December 24, 2013
Merry Christmas to all.
We had a surprise yesterday when we went to the doctors. George was started on chemo three weeks earlier than planned. His doctor does not want him to continue to slide as he has been doing. The chemo usually has a positive affect right away.
This should help the kidneys start acting properly and help George to remain stable.
As of this a.m., he is fine. No ill effects from the chemo at this point. He has three twenty-one day cycles of one type of treatment and then another five or six weeks of something else. Too much detail to grasp on one day for us. Happy Holidays. j
Checking In On George
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Thursday, December 19, 2013
December 19, 2013
Hi, George is home from the hospital. He is much better. His stem cell transplant is actually going well. His light chains and amyloids are going down and his blood counts are good.
The problem (this week) is that his kidneys still pee out all the good stuff and his systems are not supported, thus, the crashing. This Monday when I got him to the hospital, his oxygen saturation was down to 69% vs 100%, and his heart was racing, and blood pressure plummeting. Let's just say, everyone was excited to see him !!!
The new plan is for George to see the doctor several times per week and have blood tests to determine is he needs fluids, albumin, or blood. This way he won't take a long slide before we catch him. This should keep him feeling much better and allow him to get some energy back and get stronger for chemo in January. His kidneys will actually start to work better over time as the chemo knocks out the remaining amyloids, but it will be a good year until he feels like a strong man again.
He is good today; more himself....giving me orders...obsessing on the small stuff, and controlling as much as he can. Thanks for checking in. This is quite a journey, and he has endured so much. It really helps us to know you are out there and sending up prayers and good thoughts.
We are rolling right in to Christmas....enjoy it. j
Hi, George is home from the hospital. He is much better. His stem cell transplant is actually going well. His light chains and amyloids are going down and his blood counts are good.
The problem (this week) is that his kidneys still pee out all the good stuff and his systems are not supported, thus, the crashing. This Monday when I got him to the hospital, his oxygen saturation was down to 69% vs 100%, and his heart was racing, and blood pressure plummeting. Let's just say, everyone was excited to see him !!!
The new plan is for George to see the doctor several times per week and have blood tests to determine is he needs fluids, albumin, or blood. This way he won't take a long slide before we catch him. This should keep him feeling much better and allow him to get some energy back and get stronger for chemo in January. His kidneys will actually start to work better over time as the chemo knocks out the remaining amyloids, but it will be a good year until he feels like a strong man again.
He is good today; more himself....giving me orders...obsessing on the small stuff, and controlling as much as he can. Thanks for checking in. This is quite a journey, and he has endured so much. It really helps us to know you are out there and sending up prayers and good thoughts.
We are rolling right in to Christmas....enjoy it. j
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Dec. 17, 2013
Hi, Sorry to report that George is back in the hospital. We had a good run of about 16 days, but he started to go down hill this weekend.
It appears that his kidney function is a little worse and because he doesn't make enough albumin, his blood volume gets low, causing all kinds of problems.
They will give him albumin and then probably a blood transfusion and hope to get things back in balance. Doctors say this will be the dance until his light chains (the disease) go away and the kidneys start to recover. Hopefully this does not alter the plan to start chemo on Jan. 7.
Happy Holidays.j
Hi, Sorry to report that George is back in the hospital. We had a good run of about 16 days, but he started to go down hill this weekend.
It appears that his kidney function is a little worse and because he doesn't make enough albumin, his blood volume gets low, causing all kinds of problems.
They will give him albumin and then probably a blood transfusion and hope to get things back in balance. Doctors say this will be the dance until his light chains (the disease) go away and the kidneys start to recover. Hopefully this does not alter the plan to start chemo on Jan. 7.
Happy Holidays.j
Friday, December 6, 2013
Dec. 6, 2013
Hi, Sorry I haven't been blogging. Things got a little 'busy' but are calming down now. George was back in the hospital and released the day before Thanksgiving. He has had several trips back, which were scheduled, for hydration.
As of today, we've had seven days without a crisis, which is a record. Hopefully it's a sign of stability. He is at Youville House, and is pretty much isolated. His appetite is getting better, and he goes for short walks up and down the hall a few times a day. His flock of children and others have been in to visit, which he really loves.
Right now we have a visit with his doctor in December, and chemo scheduled to begin Jan. 7, 2014 and go for about five months. His doctor told us he will be back to 'normal' by October, 2014. This is what we are going for. Whatever 'normal' was, we'll take it back, anytime. Thanks for all the encouraging words, e mails, facebook comments, etc.
Hi, Sorry I haven't been blogging. Things got a little 'busy' but are calming down now. George was back in the hospital and released the day before Thanksgiving. He has had several trips back, which were scheduled, for hydration.
As of today, we've had seven days without a crisis, which is a record. Hopefully it's a sign of stability. He is at Youville House, and is pretty much isolated. His appetite is getting better, and he goes for short walks up and down the hall a few times a day. His flock of children and others have been in to visit, which he really loves.
Right now we have a visit with his doctor in December, and chemo scheduled to begin Jan. 7, 2014 and go for about five months. His doctor told us he will be back to 'normal' by October, 2014. This is what we are going for. Whatever 'normal' was, we'll take it back, anytime. Thanks for all the encouraging words, e mails, facebook comments, etc.
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