Visit from the Thomas Family

Hi everyone,

Sorry the blog is moving slower but it was a harder week last week. I have been nausus and feeling tired. I went to see Dr. Azar and so far I have been better.

I've also been strugling with the idea that when chemo is over that it will take a year before my immune system is back to normal and 6 months before i can get my stem cells harvested. If i relapse my chances for recovery will greatly improve with my stem cells. i am lucky to have support that helps me through this uncertain and stressful time.

I have had several visits lately from friends and family that have been wonderful. Stephanie, a friend from childhood, has been over and it has been wonderful to catch up with her.

Luke Thomas, his wife Kim, thier adorable son Gabe and Adam's(older brother of Luke) 3 month old baby(I think his name is Easten but they have three other kids that start with E and my memory is not the best and I'm sure i've spelled his name wrong as well so...sorry Adam and Becca). Luke, Adam and I played together when i lived in greencastle. We have always felt like they were family. It was wonderful to see them.

I am so thankful to have such loveing support.

love andrea

Just a few Thanksgiving pics

Sorry these pics are few and late but i hope to post the rest on mom's flicker account.

love andrea

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

I was in Indianapolis for the feast. There is a sense of comfort sitting, talking, and of course eating with family. I really enjoyed the several acts that Sam, Emily, Julie , Ross, Uncle john and the wonderful narrator Aunt Lisa. It was informative and very funny. We missed those who couldn't make it.

This was a special holiday for me this year. i have so many people that have helped and sent their love and support this year. I am so thankful for this. This has and continues to be a very hard year for me. I reflected on how truly lucky I am. i have a ways to go but having every ones love and support will make me stronger.

We have pictures of course but they won't get up until tomorrow.

Love andrea

Andrea's home in Indy & feeling better :-)

Dear family & friends
Andrea got out of IU on Thursday night. She was still puny then, but by the next day the nausea and dizziness was much better.

The next day we enjoyed a short walk at eagle creek and enjoyed seeing and hearing the migrating sandhill cranes. They sounded so neat. Yeserday we enjoyed alittle walk and ride to our grove. It was a beautiful day. We enjoyed the scenery and watching Kathleens little dog Penny run and play. Then Penny actually jummped in the creek after Joe. Andrea is still very weak and she had to ride in the wheelchair back but it was still nice for all of us to see her enjoying more and being sick less. John, Lisa, Sam & Emily came by and we enjoyed a nice visit and some pizza. It was nice. So wonderful day Andrea had less pain and only one episode of nausea and dizziness.

Today a little rough to start but she quickly regrouped and we enjoyed watiching the birds,a little drauma with a visiting? Sharp Shinned or Cooper Hawk, and listening to old albums and Joe playing guitar. So off to good start for a day of rest and healing for Andrea and all of us.

Tomorrow Andrea has a couple appointments one of them being a follow up appointment with Dr. Azar. Then there is the up coming Thanksgiving at Aunt Mary's & Joe and we'er looking forward to making pies. :-)

So thank you all for your continued interest, love and support for Andrea and all of us. Hopefully Andrea will continue her recovery and remission. She is working so hard and it is a daily battle.

Love Sharon

Andrea is at home and big decision ahead

Andrea was discharged from the hospital yesterday. She is at home in Indianapolis and recovering. She is still having pain in her back and vertigo. The pain is being controlled by pain medicine and hopefully over time the pain will subside. The doctors are trying some differents things for the vertigo to try and get that under better control. They are trying a scapalamine patch to see if that helps Andrea's vertigo. She did try that patch early on in her treatment and it was not effective. However, it is worth a shot now and so many things have changes since then that maybe now it may be more effective.

Additionally, the big decision that is weighing on Andrea's mind is whether she should receive more chemo or stop the treatment. Originally, the protocol that Andrea put on by Dr. Kent at Rush in Chicago was a treatment that had a near 90% cure rate and had a total of 9 chemo treatments. That protocol was and has been very intense and was only meant for patients up to the age of 21. There was not much data on its effectiveness on persons near Andrea's age, but Dr. Kent and all of us were hopeful that it would achieve the same 90% cure rate in Andrea.

However, due to its intensity and other factors, the treatment has been extremely hard on Andrea and even near fatal at times. Everytime Andrea has gotten chemo, she has had to be subsequently rushed to the hospital with an infection. Thus, the doctors at IU Medical have recommended that maybe stopping the treatment is the way to go to prevent any more near fatal incidents. Alternatively, even if additional chemo is not fatal, it may lessen Andrea's future quality of life greatly. For example, additional chemo may cause such an infection that she has be on a ventilator or make it so she simply cannot participate in the things she has always enjoyed - like gardening/being creative and other things.

