with 10 minutes left in the 4th quarter unless they scored two touchdowns. Hell would have to freeze over for that to happen since Green Pay was invincible and we played the worse game of the year at the wrong time. So many upsets this time! The mighty Patriots lost to the New York Jets this evening. I know my New York buddies are thrilled. We took the elevator down to the street level and followed the other early defeated fans over to MARTA. To make things harder, it took MARTA forever to get a train there. We all wanted to get home and drown our sorrows. Kidding! I neglected to remember to use the elevator at the Decatur station and Joe proceeded to follow me up the long stairs to the street level. Oh my! He was having such a difficult time and moving so slow. I ran down the steps to help him but he refused help and two men behind him offered to help him also but he also refused. I felt so bad about that but then again he could have gone to the elevator himself. We caught up with Keith and I instructed them to wait on Church Street while I got the car. All was well and after we got home, he rested on the couch and watched Saturday Night Live and whatever came on later which meant he was recovering from the active day.
Sunday Joe stayed home from church to get some more rest. It was calming for me to attend church and see all our wonderful members. When I got home, I told Joe about all the good wishes and thoughts that he was pleased and thankful to hear that he was not forgotten. I made a light lunch and watched some more football even though our team was eliminated.
I want to thank Joe's sister and brother for the text messages that we received from them at the game since they made us laugh in spite of us losing. I hate losing. I am not a good loser but within a few minutes, I am over it.
Joe's brother in law, Rick, stent placement was successful to open up the 90% blockage. He is doing great and we are all thankful since we care so much for Rick and Donna as well as all the girls.
I still have not heard from our friends in Queensland, Australia and keep praying that they are Okay. They are such wonderful fun people. They are strong and a resilient bunch but it still must be horrible for them with the massive historical floods.
Tomorrow is a great man's day of honor, Martin Luther King's birthday. Thinking of how he made the black people's voice be heard in a non-violent powerful way. It is even more unreal in today's turbulent times. All of us can learn what made him tick. He is a man for all ages, colors and nations.
Peace be with you and may God make your troubles go away!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
01/12/11 OUT, SAFE, ICED IN
It seemed like forever to get Joe released from Emory on Tuesday after completed Part 3A of HyperCVAD-R. The hospital was short staffed because of the snow then the ice glaze on top of it. By 8AM Joe had the room all packed up. He was so anxious to get home. I tried to tell him to leave it alone or the time will seem to drag which it did. We left the room at about 2PM and stopped by the Emory Hospital Pharmacy to get a golden load of drugs. Since it is a new year, Joe has to pay $1200 of his deductible with AT&T which we met half of it at that on Tueday. Jeez! While we waited for the drugs to be prepared, I took the luggage and packed up the car and stopped by the Infusion Department to make Friday's blood test and transfusion appointment which will be at at early hour of 7:30 AM. Hopefully it will mean we get out faster. I am kind of worried about Emory running out of blood since there has been a plea at the bottom of the TV from the Red Cross that there is a dire need for blood. There was also a by line that stated the Emory Hospital was postponing operations because of the low blood supply. Something else is now added to my list of concerns. If anyone is in the Atlanta area, please give blood at Emory. You will save someone's life.
The roads around Emory were covered with a layer of ice so I drove about 15 mph. I knew that Joe was hungry and we were in luck when on North Decatur Road we saw that Melton's was open. Joe was really happy about that. There was quite a crowd there having lunch and also around the bar. Many of the people walked from their homes to get there since there was not that many cars parked in the parking lot. People were jovial and in a festive mood. We had yummy cheeseburgers perfectly cooked the way we love them.
US 78 is a 6 lane highway that had only one lane passable in each direction. Thank goodness it was still daylight since I could see that the highway was going to be a real issue after sunset. One hour after we got home, they had shut down US 78 down. God was watching over us. I had gotten off at Mountain Industrial to avoid the steep hills of Hugh Howell or Lilburn Stone Mountain Road. There was no way I could believe that it was possible to climb those roads under the icy conditions. We stopped by Publix so I could run in and get some needed supplies. Little did I know that we would be housebound for three days or I would have bought more food. Hugh Howell Road from Publix to our home had a thick layer of packed icy snow. I drove slow and kept my distance away from other cars. We could see some cars and pick up trucks that did not make it. They were stuck off the side of the road in weird directions. Turning onto Silver Hill Road and Gunstock was even worse. The real test was making it to our home on Musket Court since there is a steep hill coming off of Musket Lane. I started up the hill slowly and my wheels were spinning like crazy and the car twisting left and right. I made it to our home. The driveway had a two inch layer of packed ice. We were home safely. Thanks be to God.
I suppose it was about 4PM when we finally made it home. I realized that Joe was weak when he had difficulty making it up the two steps from the garage to the house. I told him to lay down on the couch and rest that I would take care of the unloading and unpacking. It kept me busy for quite awhile. The next chore was to set up his week of med's. I had to empty the one's that were there and figure out what they were so I could put them back in the right containers. It took me about an hour to get it all set up when I was finally able to sit down and rest. I was beat.
Dinner was spaghetti and meat sauce which was a gift from the owner of my maid service, Chris Ellis. I had frozen it and thank goodness we had it. It saved the night. Joe loves anything with tomato sauce. He ate what he could since his appetite is down quite a bit from all the excess fluid in poor body. It has made him uncomfortable and very tired. He laid back on the couch with orders from me to rest and do nothing. He said he was cold though he had two blankets on him and the thermostat at 73 degrees. I was worried that he had a fever so I took his temperature several times but it was normal. Many times during the night I would reach out to touch his forehead and face to make sure he was okay.
We stayed put all day Wednesday where Joe rested on the couch. His feet are still swollen and he feels congestion in his lungs from all the fluids they put into him. He had a craving for grapes, sherbet and cantaloupe so I decided to try to venture out to the grocery store. I did not get very far. I backed my car out of the garage and there I got stuck. The wheels spun and no matter how I tried to rock it, it would not budge an inch. The driveway is sheer ice. I had to leave my car haphazardly parked in the driveway and headed into the house to tell Joe that I was not going anywhere and that it might be days before this stuff thaws out.
Thanks to friends and neighbors leaving has staples that I had frozen when we first came home from Houston. I was able to make us some delicious grilled cheese sandwiches. I never tasted such good as those today! I also thawed out some spectacular homemade chicken soup to complement the sandwiches thanks again to Chris Ellis. Joe enjoyed it big time as I did too,
Charlie Lester, my dear neighbor, across the street called me and asked me if I needed help getting my car unstuck. It was not urgent and I told him that I intended to leave it that way. He asked me if we needed anything. I told him that I was trying to head to Public since Joe had craving for grapes and fresh fruit. Amazingly he walked over to our home and delivered us some of his grapes, delicious sweet pineapple, ripe oranges and a big red apple. Now, how sweet was that! How can one thank people enough for at they have done to help us. God will surely send them blessings.
For dinner tonight I thawed out the BBQ chicken that I had frozen from our open house way back in September. I made some fabulous chicken salad for dinner and almost as good as Kenny and Ziggy's in Houston. I was surprise how much chicken salad can be made out of three chicken breasts. So it anyone would like to stop by and have some chicken salad, come on by. We would love to have you.
We rented a movie on Comcast On Demand. "The Town" with Ben Affleck was very very good though it was a real shoot em up but it kept Joe's attention which is hard to do these days. He has a very short attention span. I rubbed his ankles and put ice on them to try to get the swelling down. He is still weak. I think that by Friday, he will be close to normal. He just needs lots of rest and fluids. Of course he still has the chemo cough and sinusitis. The cough medicine can make him constipated so I gave him some gentle stool softener with a laxative. It is a mild one and I know that it will give him relief.
