Long night's journey into the day! Joe had a rough night from the effects of the Rituximab,
It is now a little bit after 10AM and Joe's temp is normal, his BP 115/66, HR 86. There is only a little bit of the Rituximab left in the bag. A doctor of the kidneys came in to see Joe since he appears to be having "tumor lysis" which is from the white cells mainly dying from the Rituximab and putting those dead cells give off toxins into his blood stream. They are going watch his blood counts very carefully the rest of today. His potassium level is high so they gave him some meds that will make him poop a bunch. Dr Haigermeister, Lymphoma Doc, stopped in to explain the "tumor lysis" some more. The Bad White Blood cells are dying which is a good thing and right now Joe's kidney's are functioning good. The white cells that are dying could clog up his kidneys and if the clog up too much Joe would need dialysis. The need for dialysis has not happened in 15 years since they know how to gets things under control before it happens. The special drug they give Joe is $5000 a dose and he will be given three doses. Oh my! His White Blood count is down to an amazing "7" from a high of three weeks ago of "168". WOW!
Bad white blood cells go away and do not come back another day.
It is now 1:22 CST Joe is snoring away. I had left at about 11:00 AM to the studio apartment to walk Max and change clothes. Max is still freaked out from yesterday morning when there was a loud crash behind the stucco wall where he had just taken a poo. When I took him out last night and this morning, he took a pee and wanted to rush right back into the building. Both time, I walked back and forth with him trying to console him for about 30 minutes but he still would not take a poo. He shook and he held his tail downward. After Joe checks out, I will take him to the big Dog Park and let him loose and perhaps that will calm him down. Poor dog!
At my request I was handed Joe's last blood test from the draw at 4:30 AM. I will list the main ones below, the normal ranges, the results from Monday, 11/1/10 before the chemo started and the most current ones.
11/1 11/5
White Blood Cell Count (4-11) 56.1 7.4
Red Blood Count (4.5-6.0) 3.02 3.09
Hemoglobin (14-18) 8.9 9.0
Hematocrit (40-54) 29.4 28.9
Platelet Count (140-440) 76 26
Neutophil % (42-66) N/A 83
Lymphocyte % (24-44) N/A 16
Basophil % (0-1) n/a 1
Neutrophil Absolute Count (1.7-7.3) N/A 6.14
Lymphocyte Absolute Count(1-4.8) n/a 1.18
Basophil Absolute Count (0-.1) n/a .07
________
At 3:15 PM Friday afternoon, Joe's temperature is normal, BP 105/65 HR 73 (Yeah) and oxygen level 97%. Sleeping Man is now awake and alert. He is finally taking a poo which we hope will discard the excess phosphorus serum which was a high 6.5 when the normal ranges are 2.5-4.5. They just took a blood sample to determine where he stands now.
MONICA SMITH AT MDACC 9/14/11
MONICA SMITH AT MDACC 9/14/11
Friday, November 5, 2010
Part B Chemo and the Effects kicked in
Chemo Part B started on Tuesday with MethoTREXate for 24 hours. They started Cytarabine on Wednesday for 2 hours for every 12 hours. Thursday Joe was very lethargic, no appetite and slept most of the day. His speech was slurred and very weak. MDACC started the monoclonal antibody, Rituximab, at 50 ml for the first hour which went OK but when it increased to 100 ml he got very cold and I kept adding and getting blankets. The rigors started where his teeth chattered and body trembled cause he was so cold. I put my electric heating throw and place it on him and got the nurse who gave him a shot of something that calmed him down about 10 minutes later. They stopped the Rituximab for 30 minutes. They will restart it at a lower pace. Joe has stopped trembling at 2:45AM. He then thew up and they gave him anti nausea medicine. They restarted the Rituximab at about 3AM but at 50 ml. Joe is not as cold now but still not right. I am staying up to help him and to watch.
3:06 am BP 136/67 HR 117
_____________________
The nurse raised the Rituximab back up to 100ml at 3:30 AM. He is no longer cold. In fact he is out from underneath all the blankets right now.
____________________
4AM- now at 150 ml. Joe had to use the bathroom but too late to get a sample since there was no plastic hat in the toilet. Weak but able to get to the bathroom on his own. Getting oxygen again. Temp 102.6 BP 124/62 HR 119. Stopped the Rituximab again for 30 minutes because of the fever at 4:14 AM. Blood samples taken at 4:30 AM.
____________________
5:20 AM Temp 100.9, now 75 ml Rituximab, Joe drinking lots of Orange Juice over ice.
5:52 AM Temp 101.7, HR 101 , BP 104/57, Stopped Rituximab again. Nurse to call On Call DR.
__________
We must have both fallen asleep about 6AM. It is now 8:40 AM and the beep beep beep of the chemo pump woke me up. Joe's Rituximab pump is now at 200ml !!!!!! He looks comfortable right now. Praise the Lord!
________
Friday Morning 9AM temp 98.6 NORMAL, BP 106/64 , HR 96 (coming down finally) Joe is more ALERT and talking clearly right now (FINALLY). Long, long NIGHT!
________
3:06 am BP 136/67 HR 117
_____________________
The nurse raised the Rituximab back up to 100ml at 3:30 AM. He is no longer cold. In fact he is out from underneath all the blankets right now.
____________________
4AM- now at 150 ml. Joe had to use the bathroom but too late to get a sample since there was no plastic hat in the toilet. Weak but able to get to the bathroom on his own. Getting oxygen again. Temp 102.6 BP 124/62 HR 119. Stopped the Rituximab again for 30 minutes because of the fever at 4:14 AM. Blood samples taken at 4:30 AM.
____________________
5:20 AM Temp 100.9, now 75 ml Rituximab, Joe drinking lots of Orange Juice over ice.
5:52 AM Temp 101.7, HR 101 , BP 104/57, Stopped Rituximab again. Nurse to call On Call DR.
__________
We must have both fallen asleep about 6AM. It is now 8:40 AM and the beep beep beep of the chemo pump woke me up. Joe's Rituximab pump is now at 200ml !!!!!! He looks comfortable right now. Praise the Lord!
________
Friday Morning 9AM temp 98.6 NORMAL, BP 106/64 , HR 96 (coming down finally) Joe is more ALERT and talking clearly right now (FINALLY). Long, long NIGHT!
________
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Round 2 at MDACC for Chemo Part B
Monday we reported to MDACC for Joe to get his lab work done and see Dr. Romaguera before Joe got readmitted into the hospital for Part B of HyperCVD-R. Joe had some anxiety with the long wait in finding out his white blood counts which could have delayed the next chemo round. Dr Romaguera stated that he would proceed with Part B and slowly add the monoclonal antibody, Rituzimab on the last day but he wanted to see the WBC. He called the Lab to see if they could give him the preliminary WBC. Dr R went ahead and wrote up the three page of instructions for the next round of chemo. Talk about detail. It is major detail. I always request a copy of the hospital orders so I can be sure that Joe is being given the right stuff at the right time. Dr R requested that we wait out in the Lymphoma waiting room until he found out what the WBC was. What joy we shared when Dr R came out to tell us that the WBC had dropped to 56. Whew..... some good news!!!! His nurse hand delivered the hospital orders and we walked down to Admissions on the 1st floor to hand them off. We went off to get a bite to eat at the Cafeteria down the hall since we both were starving since it was almost 5PM and a log time the stop at Panera Bread in the morning.
When we went back to the Admissions desk, we had to wait only a few moments before Joe was assigned a room at P931. We climbed into Elevator E and the room has just been expertly cleaned and set up by the staff. Everyone introduced themselves as to what they do etc and wrote their name on the board. I went back to the car way on the other side of MDACC and got Joe's bag. Joe was comfortable and I unpacked all his stuff and got him settled. The nurse advised none of Joe's IV's and drugs were there yet and that it may be very late when they got his supplies. It was OK with us. We watched the final World Series game and I headed back to the studio apartment to take care of Max, relax and spend the night away from the hospital.
Tuesday I stopped by Panera Bread and had my daily bagel and got Joe his favorite Panera pastry called Cobblestone. He craves it along with his coffee. Since I did not get to the parking garage #2 till 11AM, It took me 20 minutes to find a parking spot and I creatively got one by ignoring the down yellow " do not enter" tape. Joe had already called me twice as to where I was. I stopped at the foyer coffee shop and got Joe his needed coffee fix and I headed up to the 9th floor.