Andrea still is going to have a conversation with Dr. Kent though to get his input and opinion on this issue. The downside of not receiving any more chemo is that it does not give Andrea the satisfaction of completing the protocol that she is on. She has completed 6 out of the 9 treatments. Also, it gives her less hope that her cure rate is in the 90% range. The doctors at IU have indicated that an adult who receives 6 rounds of chemo has a 50% cure rate. However, the three rounds of chemo that are left are called Maintenance Rounds and even Dr. Kent has stated that he doesn't know how necessary these rounds are to achieve the 90% cure rate. Thus, even if she stops, she still may be at a much higher cure rate than 50%. Also, Andrea in her 6 rounds of chemo has still received much more chemo at a much higher intensity than a normal adult who would receive 6 rounds of chemo.

There are other considerations to think of as well. One such consideration is Andrea's stem cells. If she were ever to relapse and needed a bone marrow transplant, she would need healthy stem cells for a transplant. However, right now, she does not have healthy enough stem cells to get a transplant. Thus, stopping chemo now would allow her stem cells to recover in order for her to receive a transplant. If she were to get more chemo and she relapses, she may not have had enough time to have her stem cells recover and would not be able to get a transplant.

Another consiration is that Andrea's bone marrow and immune system is extremely weak. The doctors have told us actually that there is more risk of relapse if her bone marrow stays suppressed for a long period time and if her immune system is weak. If she stops chemo now, it may allow her to recover and get healthy and strong to be better able to fight a possible relapse.

So, she has a great deal on her mind and great number of things to consider. Whatever she decides however, we are all behind her 100% and will always support her no matter what. She is very strong and she has and will beat this cancer no matter what she decides.

Still in remission

We found out yesterday that the PET scan showed that Andrea is still in remission. This is great news and more forthcoming...

ANDREA IS IN REMISSION YAH ;-)

Dear Family and Friends
Yesterday was a big day, though the radiologist and the infectious disease team still think the lesions on Andreas spleen are lymphoma the oncologist agreed with Dr. Kent that he thinks it is a the fungal infection. He told Andrea that the only more sure he could be is if they had a biopsy of her bone when the pet scan was so positive last time, then they might have additional information of what was in the bones. But he also thought it was reasonable to assume and treat Andrea as she was for a fungal infection. Also he thinks 99.5% that she is remission. Which sounds wonderful but somehow it is not the total relief we had hoped for in the beginning. The doctor spoke to us for a couple hours again and Andrea asked him about his thoughts about future chemo. Before the last chemo Dr. Kent had suggested that Andrea think about if she had had enough since she had so many complications or to think about if she was up for more. Boy what a hard decision Andrea said she didn't want to be a quiter and she was up for the fight if that is what was needed. So after more problems even with the low chemo Dr. Azar had a very thoughtful convervation with her about treatment approaches, studies and that Andrea has had so many terrible toxic side affects from chemo he thought it was time for her to think about what she felt wanted to do. He readily noted that if she had come here she would have been given a 50% survival rate and that what doctor Kent apparently felt that she might benefit from the extremly high doses of chemo so that might increase her survival rate but she had alot of toxic affects so she need to way the potential risks and benefits with more treatment or stopping. His information seem to be that he felt the cancer was gone and giving more chemo may have no proven increase in her survival rate and she may have even more toxic complications. He thought that if the cancer was still there it was probably resistent to the current treatment and more chemo at this time may not still get rid of it and really important for her to heal so that if it came back she could have stem cells for a possible transplant. He advised her to discuss that with Dr. Kent who might feel differently and could advise her what he thought she might benefit from because there are different treatment approaches so she should think about it, read about it and talk to Dr. Kent and she said she would. So it ended with him suggesting some web sites for her to get information and then search her own self on what could she live with or regret less. He said he thought she was cured from cancer now and she has to think if it returns will you regreat more that " I should have had more chemo and maybe it wouldn't have returned or if she does more chemo will she be too weak to fight if it returns. (he is talking about stem cell transplant and currently she could not have one and for ?6months or longer before her bone morrow recovered) Or she had more chemo she could have an even worse toxic effect from chemo not unlike her last icu episode where she could have died or have other more lasting side effects because its toxic effects are usually cumilative. His opinion was she has had alot of chemo and suffered alot of side effects and he would not give her more chemo because he didn't think it would help and could potentially cause her more terrible side effects and now she could focus on getting stronger again. So it ended with Andrea being thoughtful but she said it was a very informative and that was a comfort. She also got two units of blood and more potassium IV( her bone morrow is still trying to recover) She alot met with a nutritionist who recommend some vitamin supplements that might also help with her taste, nausea and protein.
Today she had two neuro exams. They said her MRI of her head looked good and the thought her dizziness and nausea vomiting could have been from the chemo or an antiobiotic but that she could have an injury to part of the cerebellum or ear and they made some recomendations. The pharmasist also has been assisting with suggested medications and possible interactions. She also met with the infectious disease doctors, Dr. Azar, his team and social worker hoping to make Andrea feel better for when she went home. Unfortunately Andrea was really sick all day so hopefully she will have everything ajusted and have a better night. Its another girls night so I think lucky charms are in order for supper :-)
So to all of you who has sent Andrea and all of us your thoughts and prayers thank you we think it is helping and I am hoping a Andrea is in remission party will come soon, as soon as she starts feeling alittle better.