As we were watching "The Town", Greg Bennett, our next store neighbor called to ask if I had an issue with my car. I told him that I was trying to get to the store and I got stuck in the driveway. He offered to drive me to the store but I would not hear of it since it was dark, below freezing and too dangerous. He offered to have Chad and him come over to get my car back into the garage. I protested but he said they were bored and would be glad to do it. They were successful with using a large bag of sand and Greg backed my car into the garage so it would be easier for me to get out. We need some real sunshine and some above freezing temperatures to melt this stuff. In the South we do not have the snow removal equipment like the North and Midwest has. What little there is, is used for the interstates and major roads. Forget about the secondary and surface streets. The removal is done by Mother Nature and she has not been cooperating.
Joe's brother in law, Rick Dangar, had a stent put in an artery this morning that was 90% blocked. He was smart enough to know something was wrong when he had been hiking at Amicola Falls recently when he had a pain in his chest. He had it checked out and it saved his life. Thank you Lord for answering our prayers for a safe procedure for Rick. He is spending only one night tonight in the hospital and will go home tomorrow. Pray for a fast and full recovery for Rick. He is so dear to Joe and me. He was the person who drove me to Houston when I was sick and in need.
It is really hard for Joe and I to believe that he only got out of the hospital yesterday when it truly feels like three days ago. I had to read my facebook page to prove to the both of us it was only yesterday. There is a massive disease happening in the Atlanta area called Cabin Fever. Parents are about to lose their minds with the kids being home bound for four days. They have run out of ideas to keep their kids busy. It is not possible. Kids are going to test their parents' patience to an extreme.
I had a huge laugh today with our dog. Max. I had taken him outside this afternoon to do his business. He had gone into the woods in our backyard where the snow had a thick layer of ice on it. Watching Max trying to get up the hill to the driveway was a sight to see since he could not get any traction. He slipped and went sideways and skidded back down the hill. He was smarter on the next try. He took one step at a time and came up sideways very slowly. I laughed so hard that I wish that I had gotten a video of his attempt. I am sure it would be a hit on the evening news and on You Tube. I will try to capture it tomorrow morning but I am betting that he will not even try to go to the backyard.
I am requesting prayers be said for the people of Queensland, Australia with their devastating and wide spread historical flooding. We have friends there and we have not heard from them. I am praying that they and their families are safe and their homes saved.
Good night my family and friends. Thank you for being there. We still need you.
Ciao!
The roads around Emory were covered with a layer of ice so I drove about 15 mph. I knew that Joe was hungry and we were in luck when on North Decatur Road we saw that Melton's was open. Joe was really happy about that. There was quite a crowd there having lunch and also around the bar. Many of the people walked from their homes to get there since there was not that many cars parked in the parking lot. People were jovial and in a festive mood. We had yummy cheeseburgers perfectly cooked the way we love them.
US 78 is a 6 lane highway that had only one lane passable in each direction. Thank goodness it was still daylight since I could see that the highway was going to be a real issue after sunset. One hour after we got home, they had shut down US 78 down. God was watching over us. I had gotten off at Mountain Industrial to avoid the steep hills of Hugh Howell or Lilburn Stone Mountain Road. There was no way I could believe that it was possible to climb those roads under the icy conditions. We stopped by Publix so I could run in and get some needed supplies. Little did I know that we would be housebound for three days or I would have bought more food. Hugh Howell Road from Publix to our home had a thick layer of packed icy snow. I drove slow and kept my distance away from other cars. We could see some cars and pick up trucks that did not make it. They were stuck off the side of the road in weird directions. Turning onto Silver Hill Road and Gunstock was even worse. The real test was making it to our home on Musket Court since there is a steep hill coming off of Musket Lane. I started up the hill slowly and my wheels were spinning like crazy and the car twisting left and right. I made it to our home. The driveway had a two inch layer of packed ice. We were home safely. Thanks be to God.
I suppose it was about 4PM when we finally made it home. I realized that Joe was weak when he had difficulty making it up the two steps from the garage to the house. I told him to lay down on the couch and rest that I would take care of the unloading and unpacking. It kept me busy for quite awhile. The next chore was to set up his week of med's. I had to empty the one's that were there and figure out what they were so I could put them back in the right containers. It took me about an hour to get it all set up when I was finally able to sit down and rest. I was beat.
Dinner was spaghetti and meat sauce which was a gift from the owner of my maid service, Chris Ellis. I had frozen it and thank goodness we had it. It saved the night. Joe loves anything with tomato sauce. He ate what he could since his appetite is down quite a bit from all the excess fluid in poor body. It has made him uncomfortable and very tired. He laid back on the couch with orders from me to rest and do nothing. He said he was cold though he had two blankets on him and the thermostat at 73 degrees. I was worried that he had a fever so I took his temperature several times but it was normal. Many times during the night I would reach out to touch his forehead and face to make sure he was okay.
We stayed put all day Wednesday where Joe rested on the couch. His feet are still swollen and he feels congestion in his lungs from all the fluids they put into him. He had a craving for grapes, sherbet and cantaloupe so I decided to try to venture out to the grocery store. I did not get very far. I backed my car out of the garage and there I got stuck. The wheels spun and no matter how I tried to rock it, it would not budge an inch. The driveway is sheer ice. I had to leave my car haphazardly parked in the driveway and headed into the house to tell Joe that I was not going anywhere and that it might be days before this stuff thaws out.
Thanks to friends and neighbors leaving has staples that I had frozen when we first came home from Houston. I was able to make us some delicious grilled cheese sandwiches. I never tasted such good as those today! I also thawed out some spectacular homemade chicken soup to complement the sandwiches thanks again to Chris Ellis. Joe enjoyed it big time as I did too,
Charlie Lester, my dear neighbor, across the street called me and asked me if I needed help getting my car unstuck. It was not urgent and I told him that I intended to leave it that way. He asked me if we needed anything. I told him that I was trying to head to Public since Joe had craving for grapes and fresh fruit. Amazingly he walked over to our home and delivered us some of his grapes, delicious sweet pineapple, ripe oranges and a big red apple. Now, how sweet was that! How can one thank people enough for at they have done to help us. God will surely send them blessings.
For dinner tonight I thawed out the BBQ chicken that I had frozen from our open house way back in September. I made some fabulous chicken salad for dinner and almost as good as Kenny and Ziggy's in Houston. I was surprise how much chicken salad can be made out of three chicken breasts. So it anyone would like to stop by and have some chicken salad, come on by. We would love to have you.
We rented a movie on Comcast On Demand. "The Town" with Ben Affleck was very very good though it was a real shoot em up but it kept Joe's attention which is hard to do these days. He has a very short attention span. I rubbed his ankles and put ice on them to try to get the swelling down. He is still weak. I think that by Friday, he will be close to normal. He just needs lots of rest and fluids. Of course he still has the chemo cough and sinusitis. The cough medicine can make him constipated so I gave him some gentle stool softener with a laxative. It is a mild one and I know that it will give him relief.
As we were watching "The Town", Greg Bennett, our next store neighbor called to ask if I had an issue with my car. I told him that I was trying to get to the store and I got stuck in the driveway. He offered to drive me to the store but I would not hear of it since it was dark, below freezing and too dangerous. He offered to have Chad and him come over to get my car back into the garage. I protested but he said they were bored and would be glad to do it. They were successful with using a large bag of sand and Greg backed my car into the garage so it would be easier for me to get out. We need some real sunshine and some above freezing temperatures to melt this stuff. In the South we do not have the snow removal equipment like the North and Midwest has. What little there is, is used for the interstates and major roads. Forget about the secondary and surface streets. The removal is done by Mother Nature and she has not been cooperating.
Joe's brother in law, Rick Dangar, had a stent put in an artery this morning that was 90% blocked. He was smart enough to know something was wrong when he had been hiking at Amicola Falls recently when he had a pain in his chest. He had it checked out and it saved his life. Thank you Lord for answering our prayers for a safe procedure for Rick. He is spending only one night tonight in the hospital and will go home tomorrow. Pray for a fast and full recovery for Rick. He is so dear to Joe and me. He was the person who drove me to Houston when I was sick and in need.
