Chemo Side Effects Continue.

January 21, 2009:
I wish I had better news to report, but unfortunately, Jill is not doing well today. She was up almost the entire night moaning and struggling to go to the bathroom. They can put a catheter into the bladder, but it might cause an infection.
Jill also vomited again and is very weak. Today she lost 8 lbs. She shakes when she has to stand up and again when she sits down, just with the effort it takes. She was too weak to eat - no breakfast or lunch and only took a couple of bites at dinner and then asked if she could sleep again. She was up all night so her body is trying to catch up. She finally fell asleep and Vinny is asleep too.
She has been using an inhaler to breathe, but it is not working so they have ordered a breathing machine to help her. She will also be receiving breathing treatments, which are also adding to the water retention. The doctor has reduced the amount of fluids now that the chemotherapy is finished and feels that this will help with the breathing.
It's horrible to watch someone struggle to breathe - Jill told me that it feels like there's a weight on her chest and she can't get any air in. After the breathing treatment, however, Jill said she felt a bit better.
The side effects will continue for a week or so. Today she lost 8 lbs. She has no fever now, but I think this is the weakest condition I have ever seen her in.
Thank you all for your continued thoughts and prayers. It means a lot to us to know that you're all pulling for Jill's recovery.
Love,
Doreen

Last Day of Chemo!

January 20, 2009: Jill was completely worn out today. She is retaining about 10 lbs. of fluid. The doctor has her on diuretics twice a day and the dosage was increased today. She has to make about four trips an hour to the bathroom, so as soon as she starts to rest she has to get up again. This schedule is taking a toll on her. She doesn't have the energy to eat because it takes energy just for her to chew. Taking a shower is also a chore. The good news is that today is her last day of chemo!
Her face is flushed from the steroids. No fever today, but her blood pressure is still very low. Last night she had a tremor in her leg and was told not to stand or even attempt to walk without assistance.
Her platelet count has gone from 259 to 176 Her hemoglobin was 10.3 and is now 9.5. Her white count is still in the normal range because she is on steroids. Once they are stopped that is when they will bottom out to 0.
With all this going on her spirits are good and she is fighting to get through this phase.
The nurses were telling us that patients come from all around the world to have Dr. Burt care for them. He is considered a king here. His associate, Dr. Alessandro Testori is the prince.
All test results go on the Northwestern Physicians web site so the doctors can access the information at any time. They can order tests and view the results immediately. There is also a computer in each patient’s room that the doctor uses instead of charts. All of the patient’s medical care and history is logged on to the computer. It is really amazing to see.
Love,
Doreen

Not a Good Day - Jill Needs Your Prayers

January 19, 2009: Today was not a very good day. Jill struggled so much with the terrible side effects of the chemotherapy. She was miserable and nauseous, with a temperature of almost 101 degrees.
At one point, the nurse and Vinny had to help her up off the bathroom floor because she is so weak from her very low blood pressure - it got as low as 50/40! She is also retaining fluids from the chemo and is on Solu-Medrol, another medication that makes her retain even more. She is not eating enough either.
It was very heartbreaking to see her cry from the pain and the suffering that she's going through with the chemo - her ears and throat hurt again and because of the fever, she went into a cold sweat. Dr. Burt tried giving her a pep talk about keeping a positive attitude and reassured her that she will be so much better after all this is over.
Although this was expected, until it happens, you forget how bad it can be. Prayers are needed at this time to help Jill get through this very rough period.
Love,
Doreen

Chemotherapy and Low White Blood Count

January 18, 2009: Last night, Jill didn't get much sleep at all. She had to make several trips to the bathroom because she is on a diuretic to flush out the chemotherapy. The IV machine kept beeping and the nurses kept coming in the room either to fix the machine or change the medication bags. They also monitor her temperature and blood pressure during the night.
She was exhausted this afternoon and slept three hours straight. She was completely worn out. This is normal as we are watching her counts start to fall. The chemotherapy will eventually bring her white blood count down to zero. The doctor explained that she will probably need about 2 liters of blood at that time. Almost all the transplant patients need transfusions. She may also need platelets. When the chemotherapy is administered she is also given a blood thinner. When she was admitted, her White Blood Count was 5.3. Last count was 4.4
After her nap, she felt much better.
Love
Doreen

Chemotherapy Begins

January 17, 2009: Jill is doing well.
She was hooked up to 5 different IV bags that went into her PICC line (peripherally inserted central catheter).
The lab technicians take blood twice a day to monitor her potassium, calcium and sodium and confirm they are still in the normal range.
She is hydrated continually and gets medicine to coat her bladder to prevent infection from the chemotherapy. Sometimes the irritation from the chemo causes the bladder to bleed and you will notice it in the urine.
She is also on Solu-Medrol (Prednisone) IV. They give her a daily water pill to make sure the chemo passes out of the bladder as soon as possible.
Jill is very tired and wanted to write the blog herself, but didn't feel up to it.
She sends everyone her love
Love
Doreen

Prentice Women's Hospital @ Northwestern - Admission @ 7:00 A.M.

(January 16, 2009) Jill had the PICC line placed at 7 am this morning. The procedure went smoothly. It was a lot easier than the line she had placed in the jugular vein for the collection of the stem cells early in December.
She was admitted to the Prentice Hospital at Northwestern where several large vials of blood were drawn. All of her blood work is given to her on a print out so she can monitor her counts from the day of admission through the 3 weeks of hospitalization.
She was given medication for the prevention of future lung infections that could occur during this time. It was administered through a machine like a nebulizer that made her cough. This took about one hour.
All her blood results so far are normal and the MRI of her heart showed no signs of Cardiomyopathy.
Jill will be hydrated through the IV and the chemotherapy will start tomorrow.
Love
Doreen

January 13, 2009

As scheduled I met with the cardiologist at 9 a.m. He did an EKG which was normal and heard my heart murmer. He felt addition tests should be done because of my family history. An appointment scheduled in the afternoon for an ECHO DURING STRESS/ REST WITH DOPPLER. The first half of the test was simple and went well. The second half was a disaster. While I was on the treadmill, the technition accidentally pushed the wrong button which made the speed of the treadmill increase. I have problems walking, let alone running. I started to stumble and tightened my grip. The other technition yelled get her off, and they syopped it. I fell into a gurney alongside the treadmill and tears streamed down my face. Once the pace rapidly inreased I knew I wouldnt last very long. I have trouble walking unasisted, never mind at a fast pace. It was decided that an MRI should be scheduled for tommorow. When I returned to the waiting area and by the expression on my face Vinny knew something was wrong. I explained the traumatic ordeal and he was furious. He couldn't understand why someone would expose me to that danger knowing my situation. I then had to calm him down because he was ready to go back there and wreak havok.
That temporarily put that bad experience behind me.

love,
Jill