Joe had been set up with his IV's and just started his 24 hours of the first chemo "M". Joe ordered his lunch of cheese enchiladas with refried beans which he said was delicious. I did scrap off the green scallions that were on top of the enchiladas. Joe continued to feel great as staff kept coming in and out. The Lymphoma"on call" doc told that us Joe needed two pints of blood since his red blood count was low with the hemoglobin being a very low 7.3 which is the lowest that it ever has been. I am sure the chemo from the first round was making its presence know.
About 1:30PM I called Emory Clinic in Atlanta to cancel Joe's 11/18 neurologist appointment which I had made for Joe to get a second opinion on his night time seizure syndrome. Not more than 30 minutes later, a MDACC Neurologist doctor popped in and stated that he heard that we wanted a second opinion of Joe's seizure medication. What!?! We had not asked for that but we sure wanted a second opinion. Divine intervention turns up in another chapter in this journey. He said that Dilantin metabolizes through the liver and could interact with the chemotherapy drugs. There are new drugs that would fit Joe's seizure syndrome better than metabolize through the kidneys instead. It sound logical to us.
About an hour passed when two different doctors from Neurology-Oncology department came in to see Joe. They discussed the same information and said they recommend using Keppra. The hair on the back of my neck started to rise up sensing there must be more to all of this since we now saw three neurologists in one hour of so.
Joe has been taking Dilantin for over 20 years and about twice a year he would have a break through seizure after a few minutes of falling asleep. He has had the same neurologist in Atlanta nearly all those years and he has kept Joe on Dilantin and never gave us any cause to be concerned. I decided to do some digging and I found out the following on drugs.co
"Hemopoietic complications, some fatal, have occasionally been reported in association with administration of phenytoin. These have included thrombocytopenia, leukopenia, granulocytopenia, agranulocytosis, and pancytopenia with or without bone marrow suppression. While macrocytosis and megaloblastic anemia have occurred, these conditions usually respond to folic acid therapy. Lymphadenopathy including benign lymph node hyperplasia, pseudolymphoma, lymphoma, and Hodgkin's disease have been reported."
Good grief.....it is possible that all the years on Dilantin
After they left Whitney Wilkerson called from Victoria, TX and that she was going to be in the Houston area on Wednesday and wanted to stop by in the afternoon. While Whitney was a seminary student at Columbia Seminary, she worked at Eastminster Presbyterian where she was much loved. She is also a gifted speaker and a warm lovely young lady. It will be a brighter day with Whitney's visit on Wednesday afternoon.
Since Joe is active getting chemo and more blood all night, I decided to spend the night with him in the hospital. I have been guided to be there and I go by the message from the Holy Spirit which I have learned to trust. I came back to the studio apartment to spend some time with Max and let him out of his kennel since the maid finished cleaning our room which she does once a week. I watched GLEE and took Max for a walk several times.
We were blessed with some other gifts such as our dear neighbors, the Bennetts, had sent our mail in a big box to us. Greg has been blowing off our driveway and moving Joe's truck in the driveway.
I also got a call last night from some other great neighbors, the Lesters who live across the street from us. Charlie has been diligently watering our newly planted lawn and that it looked great! Nancy told me that they were going to have their lawn service mow our lawn this weekend. Wow! Do we have great neighbors or what!
We continue to get Get Well cards from across the country and so many from members of our church. What a loving and caring congregation we belong to! God has directed our lives that we are only realizing how all the pieces are fitting together. Thanks be to God, for sure!
Joe just called and said the hospital is changing his room to over to the Lymphoma Floor, G961. I told him to go ahead to get them to move him. The Lymphoma floor specializes with Lymphoma patients. The extra good news for me is that I will have a real bed to sleep on which is a Murphy bed that pulls out of the wall. I will be able to sleep and another blessing comes our way.
Thank you all for you sincere kind thoughts and the prayers from Joe's Prayer Army where the prayers are being answered in so many different ways.
Many blessings to you and your loved ones.
CIAO!
Bonnie
When we went back to the Admissions desk, we had to wait only a few moments before Joe was assigned a room at P931. We climbed into Elevator E and the room has just been expertly cleaned and set up by the staff. Everyone introduced themselves as to what they do etc and wrote their name on the board. I went back to the car way on the other side of MDACC and got Joe's bag. Joe was comfortable and I unpacked all his stuff and got him settled. The nurse advised none of Joe's IV's and drugs were there yet and that it may be very late when they got his supplies. It was OK with us. We watched the final World Series game and I headed back to the studio apartment to take care of Max, relax and spend the night away from the hospital.
Tuesday I stopped by Panera Bread and had my daily bagel and got Joe his favorite Panera pastry called Cobblestone. He craves it along with his coffee. Since I did not get to the parking garage #2 till 11AM, It took me 20 minutes to find a parking spot and I creatively got one by ignoring the down yellow " do not enter" tape. Joe had already called me twice as to where I was. I stopped at the foyer coffee shop and got Joe his needed coffee fix and I headed up to the 9th floor.
Joe had been set up with his IV's and just started his 24 hours of the first chemo "M". Joe ordered his lunch of cheese enchiladas with refried beans which he said was delicious. I did scrap off the green scallions that were on top of the enchiladas. Joe continued to feel great as staff kept coming in and out. The Lymphoma"on call" doc told that us Joe needed two pints of blood since his red blood count was low with the hemoglobin being a very low 7.3 which is the lowest that it ever has been. I am sure the chemo from the first round was making its presence know.
About 1:30PM I called Emory Clinic in Atlanta to cancel Joe's 11/18 neurologist appointment which I had made for Joe to get a second opinion on his night time seizure syndrome. Not more than 30 minutes later, a MDACC Neurologist doctor popped in and stated that he heard that we wanted a second opinion of Joe's seizure medication. What!?! We had not asked for that but we sure wanted a second opinion. Divine intervention turns up in another chapter in this journey. He said that Dilantin metabolizes through the liver and could interact with the chemotherapy drugs. There are new drugs that would fit Joe's seizure syndrome better than metabolize through the kidneys instead. It sound logical to us.
About an hour passed when two different doctors from Neurology-Oncology department came in to see Joe. They discussed the same information and said they recommend using Keppra. The hair on the back of my neck started to rise up sensing there must be more to all of this since we now saw three neurologists in one hour of so.
Joe has been taking Dilantin for over 20 years and about twice a year he would have a break through seizure after a few minutes of falling asleep. He has had the same neurologist in Atlanta nearly all those years and he has kept Joe on Dilantin and never gave us any cause to be concerned. I decided to do some digging and I found out the following on drugs.co
"Hemopoietic complications, some fatal, have occasionally been reported in association with administration of phenytoin. These have included thrombocytopenia, leukopenia, granulocytopenia, agranulocytosis, and pancytopenia with or without bone marrow suppression. While macrocytosis and megaloblastic anemia have occurred, these conditions usually respond to folic acid therapy. Lymphadenopathy including benign lymph node hyperplasia, pseudolymphoma, lymphoma, and Hodgkin's disease have been reported."
Good grief.....it is possible that all the years on Dilantin
After they left Whitney Wilkerson called from Victoria, TX and that she was going to be in the Houston area on Wednesday and wanted to stop by in the afternoon. While Whitney was a seminary student at Columbia Seminary, she worked at Eastminster Presbyterian where she was much loved. She is also a gifted speaker and a warm lovely young lady. It will be a brighter day with Whitney's visit on Wednesday afternoon.
Since Joe is active getting chemo and more blood all night, I decided to spend the night with him in the hospital. I have been guided to be there and I go by the message from the Holy Spirit which I have learned to trust. I came back to the studio apartment to spend some time with Max and let him out of his kennel since the maid finished cleaning our room which she does once a week. I watched GLEE and took Max for a walk several times.
We were blessed with some other gifts such as our dear neighbors, the Bennetts, had sent our mail in a big box to us. Greg has been blowing off our driveway and moving Joe's truck in the driveway.
I also got a call last night from some other great neighbors, the Lesters who live across the street from us. Charlie has been diligently watering our newly planted lawn and that it looked great! Nancy told me that they were going to have their lawn service mow our lawn this weekend. Wow! Do we have great neighbors or what!
We continue to get Get Well cards from across the country and so many from members of our church. What a loving and caring congregation we belong to! God has directed our lives that we are only realizing how all the pieces are fitting together. Thanks be to God, for sure!
