Rescheduled appointment

Hi All,

As of today, my dad has rescheduled his doctors appointment at the Univ of Chicago from Monday to Thursday.  He still has a cough and is retaining some water in his legs and feet.  Therefore, the doctors and my dad thought it would be best to wait a few days for the next phase of treatment. 

Currently, my dad is resting at home and is still tired.  In addition to taking a diuretic, he is trying to walk around to eliminate some of the water in his body.  Since he will be home resting for the next few days, please feel free to give him a call.

I will post with any new information.

Thanks,
Michelle

Home

Hi Everyone,

My dad is finished with the stem cell harvesting...they got around 8,000,000 cells!  Overall, he is very glad to be done with the harvesting portion of the process.

He is at home resting now.  He still feels very tired and has retained some water.  On Monday, he has an appointment with a doctor in Chicago to discuss the upcoming process.  If a bed is available and if he is feeling better he could be admitted (on Monday) to the Univ of Chicago medical center for more chemotherapy and to administer his stem cells back into the body. 

I let you know how the appointment on Monday goes.  Please feel free to give him a call over the weekend.

Thanks,
Michelle

10/27/10

Hi Everyone,

My dad's stem cell harvesting has been going well.  However, he had to have another round of harvesting today and one more tomorrow.  Stem cells can only be harvested at a certain speed-depending on the person's bone marrow outlet.  So, it is taking a little longer than anticipated but they are getting the cells. 

Hopefully, tomorrow after his session, he will be able to go home for the weekend.

Thanks,
Michelle

En route to Chicago

Hi Everyone,

More good news!  My dad's white blood cell count was over 10,000 this morning!  Upon discovering this, the doctors wanted him to go to the University of Chicago Medical Center first thing today for stem cell harvesting.  The harvesting process takes about 4-6 hours and can hopefully be completed in one day.  The blood is extracted and then given back so no blood loss is taking place. Depending how fast the process is-he may be able to go home tonight. 

He is feeling more eneregetic now but still has a cough and is pretty hoarse.  I will let everyone know when he is home.

Thanks,
Michelle

10/25/10

Hi Everyone,

Good news!  My dad's white blood cell count increased to 2,974-in one day!  Also, his temperature has stayed close to normal for the last 24 hours.  He has a lot more energy and has been able to get out of bed and walk around a bit.  Over the last few days, he has developed a cough which has left him very hoarse but he should return to his normal voice in the next day or so.

Because his cell count is so close to 3,000 (the minimum needed for harvesting) we are not sure how soon he will be transferred to Chicago.  I will keep you posted.  Also, becuase his immune system is still very compromised he and the doctors have asked that he does not have any visitors.

Thanks,
Michelle

10/24 update

Hi Everyone,

As of this morning, my dad's temperature was down to normal and has remained there for several hours.  Additionally, his white blood cell count is up to 480.  When his cell count reaches 3,000-5,000 he will be transferred for harvesting.  Usually, the cell count increases very quickly and the doctors expect around Wednesday that he will be transferred to Chicago.

In the meantime, he is still not having any visitors until further notice. 

Thanks,
Michelle

update 10/23/10

Hi Everyone,

As of this morning, my dad's white blood cell count was still very low.  He has been running a fever on and off for the past 2 days and is still very tired.  The doctors expect his white cell count to increase at any time now as he has had about 9 injections of neuprogen.  Due to his compromised immune system he has decided not to have any visitors today. 

I will keep everyone posted on updates.

Thanks,
Michelle

update 10/21/10

Hi Everyone,


Here is the latest on my dad. 

This morning when he woke up he mentioned that he felt a little off.  Upon taking his temperature he discovered that he was running a fever.  Additionally, when the nurse stopped by the house to draw his blood-she discovered that his white blood cell count was 310 which was drastically down from 3,500 the previous day.  Although neutropenia or a decreased white blood cell count is part of the chemotherapy/neupogen process, due to the elevated temperature he was admitted to the hospital.  His low white blood cell count makes him extremely vulnerable to infection and sickness.  Most likely, he will stay in the hospital for the next few days.  When his white blood cell count increases he will be admitted to the University of Chicago Medical Center for stem cell harvesting.

Currently, he is at Elkhart General Hospital in room 4332.  It has been a tough couple of days and I think he  would enjoy hearing from people.  If you want to stop by the hospital please be advised that he cannot have any plants or flowers in his room due to potential infection.

I will keep everyone posted on any updates.

Thanks,

Michelle

Home from the hospital

Hi Everyone,

My dad was discharged from the hospital this morning and is resting at home now.  His shortness of breath is improving and slowly he is losing the water he was retaining.  A nurse will stop by the house tomorrow and show he and my mom how to administer the shots of neuprogen.


Please feel free to give him a call or stop by for a visit.

Thanks,

Michelle

Update

Hi Everyone,

Here is the latest on my dad!

He was admitted to the hospital on Thursday morning and had a catheter surgically inserted.  The catheter reaches the top of his heart with a port in his neck.  Blood can easily be extracted from the port and his chemotherapy is given through the port as well.  Thursday night he had his first round of chemotherapy-which went well.  On Friday, he received his second and final round of chemotherapy which appeared to go well.  This morning he had shortness of breath and was retaining fluids, so the doctors put him on diuretics and oxygen which should correct the symptoms.  However, he will remain in the hospital for another 1-2 days for observation.

When he is released from the hospital he will be at home and giving himself shots of neupogen twice daily.  The neupogen will help fight off infection by stimulating the growth of white blood cells.  Additionally, a nurse will be coming to the house every 1-2 days to draw blood and monitor his blood cell count.  When his white blood count is optimal (usually around 10 days) he will go back into the hospital for 1-2 days for stem cell harvesting.

Overall, his chemotherapy went well-he had no nausea and little discomfort other than the shortness of breath and fluid retention.  He remains very optomistic about this process.  When he is discharged from the hospital I will send out and update.  Once he is home, please feel free to call him or stop by for a visit!

Thanks!

Michelle

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