It is really hard for Joe and I to believe that he only got out of the hospital yesterday when it truly feels like three days ago. I had to read my facebook page to prove to the both of us it was only yesterday. There is a massive disease happening in the Atlanta area called Cabin Fever. Parents are about to lose their minds with the kids being home bound for four days. They have run out of ideas to keep their kids busy. It is not possible. Kids are going to test their parents' patience to an extreme.
I had a huge laugh today with our dog. Max. I had taken him outside this afternoon to do his business. He had gone into the woods in our backyard where the snow had a thick layer of ice on it. Watching Max trying to get up the hill to the driveway was a sight to see since he could not get any traction. He slipped and went sideways and skidded back down the hill. He was smarter on the next try. He took one step at a time and came up sideways very slowly. I laughed so hard that I wish that I had gotten a video of his attempt. I am sure it would be a hit on the evening news and on You Tube. I will try to capture it tomorrow morning but I am betting that he will not even try to go to the backyard.
I am requesting prayers be said for the people of Queensland, Australia with their devastating and wide spread historical flooding. We have friends there and we have not heard from them. I am praying that they and their families are safe and their homes saved.
Good night my family and friends. Thank you for being there. We still need you.
Ciao!
Monday, January 10, 2011
01/10/11 SAFE AND COZY AT EMORY
I figured out what I could not go to sleep till about 3:30 AM. The Cokes that I drink at the hospital are not Caffeine Free as I have at home so I have added Caffeine Free Cokes to my packing list. Somehow I was still able to get up in time to shower and pack a suitcase to spend a few nights with Joe at Emory since a snow storm was approaching and should arrive at 8PM Sunday night. I was so happy to be able to attend Sunday church service at Eastminster Presbyterian with all the wonderful people who were the backbone of Joe's Prayer Army. It was good to give and get hugs and tell everyone that Joe was doing great and happy to be back in Atlanta though he was in the hospital.
After church I headed towards Emory but stopped at Publix to buy some of their amazing sandwiches. Our favorite is Ultimate Club. I picked up some OJ for Joe, Caffeine Free Coke for me, chips, chocolate chip cookies and some cold cuts with cheese. The store was packed with people and thankfully the store had all the registers manned with people.
Joe was happy that I was back and that I would be with him during the snowstorm. He would not have to worry about me driving back and forth from home. The Bennetts, one of our great neighbors, offered to take Max out for us while we are tied up here at Emory. How wonderful is that! We had our picnic lunch and watched the NFL playoff games. It was a surprise that Green Bay won and we would be playing them next Saturday at the Dome. Joe and I have tickets! Whoopee! He is so excited about it and gives him something to look forward to.
Joe gained 25 pounds in only two days from water retention so they had to give him lasix shots twice which makes one go pee a bunch. He has got to flush those chemicals and dead cells out of his body. His feet and ankles have swelled up and he has to wear the elastic hose as well as wrap some fabric around his lower legs where a machine expands and lets go to get his circulation going. Joe finds it very relaxing so he does not mind doing it. His blood counts have remain stable and surprisingly has not need another transfusion of red cells or platelets. His platelets have consistently been over 100. Good News. His white cells are still too high and that has got to get down. We still have a long road to travel on this dangerous journey.
Sunday evening the Southern Snow Storm arrived on time with anticipation. It was amazing how fast it came down and accumulated. Looking out the hospital room window we could see the rooftops become all white. It was nice to be warm, dry and with my honey. I changed into my jammies and warm socks and we both snuggled in the single bed and watched TV. He barely could stand watching Desperate Housewives and Brothers and Sisters. Joe swore they were repeats but they were new episodes. The last two chemos happened at 11PM with a short IV of vincristine followed by 24 hours of the Red Devil, doxorubican. We turned the lights out and went fast to sleep in each other arms. I would not have it any other way. We both find it very comforting.
We were greeted Monday morning with an early visit from Dr. McLemore who examine Joe and ordered the second shot of lasix but thought Joe was doing good. Praise God for these blessings. Local TV was manic with their coverage of the snowstorm that was on all day long that I thought I would lose my mind. Joe did not want the hospital food for lunch so I went searching to see what was opened at the hospital. All the cafeteria had was the normal hospital food such as pepper steak and fish. Yuck! I went to the other three snack bars and they were all closed. I walked over to the Emory University Food Court in the next building and it was also closed. I went back into the cafeteria and looked at the food available and I knew that it would not do for Joe. I came back to the room and started making phone calls to see if anyone in Emory Village was delivering and no luck. I called Publix which is only 1.5 miles away and they were open but they would be closing early. Joe loved the idea of another Publix sandwich and requested some cheesecake. Joe loves cheesecake with a passion. I decided to take the plunge and drive over there ever so very slowly about 15 mph. The roads were covered with snow mush and ice. I used all the winter driving skills I learned while I lived in Iceland for three years before I arrived in Atlanta in 1975. I was more worried about walking from the car to the store but I was so careful. I got our Ultimate Boarshead Subs on the multigrain bread and decided to buy a Roast Beef Sub for the evening meal since there was no way I was going to drive on sheer ice after sundown. I got Joe two pieces of chocolate pecan cheesecake, tiramasu, chips, and Cranberry juice. The juice was for me since I seem to have started a UTI. UGH! The Emory Pharmacist recommended some AZO to take and to drink lots of Cranberry Juice. It seems to be working since I am not burning when I urinate any more. Those things can be incredibly miserable.
Joe was delighted upon my safe return and we had another lunch feast. Today was a hard day to waste time with Snow TV on all channels. Finally tonight we had the Fiesta Bowl with Auburn against the Oregon. It is half time now and the score is 16-11 the SEC on top. Of course we have to root for the SEC. It is in our Southern blood but Auburn is not a part of our heart.
Joe just finished the Red Devil! YEAH! He is no longer hooked up to the LIFE TREE. He is IV line free. He was really looking forward to that.
Now it is time to get in my jammies and get next to Joe. It is where I belong.
Ciao!
After church I headed towards Emory but stopped at Publix to buy some of their amazing sandwiches. Our favorite is Ultimate Club. I picked up some OJ for Joe, Caffeine Free Coke for me, chips, chocolate chip cookies and some cold cuts with cheese. The store was packed with people and thankfully the store had all the registers manned with people.
Joe was happy that I was back and that I would be with him during the snowstorm. He would not have to worry about me driving back and forth from home. The Bennetts, one of our great neighbors, offered to take Max out for us while we are tied up here at Emory. How wonderful is that! We had our picnic lunch and watched the NFL playoff games. It was a surprise that Green Bay won and we would be playing them next Saturday at the Dome. Joe and I have tickets! Whoopee! He is so excited about it and gives him something to look forward to.
Joe gained 25 pounds in only two days from water retention so they had to give him lasix shots twice which makes one go pee a bunch. He has got to flush those chemicals and dead cells out of his body. His feet and ankles have swelled up and he has to wear the elastic hose as well as wrap some fabric around his lower legs where a machine expands and lets go to get his circulation going. Joe finds it very relaxing so he does not mind doing it. His blood counts have remain stable and surprisingly has not need another transfusion of red cells or platelets. His platelets have consistently been over 100. Good News. His white cells are still too high and that has got to get down. We still have a long road to travel on this dangerous journey.
Sunday evening the Southern Snow Storm arrived on time with anticipation. It was amazing how fast it came down and accumulated. Looking out the hospital room window we could see the rooftops become all white. It was nice to be warm, dry and with my honey. I changed into my jammies and warm socks and we both snuggled in the single bed and watched TV. He barely could stand watching Desperate Housewives and Brothers and Sisters. Joe swore they were repeats but they were new episodes. The last two chemos happened at 11PM with a short IV of vincristine followed by 24 hours of the Red Devil, doxorubican. We turned the lights out and went fast to sleep in each other arms. I would not have it any other way. We both find it very comforting.