Joe just called and said the hospital is changing his room to over to the Lymphoma Floor, G961. I told him to go ahead to get them to move him. The Lymphoma floor specializes with Lymphoma patients. The extra good news for me is that I will have a real bed to sleep on which is a Murphy bed that pulls out of the wall. I will be able to sleep and another blessing comes our way.
Thank you all for you sincere kind thoughts and the prayers from Joe's Prayer Army where the prayers are being answered in so many different ways.
Many blessings to you and your loved ones.
CIAO!
Bonnie
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Weekend OFF before starting Chemo HyperCVD Part B
The Lord gave us rest for three days. Joe was able to let his body and mind rest. It was such a good thing for Joe and me being able to just be together as well as enjoy the things we l love to do.
On Friday night we started with a early dinner at La Vista, an Italian Restaurant not that far from our studio apartment. We arrived just before 6PM which avoided the crowds that like this place. It was highly rated on YELP.com and it was not far away. Joe had the rib eye special that was tender and packed with flavor with its peppercorn sauce. Along with it they served a huge portion of mac n cheese and asparagus. He loved it and that made me happy. I really love seeing Joe happy and pleased. I had their Chicken Cappelini that was raved about by several guests. It was good and light but I would not rave about it but the chicken was tender as well as the mushrooms, fresh cooked tomatoes in a light white wine sauce. Joe is not allowed to have salad since he is only allowed to eat cooked veggies nor drink any alcohol. I shamelessly had the Caesar Salad and a glass of Pinot Grigio. The place had a nice outside covered patio that was in front of the restaurant. This time of year makes it perfect for eating outside but we chose to eat inside where it was comfortable and only one other couple. By the time we left at 6:50PM the place was packed as YELP said it would be.
Since the World Series was not on, we decided to go see a movie. We were going to see "Let Me In" but it started at 6:50PM at the theater we were going to. So we headed to the other Edwards Theater closer to us than the last one where we were going to see Ben Affleck in "The Town" that started at 7:35PM. We got to the theater at 7:15pm and we did not want to hang around for 20 minutes until The Town started so we got tickets to "RED" that started at 7:20PM. Drew, Joe's brother, had recommended it to us so what the heck we would go see it. The movie was for "our age" group. It was a spoof and somewhat funny and far fetched but entertaining for two hours.
Saturday was our day to drive with Max to Dallas to visit my friend, Julie Campbell Stephens. She lives with her growing family in a very nice family orientated town of Highland Village with nice well taken care of brick homes in a well planned community. It is a wonderful place to raise a family. Julie is married to Russell who works for the Secret Service who guards the President of the United States. Julie has become a very happy homemaker and mother. She says being a mother is the best job that she has ever had. Julie was an officer in the US Army which she loved being a part of. It was where she met Russell, The first time they dated nothing came of it but when they reunited the second time, it gelled together and love happened, marriage then the baby carriage. Campbell, their beautiful 2 year old daughter, was a blessing from God and what Julie dreamed of along with being married and happy to one who was a strong Christian man and Russell definitely fit the bill. Russell reminds me of Bruce Willis for some reason besides the well shaved head. Julie is eight months pregnant with their second daughter, Lily who is due around Thanskgiving.
With the sky bright blue along the rolling hills between Houston and Dallas it was a perfect day to drive. The Houston area is being pumped with a bunch of road money since it seems every major interstate is being widen. They sure need it here. Joe and I split the 4-5 hour drive making it relatively easy trip. Along the way just outside of the town of Huntsville, there was a massive white statue of Sam Houston which stood about 100 ft tall. Sam Houston University is located in that town as well the the Prison Museum.
We arrived at Julie and Russel's lovely home about 4 PM. Julie with her 8 month pregnant belly came to greet us as we stepped outside and gave us both big hugs. We were so happy to see each other. I rehashed the story on Joe's disease and how we were guided by the Holy Spirit as to what to do. Julie was in the middle of making a pumpkin pie cheesecake for Joe since it is one of his most favorite desserts. For dinner Julie made a nicely seasoned roast chicken with gravy, massive amounts of mashed potatoes and fresh asparagus. Joe was in heaven. I instructed her how to make a delicious smooth chicken gravy and to taste it then season it to its to your liking. I also cut up the roast chicken for her as Russell set the the table. Russell said a beautiful heartfelt Grace that was touching to Joe and me. Campbell had waken up from her nap just before dinner. I sat down on my rear end near her little toy kitchen and we pretended to eat the toy food. She knew what everything was. We went outside to the back yard where she played jump off a rock over and over again while holding her little fingers in my hand. She insisted that I also jump off the rock. It was entertaining to her for quite awhile. As we ate dinner, Campbell had sliced oranges and some blueberry yogurt.
watch me stack the blocks up high and she would laugh and knock them down. Over and over again, we played that game. She giggled and smiled the whole time. I sang poorly. "Happy and You Know it. Clap Your Hands." She clapped her hands, stomped her feet, tapped her head, rubbed her tummy. She must have had me sing that at least five times. Kids love repetition. The next thing we did was play "Ring Around the Rosie" and I plopped her to the floor when we all fell down. Oh she loved that too! The last thing I did was read her "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" quite dramatically. Mr. Joe says she was spellbound and really got into the story. Oh how she loved Snow White! Ah, it was time for bed since she was rubbing her eyes. Julie and Russell put her to bed together so lovingly. They close the door and Campbell would entertain herself with her precious little stuff animals till she fell asleep on her own. Julie has a camera phone where she can keep an eye out for Campbell in her bed and room. I just was mesmerized watching her interact with her little stuffed animals. I fell in love with Campbell.
We watched the Ranger/Giant World Series Game till it was over and the Rangers finally won a game. After the game Joe and I decided to call it an early night since we would be going with Julie to her church where the first service started at 9AM. The Village Church is located in an old grocery store and had been modified into quite a large auditorium with orchestra type seating in the front and stadium seating in the back. The place is huge where 1500 people can attend worship at one time. The church has four services and several satellite churches. Their membership is 10,000 with an 11 million dollar budget. It was mind boggling to Joe and me. Ninety percent of the attendees were young couples (in their 20's and 30's years old) with young children. You should have seen the snake line of parents trying to get their kids into the day care. The service consisted of a Christian Rock songs in the beginning and the end with a band that consisted of three electric guitars, several good singers. keyboards, and a big set of drums. The service was mostly a sermon by the pastor that lasted nearly 1.5 hours. Who would have thought young people would keep attention that long, but they did. It is an Evangelical Christian Church that emphasis the Bible and the Glory of God.
At the end of the service people quietly walked out the many doors where they dropped off their offerings and tithes in a box in front of the doors. Julie went to get Campbell so she could say Good-Bye to Mr. Joe and Miss Bonnie. She gave me a big smiling hug and she just smiled at Mr. Joe. We hugged and kissed Julie good bye and we started our way back to Houston about 11AM. We split the drive again and it was still another cloudless sparkling blue sky. There was a steady stream of traffic between Houston and Dallas in both directions. People sure do speed around here so I just followed the crowd.
We got back to Houston about 4PM where I unpacked and put everything away. About 6:30 we headed to Barry's Pizza where the servers were dressed up in costumes. Our guy, Rod, was dressed as a princess so I called him Rodberta the rest of the evening. Now we are back in the "honeymoon" studio suite watching the World Series. Joe is sound asleep next to me on the couch and Max is all stretched out and asleep on our bed.
The coming week will be a hard one starting at 1pm on Monday with Joe getting some labs done then meet with Dr Romaguera to go over the results and discuss the next plan which will be Part B of the chemo regimen of HyperCVD as an inpatient for four days. These will be different chemicals than Part A thus we can only pray that Joe reacts as well as he did with Part A. Joe is so worried about his white blood cells going up again but I told him that it will go down in time. We need to take it one day at a time and God will direct us on what to do. Joe will be admitted to MDACC late Monday afternoon.
Pray for the chemo to bring down his white blood cells and for his spleen to decrease to a normal size. Pray that the malignant lymph modes in his neck, chests and liver shrink and disappear. Prayer for the doctors and other medical personal.
Peace be with you and my God watch over all your loved ones,
Ciao,
Bonnie
On Friday night we started with a early dinner at La Vista, an Italian Restaurant not that far from our studio apartment. We arrived just before 6PM which avoided the crowds that like this place. It was highly rated on YELP.com and it was not far away. Joe had the rib eye special that was tender and packed with flavor with its peppercorn sauce. Along with it they served a huge portion of mac n cheese and asparagus. He loved it and that made me happy. I really love seeing Joe happy and pleased. I had their Chicken Cappelini that was raved about by several guests. It was good and light but I would not rave about it but the chicken was tender as well as the mushrooms, fresh cooked tomatoes in a light white wine sauce. Joe is not allowed to have salad since he is only allowed to eat cooked veggies nor drink any alcohol. I shamelessly had the Caesar Salad and a glass of Pinot Grigio. The place had a nice outside covered patio that was in front of the restaurant. This time of year makes it perfect for eating outside but we chose to eat inside where it was comfortable and only one other couple. By the time we left at 6:50PM the place was packed as YELP said it would be.
Since the World Series was not on, we decided to go see a movie. We were going to see "Let Me In" but it started at 6:50PM at the theater we were going to. So we headed to the other Edwards Theater closer to us than the last one where we were going to see Ben Affleck in "The Town" that started at 7:35PM. We got to the theater at 7:15pm and we did not want to hang around for 20 minutes until The Town started so we got tickets to "RED" that started at 7:20PM. Drew, Joe's brother, had recommended it to us so what the heck we would go see it. The movie was for "our age" group. It was a spoof and somewhat funny and far fetched but entertaining for two hours.
Saturday was our day to drive with Max to Dallas to visit my friend, Julie Campbell Stephens. She lives with her growing family in a very nice family orientated town of Highland Village with nice well taken care of brick homes in a well planned community. It is a wonderful place to raise a family. Julie is married to Russell who works for the Secret Service who guards the President of the United States. Julie has become a very happy homemaker and mother. She says being a mother is the best job that she has ever had. Julie was an officer in the US Army which she loved being a part of. It was where she met Russell, The first time they dated nothing came of it but when they reunited the second time, it gelled together and love happened, marriage then the baby carriage. Campbell, their beautiful 2 year old daughter, was a blessing from God and what Julie dreamed of along with being married and happy to one who was a strong Christian man and Russell definitely fit the bill. Russell reminds me of Bruce Willis for some reason besides the well shaved head. Julie is eight months pregnant with their second daughter, Lily who is due around Thanskgiving.
With the sky bright blue along the rolling hills between Houston and Dallas it was a perfect day to drive. The Houston area is being pumped with a bunch of road money since it seems every major interstate is being widen. They sure need it here. Joe and I split the 4-5 hour drive making it relatively easy trip. Along the way just outside of the town of Huntsville, there was a massive white statue of Sam Houston which stood about 100 ft tall. Sam Houston University is located in that town as well the the Prison Museum.
We arrived at Julie and Russel's lovely home about 4 PM. Julie with her 8 month pregnant belly came to greet us as we stepped outside and gave us both big hugs. We were so happy to see each other. I rehashed the story on Joe's disease and how we were guided by the Holy Spirit as to what to do. Julie was in the middle of making a pumpkin pie cheesecake for Joe since it is one of his most favorite desserts. For dinner Julie made a nicely seasoned roast chicken with gravy, massive amounts of mashed potatoes and fresh asparagus. Joe was in heaven. I instructed her how to make a delicious smooth chicken gravy and to taste it then season it to its to your liking. I also cut up the roast chicken for her as Russell set the the table. Russell said a beautiful heartfelt Grace that was touching to Joe and me. Campbell had waken up from her nap just before dinner. I sat down on my rear end near her little toy kitchen and we pretended to eat the toy food. She knew what everything was. We went outside to the back yard where she played jump off a rock over and over again while holding her little fingers in my hand. She insisted that I also jump off the rock. It was entertaining to her for quite awhile. As we ate dinner, Campbell had sliced oranges and some blueberry yogurt.
watch me stack the blocks up high and she would laugh and knock them down. Over and over again, we played that game. She giggled and smiled the whole time. I sang poorly. "Happy and You Know it. Clap Your Hands." She clapped her hands, stomped her feet, tapped her head, rubbed her tummy. She must have had me sing that at least five times. Kids love repetition. The next thing we did was play "Ring Around the Rosie" and I plopped her to the floor when we all fell down. Oh she loved that too! The last thing I did was read her "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" quite dramatically. Mr. Joe says she was spellbound and really got into the story. Oh how she loved Snow White! Ah, it was time for bed since she was rubbing her eyes. Julie and Russell put her to bed together so lovingly. They close the door and Campbell would entertain herself with her precious little stuff animals till she fell asleep on her own. Julie has a camera phone where she can keep an eye out for Campbell in her bed and room. I just was mesmerized watching her interact with her little stuffed animals. I fell in love with Campbell.
We watched the Ranger/Giant World Series Game till it was over and the Rangers finally won a game. After the game Joe and I decided to call it an early night since we would be going with Julie to her church where the first service started at 9AM. The Village Church is located in an old grocery store and had been modified into quite a large auditorium with orchestra type seating in the front and stadium seating in the back. The place is huge where 1500 people can attend worship at one time. The church has four services and several satellite churches. Their membership is 10,000 with an 11 million dollar budget. It was mind boggling to Joe and me. Ninety percent of the attendees were young couples (in their 20's and 30's years old) with young children. You should have seen the snake line of parents trying to get their kids into the day care. The service consisted of a Christian Rock songs in the beginning and the end with a band that consisted of three electric guitars, several good singers. keyboards, and a big set of drums. The service was mostly a sermon by the pastor that lasted nearly 1.5 hours. Who would have thought young people would keep attention that long, but they did. It is an Evangelical Christian Church that emphasis the Bible and the Glory of God.
At the end of the service people quietly walked out the many doors where they dropped off their offerings and tithes in a box in front of the doors. Julie went to get Campbell so she could say Good-Bye to Mr. Joe and Miss Bonnie. She gave me a big smiling hug and she just smiled at Mr. Joe. We hugged and kissed Julie good bye and we started our way back to Houston about 11AM. We split the drive again and it was still another cloudless sparkling blue sky. There was a steady stream of traffic between Houston and Dallas in both directions. People sure do speed around here so I just followed the crowd.
We got back to Houston about 4PM where I unpacked and put everything away. About 6:30 we headed to Barry's Pizza where the servers were dressed up in costumes. Our guy, Rod, was dressed as a princess so I called him Rodberta the rest of the evening. Now we are back in the "honeymoon" studio suite watching the World Series. Joe is sound asleep next to me on the couch and Max is all stretched out and asleep on our bed.
The coming week will be a hard one starting at 1pm on Monday with Joe getting some labs done then meet with Dr Romaguera to go over the results and discuss the next plan which will be Part B of the chemo regimen of HyperCVD as an inpatient for four days. These will be different chemicals than Part A thus we can only pray that Joe reacts as well as he did with Part A. Joe is so worried about his white blood cells going up again but I told him that it will go down in time. We need to take it one day at a time and God will direct us on what to do. Joe will be admitted to MDACC late Monday afternoon.
Pray for the chemo to bring down his white blood cells and for his spleen to decrease to a normal size. Pray that the malignant lymph modes in his neck, chests and liver shrink and disappear. Prayer for the doctors and other medical personal.
Peace be with you and my God watch over all your loved ones,
Ciao,
Bonnie
Friday, October 29, 2010
So many positives out weighed the negatives.
It was one of those days where you dread what the outcome of a meeting would be. The day could have started as if there were dark stormy clouds and high winds but the new day started with great brightness that made me look at the positives rather than the negatives. God was at work again in ways that we did not see coming.
With another great night's sleep for both Joe and I, we both enjoyed a marvelous hot shower. It was me first since Joe's arm has to be wrapped up with Seal and Press Plastic to prevent his dressing over his PICC from getting wet. Infections are the nemesis of patients going through chemo for lymphoma since that is what kills so many before they finish chemo. Wet dressing becomes a nesting ground for bacteria and viruses so we take good care of that site.
Upon showering Joe said Jennifer, my daughter in law, called me on my phone. She has not called she sent me a text message proudly announcing that granddaughter Emily, a first grader, had gotten straight A's on her report card and was getting an award for her accomplishments later in the day. Right after her message there was a message from Mike, my youngest son and her Daddy, also proudly texting me that Emily got straight A's on her first report card from big girl's school. I fondly remembered when my two sons, Keith and Mike, got great grades in school and how we celebrated those achievements and how proud I was with their results. I always asked them how they felt about any success they had to learn to do it for themselves and how it felt to be successful. The wheel has turned to them and their children. It is another great blessing from the Almighty. I texted back how thrilled Joe and I were and we would call and congratulate her later on that evening. Those messages alone would have made it a special positive day.