We were greeted Monday morning with an early visit from Dr. McLemore who examine Joe and ordered the second shot of lasix but thought Joe was doing good. Praise God for these blessings. Local TV was manic with their coverage of the snowstorm that was on all day long that I thought I would lose my mind. Joe did not want the hospital food for lunch so I went searching to see what was opened at the hospital. All the cafeteria had was the normal hospital food such as pepper steak and fish. Yuck! I went to the other three snack bars and they were all closed. I walked over to the Emory University Food Court in the next building and it was also closed. I went back into the cafeteria and looked at the food available and I knew that it would not do for Joe. I came back to the room and started making phone calls to see if anyone in Emory Village was delivering and no luck. I called Publix which is only 1.5 miles away and they were open but they would be closing early. Joe loved the idea of another Publix sandwich and requested some cheesecake. Joe loves cheesecake with a passion. I decided to take the plunge and drive over there ever so very slowly about 15 mph. The roads were covered with snow mush and ice. I used all the winter driving skills I learned while I lived in Iceland for three years before I arrived in Atlanta in 1975. I was more worried about walking from the car to the store but I was so careful. I got our Ultimate Boarshead Subs on the multigrain bread and decided to buy a Roast Beef Sub for the evening meal since there was no way I was going to drive on sheer ice after sundown. I got Joe two pieces of chocolate pecan cheesecake, tiramasu, chips, and Cranberry juice. The juice was for me since I seem to have started a UTI. UGH! The Emory Pharmacist recommended some AZO to take and to drink lots of Cranberry Juice. It seems to be working since I am not burning when I urinate any more. Those things can be incredibly miserable.
Joe was delighted upon my safe return and we had another lunch feast. Today was a hard day to waste time with Snow TV on all channels. Finally tonight we had the Fiesta Bowl with Auburn against the Oregon. It is half time now and the score is 16-11 the SEC on top. Of course we have to root for the SEC. It is in our Southern blood but Auburn is not a part of our heart.
Joe just finished the Red Devil! YEAH! He is no longer hooked up to the LIFE TREE. He is IV line free. He was really looking forward to that.
Now it is time to get in my jammies and get next to Joe. It is where I belong.
Ciao!
Saturday, January 8, 2011
01/08/2011 DEJA VU
Thursday, Joe was admitted back into Emory University Hospital for Round 3A of the HyperCVAD-R chemotherapy. Our check in time was 10:30 AM in Admissions and there we waited and waited. At 12:30 I asked what was going on. They were waiting for a bed to open up on wing E on the 8th floor. At 1PM I went to the 8th Floor to see if I could get the straight scoop. I told the two nurses at the front desk that I was snooping and trying to find out what the hold up was. They were waiting for the patient in room 805 to leave then they would have to have the room cleaned. I went back down to Admissions to tell Joe. At 1:30 I called the Patient Advocate and stated that there is a bottleneck in the Admissions process and it needed to be fixed. I suggested that they give out pagers so the patients and caregivers are not imprisoned in the small Admissions waiting area. She thought that was a good suggestion that way people could have lunch, go to the chapel, lounges. Finally at 2PM after being there since 10:30AM Joe's room was ready.
Room E805 is a bigger room than what Joe had last time plus the bathroom is better situated and larger so the chemo tree can fit into the room. We have a better view instead of a wall. The nurses are more thorough and friendlier and have a sense of humor which is necessary when one is fighting a life threatening disease. They did a blood draw and other tests. One was a new one that Joe never had done before where they tested for VRE.
Joe started with the Rituxan 800 mg, the monoclonal antibody, at 7:00 PM and finished that at 10PM with no issues at all. What a contrast to the first time he had the Rituxan. The human body is amazing what it can put up with. At 11PM he started the 3 hour IV of Cyclophosamide which would happen every 12 hours for three days. Joe was given two pints of red blood cells on Friday since his hemoglobin was at 8 and his hematocrit was also low. The platelets are decent which is great news. The first four days he also takes orally 40 mg of Dexamethasone. Today is Saturday so he will have the Cyclophosamide at 11PM for three hours then 11AM tomorrow another three hours which will be the last of that one.
Everything is going very smoothly. Joe has been doing laps with his tree around the floor which is filled with patients and caregivers. Most people on this floor are patients who had a bone marrow transplant who are very susceptible to infections which could kill them. Everyone wears masks in the halls. Joe and I will need to start wearing gloves and a gown as well as a mask when he does his laps. Joe is so afraid of hurting someone that I am betting that he will not leave the room till we leave.
I am planning to leave the hospital at 1AM tonight after we enjoy Saturday Night Live together. Hopefully there will be a bunch of funny skits so Joe and I can share our laughter. All day today we enjoyed watching the NFL play off games. I can not believe that the Seahawks beat New Orleans. Great game! Now we are watching the amazing Peyton Manning Colts play the JETS. It is a very close game. In fact the game is now tied at 7-7. Great entertainment!
Tomorrow I hope to make it to church at 11PM before heading back over to Emory. I will be spending Sunday night at the hospital since there is a manic alert for a snow storm in Atlanta where we may have up to 7 inches. I do not want to be stuck at home with Joe in the hospital so that will solve that.
Good news for me! The steroid shot that I had into my shoulder joint on Tuesday decreased my pain by 75%. I also have more movement. God has answered a bunch of prayers for me on it. I wonder why the steroid shot did not do a thing last September. I will do the MRI on Tuesday with a follow up doctor's appointment on Friday. I can not tell you how wonderful it is without being in pain 100% of the time. Thank you God!
Ciao!
Room E805 is a bigger room than what Joe had last time plus the bathroom is better situated and larger so the chemo tree can fit into the room. We have a better view instead of a wall. The nurses are more thorough and friendlier and have a sense of humor which is necessary when one is fighting a life threatening disease. They did a blood draw and other tests. One was a new one that Joe never had done before where they tested for VRE.
Joe started with the Rituxan 800 mg, the monoclonal antibody, at 7:00 PM and finished that at 10PM with no issues at all. What a contrast to the first time he had the Rituxan. The human body is amazing what it can put up with. At 11PM he started the 3 hour IV of Cyclophosamide which would happen every 12 hours for three days. Joe was given two pints of red blood cells on Friday since his hemoglobin was at 8 and his hematocrit was also low. The platelets are decent which is great news. The first four days he also takes orally 40 mg of Dexamethasone. Today is Saturday so he will have the Cyclophosamide at 11PM for three hours then 11AM tomorrow another three hours which will be the last of that one.
Everything is going very smoothly. Joe has been doing laps with his tree around the floor which is filled with patients and caregivers. Most people on this floor are patients who had a bone marrow transplant who are very susceptible to infections which could kill them. Everyone wears masks in the halls. Joe and I will need to start wearing gloves and a gown as well as a mask when he does his laps. Joe is so afraid of hurting someone that I am betting that he will not leave the room till we leave.
I am planning to leave the hospital at 1AM tonight after we enjoy Saturday Night Live together. Hopefully there will be a bunch of funny skits so Joe and I can share our laughter. All day today we enjoyed watching the NFL play off games. I can not believe that the Seahawks beat New Orleans. Great game! Now we are watching the amazing Peyton Manning Colts play the JETS. It is a very close game. In fact the game is now tied at 7-7. Great entertainment!
Tomorrow I hope to make it to church at 11PM before heading back over to Emory. I will be spending Sunday night at the hospital since there is a manic alert for a snow storm in Atlanta where we may have up to 7 inches. I do not want to be stuck at home with Joe in the hospital so that will solve that.
Good news for me! The steroid shot that I had into my shoulder joint on Tuesday decreased my pain by 75%. I also have more movement. God has answered a bunch of prayers for me on it. I wonder why the steroid shot did not do a thing last September. I will do the MRI on Tuesday with a follow up doctor's appointment on Friday. I can not tell you how wonderful it is without being in pain 100% of the time. Thank you God!
Ciao!
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
January 5, 2011 Miracles Begin
2011 started with amazing blessings that have surprised me with their magnitude in such a short period of time.