The positives kept happening. I had been concerned that I would not be able to get my new hearing aids adjusted at Costco in Dunwoody since I would be gone till after Thanksgiving which would be over 90 days since I purchased the new aids. If I did not like them, I could turn them in and get my money back but rather get different aids that I would like better. I had called and left a message the day before that I was not able to keep my Thursday appointment since Joe was in Houston until after Thanksgiving and we had moved temporarily to Houston. Costco hearing aid center had called me back and left a message that I would be able to visit the local Costco which Joe and I had already located. It was good news.
There was another voice message on my phone that left me speechless. Joe had taken a shower and got him unwrapped before I let him listen to the message from Caleb Clark, our Eastminster Presbyterian minister. Joe was emotionally touched by the message as I was. Caleb stated that he wanted to come and visit us in Houston on 11/6 for fellowship, serve us communion, represent the church membership and as a friend since we were away from home without a safety net of people to help us. Wow! Isn't that incredible! He was coming just for us and with the hearts and prayers of our church with him. We called him back thinking maybe he had forgotten that we would be in Houston and not Atlanta till after Thanksgiving. He laughed and said he knew that. We were concerned about the expense and his time but he shoved us off on that one. We welcomed him to come and we would also share a glorious lunch together. Caleb would also get to see our little "honeymoon" place where Joe and I are together all the time. Joys keep coming to us in so many ways.
As we drove over to MDACC for Joe's dressing change, the blood tests and exam , it became less dreadful for us. Sure we both were nervous but so far the day was very bright and that I was sure that this would be the outcome from the blood tests. I watched the sterile dressing change again so I could be certified next week by the Infusion Department to do it myself instead of a special trip to MDACC. We kind of like staying away from the place. I felt more comfortable about being able to do it. We found the Education Place and bought the DVD of the instructions on how to change the dressing. I do not want to be the one to cause infection of the PICC site.
Next stop was the FAST TRACK lab where they draw six vials of blood to be tested as well as get Joe's vital signs. It takes anywhere from one hour to two hours for the blood results to come in. Instead of hanging around in the Lymphoma Lounge where it is freezing cold, we headed to the cafeteria on the first floor to have lunch. Today it was Chick Fillet.
After lunch we headed back upstairs to wait for the appointment with the Physicians Assistant. It was now about 3PM. The lady said she had been calling Joe since 1:36PM since he did not get his vital signs completed and get a pager. It turns out that they give the patient a pager so they know when to come back after the lab tests were back. Lessons learned so that will not happen again.
Joe was nervous and for a change I was more calm than he was. There was just too many positive vibes of the day. Panic struck Joe when we saw the CBC results his white blood count (WBC) had gone from 65.7 on Monday up to 71.9 today , an increase of 9.4%. The PA asked Joe how he felt and he says they need to tell him instead. His RBC (red blood count) went down from 3.58 to 3.49, decrease of 9%. His Hemoglobin went down from 10.3 to 10.1, decrease of 2%. His Hematocrit went down from 35.3 to 34.1, decrease of 3.5%. His platelets took a big dive from a normal 165 to abnormal 116 but still not bad for someone who recently had chemo. The PA said that she had to discuss the results with Dr. Romaguera and we held our breaths. I could sense great anxiety from Joe and his immense disappointment that his WBC went up. The PA comes back and tells us that Joe can report back on Monday, get labs, see Dr. Romaguera and wait to be re-admitted to the hospital for Part B of the Hyper CVAD chemo without the "A" part which is Joe's normal 21 day cycle. Joe thought that it was bad news. I advised Joe that it was good news since Romaguera's assessment of the CBC tests was that Joe was stable. The variance since Monday was within decent ranges that he would not have to be re-admitted that day. Because I was calm and confident of that fact, Joe started to be less tense. There were too many positives in the day to think that this was a setback. Joe also knows that if I thought otherwise that I would have asked to see Dr Romaguera and I would have told Joe that I was concerned. I just had this calm over me that it was OK and convinced Joe. I did admit that I was also disappointed that the WBC did not go down as we had prayed for but it was not a huge difference.
Since Joe would not have to check back in till Monday, it meant that we had three full days off from being at MDACC. Yippee! It was great news and we would use those days to full advantage. I told Joe that I would love to drive up to Dallas and see Julie Campbell Stephens, her husband Russell and their 2 year old girl, Campbell. Julie is also pregnant with Lily who is due on 11/24. I would love to see our dear Julie pregnant.
Julie came into our lives via my career as a Mortgage Loan Officer at Bank of America. Julie was getting out of active duty Army and back into civilian life. She served our country. Her new job started within a week but her VA loan would not close for 30 days and she was going to commute from Columbus, GA to Norcross everyday. No way, I was going to let that happen to someone who served our country in Iraq. I offered her to stay with Joe and me until her home was ready to move in after her loan closed. She stayed and we enjoyed her so much. Max also adored her.
After a year she decided to moved to Anniston, Alabama where should would be in the active Army reserves. She bought another home there and I assisted her with that also. She was there only a short time and fell in love with Russell who works with a prominent government agency. She got married and moved to Dallas where Russell lives. In one year they started a family and now 2 years later another little girl is due. I would love to see her and Joe agreed that we could go to Dallas to visit. Now to ask, Miss Julie.
I e-mailed Miss Julie and she welcomed us grandly by inviting us for dinner and spend the night before we headed back to Houston on Sunday. She is an excellent cook and would make Joe one of his favorite meals. I gave her a couple of suggestions since she asked me. Julie nicknamed me her Atlanta Mama. She is tall, pretty, majestic and a very strong Christian lady who is fun and intelligent. What a joy to be able to see her and get away from Houston and the small studio apartment. Max would come with us since he is good around everyone.
Tonight we went over to Galleria Mall for the first time. The place is gigantic and so many La-De-Da stores that all I can do is just window shop since even their sale items would be outrageously priced. Name every big designer that you ever heard of and they were there. Dior, Chanel, Gucci, Baccarrat, Prada etc... We headed towards the large ice skating rink on the lower level where it is surrounded with places to eat. Joe wanted La Madeline's again so his wish was granted. We sat at the tables where one looks out at the smooth skating rink as the kids and people skate. It was entertaining but not as much as getting back to the studio to watch Game 2 of the World Series where the Giants blanked out the Texas Rangers by an amazing score of 9-0. Wow!
We headed to bed but I woke back up at 1:30AM since I was not tired anymore. It is the danger of taking naps in the afternoon. So instead of fighting to go back to sleep, I figured I would do my blog.
It was such a positive day with blessings raining down in multitudes. God continues to walk this walk with us with His son, Jesus, holding our hands. Tomorrow brings another new day. New blessings with shower down to keep us strong. Thank you so much to Joe's Prayer Army. You can see how your prayers are at work and how God has worked his special gifts into our lives.
Blessings to you and your families,
Bonnie
With another great night's sleep for both Joe and I, we both enjoyed a marvelous hot shower. It was me first since Joe's arm has to be wrapped up with Seal and Press Plastic to prevent his dressing over his PICC from getting wet. Infections are the nemesis of patients going through chemo for lymphoma since that is what kills so many before they finish chemo. Wet dressing becomes a nesting ground for bacteria and viruses so we take good care of that site.
Upon showering Joe said Jennifer, my daughter in law, called me on my phone. She has not called she sent me a text message proudly announcing that granddaughter Emily, a first grader, had gotten straight A's on her report card and was getting an award for her accomplishments later in the day. Right after her message there was a message from Mike, my youngest son and her Daddy, also proudly texting me that Emily got straight A's on her first report card from big girl's school. I fondly remembered when my two sons, Keith and Mike, got great grades in school and how we celebrated those achievements and how proud I was with their results. I always asked them how they felt about any success they had to learn to do it for themselves and how it felt to be successful. The wheel has turned to them and their children. It is another great blessing from the Almighty. I texted back how thrilled Joe and I were and we would call and congratulate her later on that evening. Those messages alone would have made it a special positive day.
The positives kept happening. I had been concerned that I would not be able to get my new hearing aids adjusted at Costco in Dunwoody since I would be gone till after Thanksgiving which would be over 90 days since I purchased the new aids. If I did not like them, I could turn them in and get my money back but rather get different aids that I would like better. I had called and left a message the day before that I was not able to keep my Thursday appointment since Joe was in Houston until after Thanksgiving and we had moved temporarily to Houston. Costco hearing aid center had called me back and left a message that I would be able to visit the local Costco which Joe and I had already located. It was good news.
There was another voice message on my phone that left me speechless. Joe had taken a shower and got him unwrapped before I let him listen to the message from Caleb Clark, our Eastminster Presbyterian minister. Joe was emotionally touched by the message as I was. Caleb stated that he wanted to come and visit us in Houston on 11/6 for fellowship, serve us communion, represent the church membership and as a friend since we were away from home without a safety net of people to help us. Wow! Isn't that incredible! He was coming just for us and with the hearts and prayers of our church with him. We called him back thinking maybe he had forgotten that we would be in Houston and not Atlanta till after Thanksgiving. He laughed and said he knew that. We were concerned about the expense and his time but he shoved us off on that one. We welcomed him to come and we would also share a glorious lunch together. Caleb would also get to see our little "honeymoon" place where Joe and I are together all the time. Joys keep coming to us in so many ways.
As we drove over to MDACC for Joe's dressing change, the blood tests and exam , it became less dreadful for us. Sure we both were nervous but so far the day was very bright and that I was sure that this would be the outcome from the blood tests. I watched the sterile dressing change again so I could be certified next week by the Infusion Department to do it myself instead of a special trip to MDACC. We kind of like staying away from the place. I felt more comfortable about being able to do it. We found the Education Place and bought the DVD of the instructions on how to change the dressing. I do not want to be the one to cause infection of the PICC site.
Next stop was the FAST TRACK lab where they draw six vials of blood to be tested as well as get Joe's vital signs. It takes anywhere from one hour to two hours for the blood results to come in. Instead of hanging around in the Lymphoma Lounge where it is freezing cold, we headed to the cafeteria on the first floor to have lunch. Today it was Chick Fillet.
After lunch we headed back upstairs to wait for the appointment with the Physicians Assistant. It was now about 3PM. The lady said she had been calling Joe since 1:36PM since he did not get his vital signs completed and get a pager. It turns out that they give the patient a pager so they know when to come back after the lab tests were back. Lessons learned so that will not happen again.
Joe was nervous and for a change I was more calm than he was. There was just too many positive vibes of the day. Panic struck Joe when we saw the CBC results his white blood count (WBC) had gone from 65.7 on Monday up to 71.9 today , an increase of 9.4%. The PA asked Joe how he felt and he says they need to tell him instead. His RBC (red blood count) went down from 3.58 to 3.49, decrease of 9%. His Hemoglobin went down from 10.3 to 10.1, decrease of 2%. His Hematocrit went down from 35.3 to 34.1, decrease of 3.5%. His platelets took a big dive from a normal 165 to abnormal 116 but still not bad for someone who recently had chemo. The PA said that she had to discuss the results with Dr. Romaguera and we held our breaths. I could sense great anxiety from Joe and his immense disappointment that his WBC went up. The PA comes back and tells us that Joe can report back on Monday, get labs, see Dr. Romaguera and wait to be re-admitted to the hospital for Part B of the Hyper CVAD chemo without the "A" part which is Joe's normal 21 day cycle. Joe thought that it was bad news. I advised Joe that it was good news since Romaguera's assessment of the CBC tests was that Joe was stable. The variance since Monday was within decent ranges that he would not have to be re-admitted that day. Because I was calm and confident of that fact, Joe started to be less tense. There were too many positives in the day to think that this was a setback. Joe also knows that if I thought otherwise that I would have asked to see Dr Romaguera and I would have told Joe that I was concerned. I just had this calm over me that it was OK and convinced Joe. I did admit that I was also disappointed that the WBC did not go down as we had prayed for but it was not a huge difference.
Since Joe would not have to check back in till Monday, it meant that we had three full days off from being at MDACC. Yippee! It was great news and we would use those days to full advantage. I told Joe that I would love to drive up to Dallas and see Julie Campbell Stephens, her husband Russell and their 2 year old girl, Campbell. Julie is also pregnant with Lily who is due on 11/24. I would love to see our dear Julie pregnant.
Julie came into our lives via my career as a Mortgage Loan Officer at Bank of America. Julie was getting out of active duty Army and back into civilian life. She served our country. Her new job started within a week but her VA loan would not close for 30 days and she was going to commute from Columbus, GA to Norcross everyday. No way, I was going to let that happen to someone who served our country in Iraq. I offered her to stay with Joe and me until her home was ready to move in after her loan closed. She stayed and we enjoyed her so much. Max also adored her.
After a year she decided to moved to Anniston, Alabama where should would be in the active Army reserves. She bought another home there and I assisted her with that also. She was there only a short time and fell in love with Russell who works with a prominent government agency. She got married and moved to Dallas where Russell lives. In one year they started a family and now 2 years later another little girl is due. I would love to see her and Joe agreed that we could go to Dallas to visit. Now to ask, Miss Julie.
I e-mailed Miss Julie and she welcomed us grandly by inviting us for dinner and spend the night before we headed back to Houston on Sunday. She is an excellent cook and would make Joe one of his favorite meals. I gave her a couple of suggestions since she asked me. Julie nicknamed me her Atlanta Mama. She is tall, pretty, majestic and a very strong Christian lady who is fun and intelligent. What a joy to be able to see her and get away from Houston and the small studio apartment. Max would come with us since he is good around everyone.
Tonight we went over to Galleria Mall for the first time. The place is gigantic and so many La-De-Da stores that all I can do is just window shop since even their sale items would be outrageously priced. Name every big designer that you ever heard of and they were there. Dior, Chanel, Gucci, Baccarrat, Prada etc... We headed towards the large ice skating rink on the lower level where it is surrounded with places to eat. Joe wanted La Madeline's again so his wish was granted. We sat at the tables where one looks out at the smooth skating rink as the kids and people skate. It was entertaining but not as much as getting back to the studio to watch Game 2 of the World Series where the Giants blanked out the Texas Rangers by an amazing score of 9-0. Wow!
We headed to bed but I woke back up at 1:30AM since I was not tired anymore. It is the danger of taking naps in the afternoon. So instead of fighting to go back to sleep, I figured I would do my blog.
It was such a positive day with blessings raining down in multitudes. God continues to walk this walk with us with His son, Jesus, holding our hands. Tomorrow brings another new day. New blessings with shower down to keep us strong. Thank you so much to Joe's Prayer Army. You can see how your prayers are at work and how God has worked his special gifts into our lives.
Blessings to you and your families,
Bonnie
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Two days FREE for rest before the STORM
The past two days, Tuesday and Wednesday, have been islands in the gentle stream where there is calmness and time to regroup. I am delighted to say that I am finally at the end of the miserable virus with some coughing here and there as well as blowing my raw nose. Even the monstrous cold sores are just about gone. Praise God for these blessings! Several nights of solid sleep with only one coughing episode each day was God sent and needed. I even had several good long naps in the afternoon. It is what my body needed desperately. I think I am going to need some real strength coming up. Joe goes back to MDACC for some CBC tests. I know that we will both hold our breath and have anxiety. If the white blood cells and lymphocytes go up a bunch, they will admit Joe back into the hospital for immediate chemo instead of waiting to admit him at his normal appointment on Monday. The Part A chemo that Joe got was suppose to suppress the white blood cells (WBC) but they had gone up since the end of the first round of chemo. We are praying for improvement and praying that we will be strong in handling whatever happens. God surely is directing us. Part B of the chemo regimen has two chemicals:Methotrexate and Cytarabine. When one reads the side effects, you want to run away and scream, "Are you crazy?" One must place trust in the doctors and with God most of all. Tomorrow is an important day.
The last two days have been laid back and taking it easy. Joe continues to feel great (that has got to mean something is working, you would think!) He has some swolleness in his left foot still but it has gone down. Today he said he felt some weakness in his left leg muscle but it did not slow him down.