Monday started with a lab test at Emory Winship that was scheduled for 9:00AM but Joe was not called back for the blood draw until 10:10 AM. I sure do not understand their scheduling system but I can tell you that it is does not work. Our follow up appointment with Dr. Winton at Winship at Emory was not until 11AM so we just went upstairs to wait since we both needed to wait until the blood results came in to know what needed to be done. I suppose it was about 11:15 when we were called into the exam room and met with the effervescent lovely Physician Assistant Jessica Neely. (Thank you Miss Nancy on straightening me out on Jessica's position.) Shockingly to Joe and me Jessica told us that Joe did NOT need any transfusions that his counts were decent enough though not normal. How wonderful it was for us to be able to go down to Jacksonville, be with our grandchildren for the weekend then come back to this news. Jessica advised us to stop the Neupogin shots that help produce white blood cells. They were below normal on Friday then shot up dramatically on Monday which was the only serious negative result. Joe's phosphorus level was low but they contributed that you the overactive bone marrow and that it would settle down when he comes for the next round of chemotherapy at Emory Hospital on Thursday, January 6. Joe will be in the hospital for five days since the chemo is very volatile and the patient needs to be observed carefully.
Joe and I were both giggly with excitement since we ended 2010 without a need for a transfusion and now we started 2011 without a need for any transfusions. We stopped for a lunch at Community BBQ on Clairmont where we had pulled pork sandwiches which were piled with tender lean pork. I just I ate the pork and left the bread on the plate. The helpings are huge there. I highly recommend their BBQ, seasoned fresh fries, homemade Mac n Cheese and their Potato Salad. It is another great neighborhood place and close to Emory Hospital.
After lunch we drove over to Executive Park to see Dr. Garcia-Correda at the Emory Orthopedic and Spine Center for my appointment at 2:30PM. Again, it was another long wait in the waiting room till I was called into the exam room. The intern interviewed and examine me first for quite awhile before Dr Garcia came in who also examined me for a long time. He was convinced the issue is in the shoulder joint and not the neck after his review of the neck MRI. Keep in mind that I started this process in August with the drab, no bedside manner, Dr Levy, when I complained about my shoulder at that time. The issue was that Dr Levy is a spine specialist and all he recommended was physical therapy and some steroids that did nothing. One month later I saw Dr Mason at the Northside group who is the shoulder sports specialist who also recommended physical therapy. He gave me a steroid shot in my shoulder joint that did nothing. Mason finally ordered a MRI on the neck since he was convinced it was the discs in the neck. When his nurse called me with the results, they were convinced the issue were my discs in the neck but I was now in Houston, Texas and I had to put it all on hold. Unfortunately the pain got worse and the ability to move my arm lessened dramatically. Joe wanted me to fly back to Atlanta to have it taken care of, but there was no way I could do that under the circumstances. We do what we have to do. Now Dr Garcia wanted to give me another shot of steroid in the shoulder joint, After a few minutes, I had more movement in the arm which convinced him it was my shoulder joint. He was going to order a MRI of the Shoulder Joint which I believe will show the problem area and then see Dr Mason again at Emory Northside. I feel like a yo-yo and Garcia knew that. but he seems to be so sure. I pray that it gets resolved since it has affected my physical life way more than I am happy with. All of this will happen next week.
Mike would drive up on Tuesday, January 4th to celebrate my 65th birthday with Joe and me. What a nice surprise! It certainly made me happy. Only thing to make me even happier if the girls were coming also but they were not.
Joe let me sleep super late on my birthday on the 4th which was glorious. We went to lunch at Goldberg's Deli in Dunwoody which is no where near the caliber of Kenny and Ziggy's in Houston. Someone needs to tell me where the BEST DELI in Atlanta is! Requirements are rare generous tender roast beef sandwiches, great creamy chicken salad along with creamy potato salad. Does it exist in Atlanta?
Mike arrived shortly before 7:00 PM on Tuesday so we headed to Outback Steaks on US78 in Stone Mountain for my birthday dinner. It was great to have Mike there to celebrate my day with Joe and me. I had hundreds of wonderful birthday wishes on Facebook and some very funny ones. I read them all and was thankful for everyone wishing me a Happy Birthday. Joe's gift to me was a Kindle and lighted cover. Mike got me an AMC gift card. Keith sent me a triple Mousse Chocolate Cheesecake. The granddaughters each made a wonderful card which I cherish.
Shortly before midnight on my birthday I got the best birthday gift possible. I logged onto the MD Anderson Cancer website to see if Joe's pathology report from his Bone Marrow Biopsy on 12/10/1010 was available. I had been going on line nearly everyday looking for it. It was there. I gasped when I read the report. I read it again and thought I was misreading it or it was somebody else's.
The Bone Marrow Diagnosis said specifically the following:
Persistent Primary Myelofibrosis, MF-3
No morphologic evidence of malignant lymphoma
Comment:
We performed flow cytometry immunophenotypic studies using bone marrow aspirate material from this specimen. These studies show that the lymphocytes are predominantly T-cells. Virtually no B Cells are present. No immunophenotypic support for malignant lymphoma.
Mike was sitting next to me when I read this. He was happy with me. As always I was cautiously optimistic and wanted Dr Romaguera and Dr Winton to give me their professional opinion but this had to be positive news. I was realistic to know that there are lymphoma cells still in Joe's body and we need to destroy all of them. I fired off an email to both of them before I went to bed.
Yep, when I woke up and read my e-mails this morning, both doctors had responded. They both basically said the same thing:
"Joe is having a great response to his initial therapy. Pre-treatment the mantle cells predominant, and now are below level of detection. Although this is very favorable, do not interpret this as complete disappearance of the disease - remember it starts with one cell, and when diagnosed patient has trillions of cells. The test used to detect mantle cells (flow cytometry) misses disease once there are less than 1 and 1000 malignant vs normal cells, and theoretically patients can have millions of persisting lymphoma cells, and we would not be able to find them. At the same time, I am very impressed with his initial response, but want you to understand why we keep treating beyond the point of being able to detect residual disease. I am cautiously optimistic.
Hope this helps. Be happy to explain this in more detail on next visit."
The day became brighter today with more hope that Joe could have more time on earth!
Today Joe and I enjoyed having massages done at Massage Envy in Dunwoody. The good news this morning that my arm was not hurting close to as had as the day before from the steroid shot. GREAT! I had emphasis on my neck, back, arms and shoulder. Yes, I do feel like it made a difference that I actually scheduled another massage for me next week. Joe had reflexology massage on his hands and arms. The operator also massaged his bald head which he enjoyed also. I am so pleased that he enjoyed it so much. We both shared the same therapy room.
Tonight we had dinner at Enzo's Pizza where a few of Mike's best friends came to eat and see us. Robby Gilbert got Mike Morgan and Chris Wesson to come and it was a great booster for Mike's spirit. They are great close friends and I love them all. It is hard to believe that they graduated from Tucker High nearly 20 years ago. Amazing.
Joe gets admitted to Emory Hospital for five days of chemo at 10:30AM Thursday. He will be getting HyperCVAD-R Part A, full strength. Joe is a real trooper and so brave with all the chemo though he lets me do the research and ask the questions.
Joe's Prayer Army is a mighty force and here you can claim part of the victory conquering this monster blood cancer. God has surely heard the prayers and has guided us though this dangerous journey. Right now, we are on a high note and I pray for the strength, wisdom and courage to handle the low times. You are helping us. Keep it going, dear Army!
Today is full of light and hope!