Yesterday we did some minor shopping then took Max to the Danny Jackson Family Dog Park which was so cool. There are two fenced in sections. One is for dogs under 20 pounds and the other for dogs over 20 pounds. Each area has a dog swimming pool, benches for owners under the shade. I suppose there were about 15 dogs there running loose and having a grand time. No biting or growling at each other, the dogs just played and chased balls. Some wanted attention but none jumped up on anyone. The owners with their dogs were so friendly and Joe and I talked to a few about traveling and local restaurants. Max did not go into the pool or anywhere near it. There was a small English Bulldog about half the size of my son's Mike's bulldog. Her name was Sophie and well behaved as well as lovable. We will go back with Max another day but will stay away during the weekends when they say it is jammed.
After dropping Max off at the studio, we took a nap then headed for a late lunch and picked out an Italian restaurant with red checkered tablecloths. Joe had spaghetti with tomato sauce with some garlic bread and I had an individual cheese pizza. It was good and we may be back. Since it was off hours, there was only one other table with a couple of people.
Since there were no baseball games on TV, we decided that it would be a great night to see a movie since there would also not be very many people there which is important for Joe so he does not catch some virus. How he didn't catch mine, is a real miracle! I was able to locate the Edwards Regal Theatre off the Katy Freeway with some trouble since there was no direct exit to the theatre. Thankfully I have a good sense of direction and was able to get to it. What a beautiful clean theatre! It was really surprising how nice it was. It was more like going to an Opera House or a NY Broadway Theatre. We decided to see "The Social Network" which had great reviews from professionals and regular people. It was a heck of an intriguing story with a moral ending. Don't screw your friends! After the show it was about 9:30 and we were hungry. Across the breezeway there was a restaurant called Red Robin who supposedly sold gourmet hamburgers which is a dangerous statement to make so we gave it a try. My first question to the waiter was, "Will you cook my hamburger the way I want it cooked, medium rare?" He was honest stating that they cook their hamburgers medium well and well done. GROAN! I asked in my best nice voice to have the cook the burger as least as he could get away with. Within a few minutes, our cheeseburgers came off the grill sizzling hot and I smiled as I bit into the burger. It was medium, juicy, flavorful and hot. Both Joe and I were happy customers. We were the last customers to leave which was a good thing since it meant no many people around.
Today is Wednesday and today was even more laid back than Tuesday. After flushing Joe's PICC lines as I do every morning before we venture out. This morning it was time to try Panera Bread around the corner on the other side of the block. Nicely decorated with some great looking pastries and large bagels we finally found a place that is a happy medium between Joe and me. He loved the coffee and the Cinnamon muffin. I enjoyed my toasted sesame seed bagel with light cream cheese. After a leisurely light breakfast we headed to MicroCenter since Joe wanted to buy an easy manual for the iPhone features. I also got a screen cleaner. We looked for a label maker but they were too expensive so we headed to Costco and bought a cheaper one made by Brothers as well as a nice long sleeve shirt for Joe. It is hard not to just buy one thing. Shameful! We looked for the Ocean Spray Apple Juice that Joe craves but alas they did not carry it. I looked in so many stores so I suppose that we will have to order it on-line.
This afternoon Joe took Max with him as he wanted to do some more detail work on the Lexus. Joe loves his cars sparkling clean that they look new. He does an amazing job. He said Max sat on the back seat of the Lexus and took a snooze.
Now it is almost 7PM CST which means the World Series Game will be starting soon and our grand entertainment for the night. About 9PM I will pick up a Chinese dinner order at P F Changs about 2 miles from our studio. Yummy!
I am so grateful for the last two days where we did not have to go to MDACC. Tomorrow could open a new scary chapter but Joe and I are in it together to win this fight. We are enjoying our time together and just taking it easy.
Ciao,
The last two days have been laid back and taking it easy. Joe continues to feel great (that has got to mean something is working, you would think!) He has some swolleness in his left foot still but it has gone down. Today he said he felt some weakness in his left leg muscle but it did not slow him down.
Yesterday we did some minor shopping then took Max to the Danny Jackson Family Dog Park which was so cool. There are two fenced in sections. One is for dogs under 20 pounds and the other for dogs over 20 pounds. Each area has a dog swimming pool, benches for owners under the shade. I suppose there were about 15 dogs there running loose and having a grand time. No biting or growling at each other, the dogs just played and chased balls. Some wanted attention but none jumped up on anyone. The owners with their dogs were so friendly and Joe and I talked to a few about traveling and local restaurants. Max did not go into the pool or anywhere near it. There was a small English Bulldog about half the size of my son's Mike's bulldog. Her name was Sophie and well behaved as well as lovable. We will go back with Max another day but will stay away during the weekends when they say it is jammed.
After dropping Max off at the studio, we took a nap then headed for a late lunch and picked out an Italian restaurant with red checkered tablecloths. Joe had spaghetti with tomato sauce with some garlic bread and I had an individual cheese pizza. It was good and we may be back. Since it was off hours, there was only one other table with a couple of people.
Since there were no baseball games on TV, we decided that it would be a great night to see a movie since there would also not be very many people there which is important for Joe so he does not catch some virus. How he didn't catch mine, is a real miracle! I was able to locate the Edwards Regal Theatre off the Katy Freeway with some trouble since there was no direct exit to the theatre. Thankfully I have a good sense of direction and was able to get to it. What a beautiful clean theatre! It was really surprising how nice it was. It was more like going to an Opera House or a NY Broadway Theatre. We decided to see "The Social Network" which had great reviews from professionals and regular people. It was a heck of an intriguing story with a moral ending. Don't screw your friends! After the show it was about 9:30 and we were hungry. Across the breezeway there was a restaurant called Red Robin who supposedly sold gourmet hamburgers which is a dangerous statement to make so we gave it a try. My first question to the waiter was, "Will you cook my hamburger the way I want it cooked, medium rare?" He was honest stating that they cook their hamburgers medium well and well done. GROAN! I asked in my best nice voice to have the cook the burger as least as he could get away with. Within a few minutes, our cheeseburgers came off the grill sizzling hot and I smiled as I bit into the burger. It was medium, juicy, flavorful and hot. Both Joe and I were happy customers. We were the last customers to leave which was a good thing since it meant no many people around.
Today is Wednesday and today was even more laid back than Tuesday. After flushing Joe's PICC lines as I do every morning before we venture out. This morning it was time to try Panera Bread around the corner on the other side of the block. Nicely decorated with some great looking pastries and large bagels we finally found a place that is a happy medium between Joe and me. He loved the coffee and the Cinnamon muffin. I enjoyed my toasted sesame seed bagel with light cream cheese. After a leisurely light breakfast we headed to MicroCenter since Joe wanted to buy an easy manual for the iPhone features. I also got a screen cleaner. We looked for a label maker but they were too expensive so we headed to Costco and bought a cheaper one made by Brothers as well as a nice long sleeve shirt for Joe. It is hard not to just buy one thing. Shameful! We looked for the Ocean Spray Apple Juice that Joe craves but alas they did not carry it. I looked in so many stores so I suppose that we will have to order it on-line.
This afternoon Joe took Max with him as he wanted to do some more detail work on the Lexus. Joe loves his cars sparkling clean that they look new. He does an amazing job. He said Max sat on the back seat of the Lexus and took a snooze.
Now it is almost 7PM CST which means the World Series Game will be starting soon and our grand entertainment for the night. About 9PM I will pick up a Chinese dinner order at P F Changs about 2 miles from our studio. Yummy!
I am so grateful for the last two days where we did not have to go to MDACC. Tomorrow could open a new scary chapter but Joe and I are in it together to win this fight. We are enjoying our time together and just taking it easy.
Ciao,
Monday, October 25, 2010
Today is really Monday 10/25/10. Health update
Monday is the start of a new week and hopefully it would start brightly.
The day started with a stop at a fancy STARBUCKS that Joe wanted to try across from the Galleria. It was the biggest one that we ever have visited. Joe enjoyed his coffee but the two muffins were not fresh. A short stop at Target to get some more paper towels and Windex. The area around the Galleria is so pretty with manicured trees, bushes and gardens. The light poles are shiny chrome and the street signs are hung in a big circle with the crossing street's name. Also along the roads are double chrome arches that go from one side of the road to the other. The modern sparkling tall marble buildings along with so many upscale shops everywhere. Joe loves this area of town. Great choice! It is so pretty at night with all the lights ablaze!