Monday started with a lab test at Emory Winship that was scheduled for 9:00AM but Joe was not called back for the blood draw until 10:10 AM. I sure do not understand their scheduling system but I can tell you that it is does not work. Our follow up appointment with Dr. Winton at Winship at Emory was not until 11AM so we just went upstairs to wait since we both needed to wait until the blood results came in to know what needed to be done. I suppose it was about 11:15 when we were called into the exam room and met with the effervescent lovely Physician Assistant Jessica Neely. (Thank you Miss Nancy on straightening me out on Jessica's position.) Shockingly to Joe and me Jessica told us that Joe did NOT need any transfusions that his counts were decent enough though not normal. How wonderful it was for us to be able to go down to Jacksonville, be with our grandchildren for the weekend then come back to this news. Jessica advised us to stop the Neupogin shots that help produce white blood cells. They were below normal on Friday then shot up dramatically on Monday which was the only serious negative result. Joe's phosphorus level was low but they contributed that you the overactive bone marrow and that it would settle down when he comes for the next round of chemotherapy at Emory Hospital on Thursday, January 6. Joe will be in the hospital for five days since the chemo is very volatile and the patient needs to be observed carefully.
Joe and I were both giggly with excitement since we ended 2010 without a need for a transfusion and now we started 2011 without a need for any transfusions. We stopped for a lunch at Community BBQ on Clairmont where we had pulled pork sandwiches which were piled with tender lean pork. I just I ate the pork and left the bread on the plate. The helpings are huge there. I highly recommend their BBQ, seasoned fresh fries, homemade Mac n Cheese and their Potato Salad. It is another great neighborhood place and close to Emory Hospital.
After lunch we drove over to Executive Park to see Dr. Garcia-Correda at the Emory Orthopedic and Spine Center for my appointment at 2:30PM. Again, it was another long wait in the waiting room till I was called into the exam room. The intern interviewed and examine me first for quite awhile before Dr Garcia came in who also examined me for a long time. He was convinced the issue is in the shoulder joint and not the neck after his review of the neck MRI. Keep in mind that I started this process in August with the drab, no bedside manner, Dr Levy, when I complained about my shoulder at that time. The issue was that Dr Levy is a spine specialist and all he recommended was physical therapy and some steroids that did nothing. One month later I saw Dr Mason at the Northside group who is the shoulder sports specialist who also recommended physical therapy. He gave me a steroid shot in my shoulder joint that did nothing. Mason finally ordered a MRI on the neck since he was convinced it was the discs in the neck. When his nurse called me with the results, they were convinced the issue were my discs in the neck but I was now in Houston, Texas and I had to put it all on hold. Unfortunately the pain got worse and the ability to move my arm lessened dramatically. Joe wanted me to fly back to Atlanta to have it taken care of, but there was no way I could do that under the circumstances. We do what we have to do. Now Dr Garcia wanted to give me another shot of steroid in the shoulder joint, After a few minutes, I had more movement in the arm which convinced him it was my shoulder joint. He was going to order a MRI of the Shoulder Joint which I believe will show the problem area and then see Dr Mason again at Emory Northside. I feel like a yo-yo and Garcia knew that. but he seems to be so sure. I pray that it gets resolved since it has affected my physical life way more than I am happy with. All of this will happen next week.
Mike would drive up on Tuesday, January 4th to celebrate my 65th birthday with Joe and me. What a nice surprise! It certainly made me happy. Only thing to make me even happier if the girls were coming also but they were not.
Joe let me sleep super late on my birthday on the 4th which was glorious. We went to lunch at Goldberg's Deli in Dunwoody which is no where near the caliber of Kenny and Ziggy's in Houston. Someone needs to tell me where the BEST DELI in Atlanta is! Requirements are rare generous tender roast beef sandwiches, great creamy chicken salad along with creamy potato salad. Does it exist in Atlanta?
Mike arrived shortly before 7:00 PM on Tuesday so we headed to Outback Steaks on US78 in Stone Mountain for my birthday dinner. It was great to have Mike there to celebrate my day with Joe and me. I had hundreds of wonderful birthday wishes on Facebook and some very funny ones. I read them all and was thankful for everyone wishing me a Happy Birthday. Joe's gift to me was a Kindle and lighted cover. Mike got me an AMC gift card. Keith sent me a triple Mousse Chocolate Cheesecake. The granddaughters each made a wonderful card which I cherish.
Shortly before midnight on my birthday I got the best birthday gift possible. I logged onto the MD Anderson Cancer website to see if Joe's pathology report from his Bone Marrow Biopsy on 12/10/1010 was available. I had been going on line nearly everyday looking for it. It was there. I gasped when I read the report. I read it again and thought I was misreading it or it was somebody else's.
The Bone Marrow Diagnosis said specifically the following:
Persistent Primary Myelofibrosis, MF-3
No morphologic evidence of malignant lymphoma
Comment:
We performed flow cytometry immunophenotypic studies using bone marrow aspirate material from this specimen. These studies show that the lymphocytes are predominantly T-cells. Virtually no B Cells are present. No immunophenotypic support for malignant lymphoma.
Mike was sitting next to me when I read this. He was happy with me. As always I was cautiously optimistic and wanted Dr Romaguera and Dr Winton to give me their professional opinion but this had to be positive news. I was realistic to know that there are lymphoma cells still in Joe's body and we need to destroy all of them. I fired off an email to both of them before I went to bed.
Yep, when I woke up and read my e-mails this morning, both doctors had responded. They both basically said the same thing:
"Joe is having a great response to his initial therapy. Pre-treatment the mantle cells predominant, and now are below level of detection. Although this is very favorable, do not interpret this as complete disappearance of the disease - remember it starts with one cell, and when diagnosed patient has trillions of cells. The test used to detect mantle cells (flow cytometry) misses disease once there are less than 1 and 1000 malignant vs normal cells, and theoretically patients can have millions of persisting lymphoma cells, and we would not be able to find them. At the same time, I am very impressed with his initial response, but want you to understand why we keep treating beyond the point of being able to detect residual disease. I am cautiously optimistic.
Hope this helps. Be happy to explain this in more detail on next visit."
The day became brighter today with more hope that Joe could have more time on earth!
Today Joe and I enjoyed having massages done at Massage Envy in Dunwoody. The good news this morning that my arm was not hurting close to as had as the day before from the steroid shot. GREAT! I had emphasis on my neck, back, arms and shoulder. Yes, I do feel like it made a difference that I actually scheduled another massage for me next week. Joe had reflexology massage on his hands and arms. The operator also massaged his bald head which he enjoyed also. I am so pleased that he enjoyed it so much. We both shared the same therapy room.
Tonight we had dinner at Enzo's Pizza where a few of Mike's best friends came to eat and see us. Robby Gilbert got Mike Morgan and Chris Wesson to come and it was a great booster for Mike's spirit. They are great close friends and I love them all. It is hard to believe that they graduated from Tucker High nearly 20 years ago. Amazing.
Joe gets admitted to Emory Hospital for five days of chemo at 10:30AM Thursday. He will be getting HyperCVAD-R Part A, full strength. Joe is a real trooper and so brave with all the chemo though he lets me do the research and ask the questions.
Joe's Prayer Army is a mighty force and here you can claim part of the victory conquering this monster blood cancer. God has surely heard the prayers and has guided us though this dangerous journey. Right now, we are on a high note and I pray for the strength, wisdom and courage to handle the low times. You are helping us. Keep it going, dear Army!
Today is full of light and hope!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
2010 Ends and 2011 Begins
I had one big goal to accomplish Thursday, 12/30, and that was to get the sound fixed on Joe's new TV. Mission Accomplished! After spending several hours with Vizio on line tech support, it was fixed. The service tech who helped me was in South Dakota which pleased me since someone has a customer service job in the good old USA. It turned out the sound issue was not in the TV but it is controlled by the Comcast HD Cable Box. Who would have thunk?!? Not me!
Since I was on a roll, I decided to spend some more time on my touch pad issue on my ASUS notepad. It is now working consistently so maybe the issue where it disappeared is gone. The truth be known, I think that it is still lurking in the background to jump at me when I can least handle it.