We headed to the Brown Bag Deli again for their wonderful Roast Beef sandwiches before the 1:30 appointment at MDACC for the blood tests. Joe's next appointment was with Dr. Romaguera at 4PM to go over his progress. We had a bunch of time to kill so I just drove around and explored what was in Hermann Park and the Museum District. This area reminded me of the grand parks, statues, and fountains in Europe with majestic knobby oak trees adorning the area. Colorful flowers were everywhere where the public could enjoy. We stopped at the Garden Club and walked around the gardens with rows and rows of all kinds of roses from the simple ones to the majestic ones. I loved the bare tan smooth bark of some trees that reminded me of mahogany. I saw a large preying mantis slowing making its way up the smooth trunk of the tree. Fascinating to watch every movement of this majestic green long legged bug. Joe sat on a bench under the shade of a large tree and a nearby fountain. I laid my head on his lap as he softly stroked my head as the strong breeze kept us comfortable. It was a very special memorable moment that I will treasure in my dreams.
It was time to head back to the hospital to see Dr. Romaguera. We saw two medical personnel first who examine Joe and ask a hundred questions and confused us with their statements as if Joe was going to be admitted today for some more chemo a week early. Dr. Romaguera finally comes in and looks at Joe and has a concerned serious look. The vibes were not good since we both felt it. The Doc asked Joe how he was doing and Joe said he felt great and the best he felt in a very long time. He asked Joe if he thought his spleen shrunk and Joe and I thought it had since Joe had a healthy appetite and was able to eat full meals, three times a day. Dr Romaguera stated that Joe's White Blood Count had increased from 35 to 67 and that with the chemo, this is not suppose to happen. Chemo is suppose to make the WBC decrease and he felt that the Lymphoma was taken over his body. He felt that Joe should be admitted today for Part B of the chemotherapy and gave us the information about the two chemos that would be injected. I pointed out to Dr Romaguera to look at Joe's platelets at 165 which was in the normal range and that had not happen for a year or so. Also his hemacrit improved to almost 36 as well as his hemaglobin and that Joe felt great. We talked for over an hour with the doctor and he also conferred with another colleague for his opinion. We all agreed that while the spleen from the outside only deceased 3 cm that it seemed logical that the unseen width had decreased since Joe was able to eat more normal. We came to the conclusion that the stored white blood cells in Joe's spleen was leaving it and going into the blood stream thus causing the WBC to increase. It was agreed to wait till Thursday when another blood CBC test would be done and if it increased substantially that Joe would be admitted for 4 days of Part B chemo with two new chemicals which is the normal course. They would do it sooner rather than wait till next Monday when he would be re-admitted as an inpatient for four days of chemo. It is a wait and see. Dr R told me to stop injecting the Neupogin and stop the two supplements since they could distort the results. We agreed. We need your prayers to continue and pray that the lymphoma is not getting worse and taking more control of Joe's body.
We did not leave the hospital till about 6:15 and walked to the wrong parking garage when the coin did not work in the machine. We had a good laugh at that one trying to remember which of the huge garages we parked in. From now on I will park in the same parking garage so we do not screw up again.
On the way home we stopped at Randall's Supermarket to see if they had the apple juice that Joe craved but alas they did not have it either so Joe got a different brand so hopefully he will like it. He will need to drink a heck of a bunch of liquids for this next round of chemo since it can badly effect the kidneys and other vital organs. The side effects would scare everyone if you read them all but we are in the hands of God and MDACC
It was a tense day but when we arrived at the hotel there was a stack of cards waiting that picked up our spirit. Thank you everyone. There was a Get Well signed sheet from our church members where we enjoyed all the little get well notes from the people we love. What a great congregation! We are grateful for such a caring and loving group of church members. I will taped them to the wall with the others to keep remembering all the people's prayers and sweet words.
I can not believe that we have the next two full days off where we do not have to go to the hospital. I look forward to the new adventures and happenings that we will find in the Houston area.
CAUGHT UP! I still have the cough and congestion but it is better.
May the peace of the Lord be with you and your loved ones,
Ciao,
Bonnie
The day started with a stop at a fancy STARBUCKS that Joe wanted to try across from the Galleria. It was the biggest one that we ever have visited. Joe enjoyed his coffee but the two muffins were not fresh. A short stop at Target to get some more paper towels and Windex. The area around the Galleria is so pretty with manicured trees, bushes and gardens. The light poles are shiny chrome and the street signs are hung in a big circle with the crossing street's name. Also along the roads are double chrome arches that go from one side of the road to the other. The modern sparkling tall marble buildings along with so many upscale shops everywhere. Joe loves this area of town. Great choice! It is so pretty at night with all the lights ablaze!
We headed to the Brown Bag Deli again for their wonderful Roast Beef sandwiches before the 1:30 appointment at MDACC for the blood tests. Joe's next appointment was with Dr. Romaguera at 4PM to go over his progress. We had a bunch of time to kill so I just drove around and explored what was in Hermann Park and the Museum District. This area reminded me of the grand parks, statues, and fountains in Europe with majestic knobby oak trees adorning the area. Colorful flowers were everywhere where the public could enjoy. We stopped at the Garden Club and walked around the gardens with rows and rows of all kinds of roses from the simple ones to the majestic ones. I loved the bare tan smooth bark of some trees that reminded me of mahogany. I saw a large preying mantis slowing making its way up the smooth trunk of the tree. Fascinating to watch every movement of this majestic green long legged bug. Joe sat on a bench under the shade of a large tree and a nearby fountain. I laid my head on his lap as he softly stroked my head as the strong breeze kept us comfortable. It was a very special memorable moment that I will treasure in my dreams.
It was time to head back to the hospital to see Dr. Romaguera. We saw two medical personnel first who examine Joe and ask a hundred questions and confused us with their statements as if Joe was going to be admitted today for some more chemo a week early. Dr. Romaguera finally comes in and looks at Joe and has a concerned serious look. The vibes were not good since we both felt it. The Doc asked Joe how he was doing and Joe said he felt great and the best he felt in a very long time. He asked Joe if he thought his spleen shrunk and Joe and I thought it had since Joe had a healthy appetite and was able to eat full meals, three times a day. Dr Romaguera stated that Joe's White Blood Count had increased from 35 to 67 and that with the chemo, this is not suppose to happen. Chemo is suppose to make the WBC decrease and he felt that the Lymphoma was taken over his body. He felt that Joe should be admitted today for Part B of the chemotherapy and gave us the information about the two chemos that would be injected. I pointed out to Dr Romaguera to look at Joe's platelets at 165 which was in the normal range and that had not happen for a year or so. Also his hemacrit improved to almost 36 as well as his hemaglobin and that Joe felt great. We talked for over an hour with the doctor and he also conferred with another colleague for his opinion. We all agreed that while the spleen from the outside only deceased 3 cm that it seemed logical that the unseen width had decreased since Joe was able to eat more normal. We came to the conclusion that the stored white blood cells in Joe's spleen was leaving it and going into the blood stream thus causing the WBC to increase. It was agreed to wait till Thursday when another blood CBC test would be done and if it increased substantially that Joe would be admitted for 4 days of Part B chemo with two new chemicals which is the normal course. They would do it sooner rather than wait till next Monday when he would be re-admitted as an inpatient for four days of chemo. It is a wait and see. Dr R told me to stop injecting the Neupogin and stop the two supplements since they could distort the results. We agreed. We need your prayers to continue and pray that the lymphoma is not getting worse and taking more control of Joe's body.
We did not leave the hospital till about 6:15 and walked to the wrong parking garage when the coin did not work in the machine. We had a good laugh at that one trying to remember which of the huge garages we parked in. From now on I will park in the same parking garage so we do not screw up again.
On the way home we stopped at Randall's Supermarket to see if they had the apple juice that Joe craved but alas they did not have it either so Joe got a different brand so hopefully he will like it. He will need to drink a heck of a bunch of liquids for this next round of chemo since it can badly effect the kidneys and other vital organs. The side effects would scare everyone if you read them all but we are in the hands of God and MDACC
It was a tense day but when we arrived at the hotel there was a stack of cards waiting that picked up our spirit. Thank you everyone. There was a Get Well signed sheet from our church members where we enjoyed all the little get well notes from the people we love. What a great congregation! We are grateful for such a caring and loving group of church members. I will taped them to the wall with the others to keep remembering all the people's prayers and sweet words.
I can not believe that we have the next two full days off where we do not have to go to the hospital. I look forward to the new adventures and happenings that we will find in the Houston area.
CAUGHT UP! I still have the cough and congestion but it is better.
May the peace of the Lord be with you and your loved ones,
Ciao,
Bonnie
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