Friday started with an 8:30AM Lab appointment at Winship at Emory. We were happily surprised that Joe's blood count was decent enough to not need any transfusions. What a great way to end 2010 and start 2011! I hope that this is an omen. Joe's White Blood Count was 3.8 (4,2-9.1) which is close to normal. Red Blood Count was 3.24 (4.63-6.08). Hemoglobin was 9.4 (13.7-17.5) which was great news since 8 would mean he would need a transfusion of red blood. Hematocrit was 27.8 ( 40.1-51.0). Platelets were 28 ( 140-400), Another surprise is that his MCV, MCH, MCHC, MPV were all in the normal range. Those "M and M's" have not been all normal for over 13 years because of Joe's other incurable disease called Myelofibrosis. Now, do not take me wrong the important counts are still below normal but this is progress. I will continue to pray that Joe's bone marrow will be able to produce blood. Time will tell.
We were giggly with excitement since now we could drive to Jacksonville, Florida to be with my son Mike and our two granddaughters, Samantha 12 years old and Emily 6 years old. The day was bright and the roads wide open as Joe, Max and I drove down Interstate 75 to the joys in our lives. As we got closer, I started texting Samantha as to our location and we both were wild with anticipation. It has been four months since we saw our granddaughters and we missed our first Christmas together, Samantha had texted me requesting if Katie, her girlfriend, could spend the night with her and us. Of course, she can! Katie is a very sweet 12 year old and a great friend of Samantha's and very polite as well as appreciative.
When got to Mike's house, he was busy cleaning and disinfecting his home for us since he wanted to make sure that Joe would not catch any virus. Much to my surprise, the girls were not there. They were at their Mom's home about a mile away. Mike and Jennifer are separated which still aches my heart. We got to Mike's about 4PM and Jennifer was to drop off the girls for the weekend at 5PM. I helped Mike finish cleaning up the house while Joe rested from the drive.
Promptly at 5PM, Jennifer and the girls arrived with hugs, smiles and kisses. The girls opened their Christmas gifts from Joe and me with gusto. Samantha got a stylish black leather military jacket, a blouse with a necklace, a snow globe, a silver necklace with her name. Emily got a black sparkling net layered skirt, a Princess Doll kit with lots of gowns, a necklace with her name on it, coloring book, United Stated puzzle, and a snow globe. The big gift from Joe and me was the XBOX 360 KINECT for the girls and Mike with an Adventure game. Jennifer, Mike's estranged wife, got a special wine decorated coaster set that I loved. Jennifer left for the weekend and Joe and I took all the girls to an Italian dinner at Carrabba's in Orange Park. Even though we got there at 6PM, there was already an hour wait for a table. Instead of hanging around there we drive over to the Orange Park Mall just in time they closed it up for New Year's Eve so we went across the street to Target to waste an hour. I went with the girls while Joe hung out at Starbucks. Mike did not come with us since he was meeting a friend down at The Landings in downtown Jacksonville. He also put the XBOX together for us so when we got home, we could start the Adventure.
We did not get seated for inner until 7:30 PM and we all squeezed into a booth. Thank goodness all three girls could comfortably fit on one side of the booth with Joe and me on the other side. We had a delicious meal and very good service. Much to our surprise, Samantha ate her Caesar Salad, all of it! She never has eaten salad before so this was a breakthrough. She loved it.
Once we got home, we started to play the XBOX. It is a very active experience and loud. Poor Joe was not a happy man with all the noise, giggling and shouting that was going on. The KLINECTwatch Ryan Seacrest count down the minutes to the New Year. Shortly thereafter Joe and I headed to bed.
On Saturday morning all six of us headed to Panera Bread for a light breakfast. All three girls had bagels like Grandma Bonnie. Papa Joe and Mike had the three cheese souffle. Joe and I were happy to find out that the opened a new Panera Bread at the Oakleaf Town Center rather than having to drive way over to the very busy Blanding Boulevard.
When we got home, we played the very much fun game, Dance Party, on the Klinect system, What a blast and what a fin way to learn the new fun dance moves of the current generation. It is also a sure way to get exercise while having fun as a family. I loved watching each girl do their dance and they did quite good. Daddy Mike did the best of all of us. I realized Joe was missing. He had taken the car and escaped the pre-teen dance party. I texted Joe to be back by 2:15PM since we were all going to the AMC Theater to see TRON 3-D at the Orange Park Mall. Joe showed up and all six of us went to the show. Before the show Mike took the girls to the Dollar Store to buy candy and drinks for the movie. I can see how a family of six could easily spend $120 going to the show if they all got candy, popcorn and a coke. Good Grief! No wonder kids and their parents love the grandparents! TRON was a video gamer's delight but it sure was not my and Joe's type of movie. It was a bug video advertisement for one to buy the game and toys. I found that quite insulting. They should be paying US to see that type of movie. Joe swore the two hour movie was really three hours since he was bored to death. He slept through most of it. Poor Joe is not having any fun.
After the show, I cooked the traditional New Year's Day dinner with Roast Pork Loin, Red Potatoes, Black Eye Peas, Collard Greens, Mac N Cheese, Caesar Salad and Texas Cheese Toast. Katie has gone home so it was just Mike, Joe, the girls and me. The meal was a hit and we just about cleared all the food off the plates except for the red potatoes which the three dogs enjoyed! Mike has a huge English Bulldog called Georgia, a sweet gentle Beagle called Lucy, two cats called Timmy and Gracie. What a Klan!
After dinner we played some more of the Dance Party and Joe escaped to ventures unknown, Mike had gotten some rental movies and we all sat down an watched the Big A which is a comedy of sorts, Joe had come back and watched it but he just barely lived through it since it is a teen girl type of movie. He headed to bed while I watched most of another movie about Dance. Very talented young dancers had me entranced with their cool creative moves. I tried to go to bed at midnight but I was still all keyed up. I gave up after tossing and turning for about an hour so I got up and played solitaire on my iPhone for hours till I finally got tired.
When we woke up this morning, Joe started that he wanted to get home early and did not want to drive at night. He would never state it but the noise and chaos of little girls was too hard on him. I reluctantly agreed and started to get everything packed up. Mike got both the girls up so we could all get a light breakfast at Panera Bread before we headed back to Atlanta. We gave our hugs and kisses good-bye. I drove first till we got a little North of Valdosta where we filled up the gas tank and got lunch at Wendys. We got Max two small hamburgers for his treat which is chomped up pretty quickly.
The Falcon's game came on the radio at 1PM so the game kept us entertained until we got to the South Atlanta suburbs. The iPhone helped up wonderfully in giving us the Falcon radio stations in each town so we did not miss a minute of the game. The Great Falcons won the Southern NFL Divisions and won home field advantage for the whole play-offs. It is the best season the Falcons ever had, 13-3!
As soon as we got home, Joe headed to Starbucks to get coffee which did not make me a happy wife. I unpacked and caught up on the bills and e-mails.
After watching the Bear/Packer Football game we went to dinner at Capozzi's on Clairmont Road in Decatur which is a great neighborhood restaurant. Clifford and CJ greeted us with a big Happy New Year and a hug. It was the first time Joe has been there since we got back from Houston. Clifford got me a gratis glass of Prosceco Champagne. Joe can not drink so he settled for Sweet Iced Tea. Joe enjoyed his Caesar Salad as I shared my lovely lightly breaded tender Calamari. They make it perfect! Joe had the Chicken Marsala and I had the Veal Marsala. This is the place to have Marsala, FABULOUS! I took home a piece of cheesecake for Joe which was a birthday gift from the restaurant. What a place!
Tomorrow we start at 10AM at Winship, I will be surprise if Joe does NOT need a transfusion since he is so tired and has way too many black and blue marks on his legs. I finally am getting to see the neck spine specialist at 2:30 PM to decided what needs to be done to fix my bulging discs. It has been hurting since August and has gotten steadily worse with way more less motion in my right arm. We shall see.
My wish for one and all is for peace, good health, hope, faith and love for 2011.
Ciao!
's
Since I was on a roll, I decided to spend some more time on my touch pad issue on my ASUS notepad. It is now working consistently so maybe the issue where it disappeared is gone. The truth be known, I think that it is still lurking in the background to jump at me when I can least handle it.
Friday started with an 8:30AM Lab appointment at Winship at Emory. We were happily surprised that Joe's blood count was decent enough to not need any transfusions. What a great way to end 2010 and start 2011! I hope that this is an omen. Joe's White Blood Count was 3.8 (4,2-9.1) which is close to normal. Red Blood Count was 3.24 (4.63-6.08). Hemoglobin was 9.4 (13.7-17.5) which was great news since 8 would mean he would need a transfusion of red blood. Hematocrit was 27.8 ( 40.1-51.0). Platelets were 28 ( 140-400), Another surprise is that his MCV, MCH, MCHC, MPV were all in the normal range. Those "M and M's" have not been all normal for over 13 years because of Joe's other incurable disease called Myelofibrosis. Now, do not take me wrong the important counts are still below normal but this is progress. I will continue to pray that Joe's bone marrow will be able to produce blood. Time will tell.
We were giggly with excitement since now we could drive to Jacksonville, Florida to be with my son Mike and our two granddaughters, Samantha 12 years old and Emily 6 years old. The day was bright and the roads wide open as Joe, Max and I drove down Interstate 75 to the joys in our lives. As we got closer, I started texting Samantha as to our location and we both were wild with anticipation. It has been four months since we saw our granddaughters and we missed our first Christmas together, Samantha had texted me requesting if Katie, her girlfriend, could spend the night with her and us. Of course, she can! Katie is a very sweet 12 year old and a great friend of Samantha's and very polite as well as appreciative.
When got to Mike's house, he was busy cleaning and disinfecting his home for us since he wanted to make sure that Joe would not catch any virus. Much to my surprise, the girls were not there. They were at their Mom's home about a mile away. Mike and Jennifer are separated which still aches my heart. We got to Mike's about 4PM and Jennifer was to drop off the girls for the weekend at 5PM. I helped Mike finish cleaning up the house while Joe rested from the drive.
Promptly at 5PM, Jennifer and the girls arrived with hugs, smiles and kisses. The girls opened their Christmas gifts from Joe and me with gusto. Samantha got a stylish black leather military jacket, a blouse with a necklace, a snow globe, a silver necklace with her name. Emily got a black sparkling net layered skirt, a Princess Doll kit with lots of gowns, a necklace with her name on it, coloring book, United Stated puzzle, and a snow globe. The big gift from Joe and me was the XBOX 360 KINECT for the girls and Mike with an Adventure game. Jennifer, Mike's estranged wife, got a special wine decorated coaster set that I loved. Jennifer left for the weekend and Joe and I took all the girls to an Italian dinner at Carrabba's in Orange Park. Even though we got there at 6PM, there was already an hour wait for a table. Instead of hanging around there we drive over to the Orange Park Mall just in time they closed it up for New Year's Eve so we went across the street to Target to waste an hour. I went with the girls while Joe hung out at Starbucks. Mike did not come with us since he was meeting a friend down at The Landings in downtown Jacksonville. He also put the XBOX together for us so when we got home, we could start the Adventure.
We did not get seated for inner until 7:30 PM and we all squeezed into a booth. Thank goodness all three girls could comfortably fit on one side of the booth with Joe and me on the other side. We had a delicious meal and very good service. Much to our surprise, Samantha ate her Caesar Salad, all of it! She never has eaten salad before so this was a breakthrough. She loved it.
Once we got home, we started to play the XBOX. It is a very active experience and loud. Poor Joe was not a happy man with all the noise, giggling and shouting that was going on. The KLINECTwatch Ryan Seacrest count down the minutes to the New Year. Shortly thereafter Joe and I headed to bed.
On Saturday morning all six of us headed to Panera Bread for a light breakfast. All three girls had bagels like Grandma Bonnie. Papa Joe and Mike had the three cheese souffle. Joe and I were happy to find out that the opened a new Panera Bread at the Oakleaf Town Center rather than having to drive way over to the very busy Blanding Boulevard.
When we got home, we played the very much fun game, Dance Party, on the Klinect system, What a blast and what a fin way to learn the new fun dance moves of the current generation. It is also a sure way to get exercise while having fun as a family. I loved watching each girl do their dance and they did quite good. Daddy Mike did the best of all of us. I realized Joe was missing. He had taken the car and escaped the pre-teen dance party. I texted Joe to be back by 2:15PM since we were all going to the AMC Theater to see TRON 3-D at the Orange Park Mall. Joe showed up and all six of us went to the show. Before the show Mike took the girls to the Dollar Store to buy candy and drinks for the movie. I can see how a family of six could easily spend $120 going to the show if they all got candy, popcorn and a coke. Good Grief! No wonder kids and their parents love the grandparents! TRON was a video gamer's delight but it sure was not my and Joe's type of movie. It was a bug video advertisement for one to buy the game and toys. I found that quite insulting. They should be paying US to see that type of movie. Joe swore the two hour movie was really three hours since he was bored to death. He slept through most of it. Poor Joe is not having any fun.
After the show, I cooked the traditional New Year's Day dinner with Roast Pork Loin, Red Potatoes, Black Eye Peas, Collard Greens, Mac N Cheese, Caesar Salad and Texas Cheese Toast. Katie has gone home so it was just Mike, Joe, the girls and me. The meal was a hit and we just about cleared all the food off the plates except for the red potatoes which the three dogs enjoyed! Mike has a huge English Bulldog called Georgia, a sweet gentle Beagle called Lucy, two cats called Timmy and Gracie. What a Klan!
After dinner we played some more of the Dance Party and Joe escaped to ventures unknown, Mike had gotten some rental movies and we all sat down an watched the Big A which is a comedy of sorts, Joe had come back and watched it but he just barely lived through it since it is a teen girl type of movie. He headed to bed while I watched most of another movie about Dance. Very talented young dancers had me entranced with their cool creative moves. I tried to go to bed at midnight but I was still all keyed up. I gave up after tossing and turning for about an hour so I got up and played solitaire on my iPhone for hours till I finally got tired.
When we woke up this morning, Joe started that he wanted to get home early and did not want to drive at night. He would never state it but the noise and chaos of little girls was too hard on him. I reluctantly agreed and started to get everything packed up. Mike got both the girls up so we could all get a light breakfast at Panera Bread before we headed back to Atlanta. We gave our hugs and kisses good-bye. I drove first till we got a little North of Valdosta where we filled up the gas tank and got lunch at Wendys. We got Max two small hamburgers for his treat which is chomped up pretty quickly.
The Falcon's game came on the radio at 1PM so the game kept us entertained until we got to the South Atlanta suburbs. The iPhone helped up wonderfully in giving us the Falcon radio stations in each town so we did not miss a minute of the game. The Great Falcons won the Southern NFL Divisions and won home field advantage for the whole play-offs. It is the best season the Falcons ever had, 13-3!
As soon as we got home, Joe headed to Starbucks to get coffee which did not make me a happy wife. I unpacked and caught up on the bills and e-mails.
After watching the Bear/Packer Football game we went to dinner at Capozzi's on Clairmont Road in Decatur which is a great neighborhood restaurant. Clifford and CJ greeted us with a big Happy New Year and a hug. It was the first time Joe has been there since we got back from Houston. Clifford got me a gratis glass of Prosceco Champagne. Joe can not drink so he settled for Sweet Iced Tea. Joe enjoyed his Caesar Salad as I shared my lovely lightly breaded tender Calamari. They make it perfect! Joe had the Chicken Marsala and I had the Veal Marsala. This is the place to have Marsala, FABULOUS! I took home a piece of cheesecake for Joe which was a birthday gift from the restaurant. What a place!
Tomorrow we start at 10AM at Winship, I will be surprise if Joe does NOT need a transfusion since he is so tired and has way too many black and blue marks on his legs. I finally am getting to see the neck spine specialist at 2:30 PM to decided what needs to be done to fix my bulging discs. It has been hurting since August and has gotten steadily worse with way more less motion in my right arm. We shall see.
My wish for one and all is for peace, good health, hope, faith and love for 2011.
Ciao!
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