Take care
Love Sharon

Today is big day please send your thoughts & prayers

Dear family and friends
We are sorry we did not post for several days. I had hoped Andrea could help write this one and we could post some pictures. However Andreas time at home has had a few wonderful moments filled with wonderful distractions and love by family and friends, mixed feeling really terrible. We started off Andrea's time at home by joining Joe and Rod for the famous friday chinese buffet, regularly attended by the Wishard biomed group. We missed Dan & several of the other regular members but it was still nice. We also enjoyed visiting Stephanie, a close childhood friend of Andreas, at her new home. She has really a nice place in broadripple. We enjoyed those wonderful twins and the winning :-) Uncle John for a visit and dinner at MCL, we enjoyed a visit from Uncle Tom, Uncle Ralph and dinner at home with friends Kathy and Kate. It was a nice dinner, but unfortunately Andrea had gotten progressively weaker and dizzy and then ran a high fever. It was upsetting to her to have to go to the hospital, especially since this was the 50% chemo dose and we all hoped she would not be in the hospital for any of the time. We had scheduled an appointment for an oncologist to see her at IU so that if she had any problems while visiting it wouldn't be so scary for Andrea if she got sick. The oncologist had the reputation of being not only an excellent doctor but also wonderful to his patients. He spent alot of time with Andrea, us and reviewing her history. Andrea, Joe, Kathleen and I thought he was really good and kind so it felt comforting. Unfortunately Andrea got a fever and we had to go to the ER. However Dr. Azar had a 4 page history and physical and even his recomendations for antiobiotics so it made the ER visit and Andrea's admission much easier. We had just got Andrea in bed and fast a sleep when the power went off because of some accident. But despite emergency power and flashlights for the bathroom everyone has been incrediable. The doctors have sent alot of time explaining, and talking to Andrea and us as they are working up some of Andreas symptoms and her abnormal previous tests to see how those problems might be impacting her current symptoms. Unfortunately they had to remove her PICC line because of its age and its possibly being a source of infection and because of her fevers and terrible headaches she had to have a spinal. That was a terrible day since Andrea has had ?12 spinal chemo's and they had become so painful Andrea was really worried. But one of the doctors actually made arrangements with two different radiologists and got medications from the floor so he could give her medications for comfort during the procedure. It was really something Andrea and I really appreciated. When they were unable to replace the picc line, since her major vessels in her arms clotted probably from previous procedures the talked her and came out and talked to us about why they needed to put in a hickman catheter. Andrea came through like a champ two more painful experiences behind her. So I can't say enough about how terrible it is Andrea has to go through all this but it has been wonderful having her home and such a comfort that the doctors, the nurses are seem so good and so kind and Andreas room is so quiet and beautiful. It has made one more frighting experience alittle easier. We did also enjoy a visit while here from Aunt Joanne & Uncle Brian who brought us cupcakes and Uncle John and Aunt Lisa who brought us candy :-). Last night was girls night for Kathleen & Andrea who worked on a puzzle and watched a movie. Today Joe played music and Andrea had her Pet scan and was examined by the opthomologist to check to see if the fungus or the medication has affected her eyes. He thought looked good but needs rechecked in a few weeks. During this admission Andrea has had CT scans of her abd, chest, pelvis, and an MRI of her head and several episodes with hours of painful, headaches, dizziness,nausea,vomiting and back pain and through it all she smiles at me and says tomorrow will be a good day and I pray it is.

Andreas last CT's were abnormal. Her MRI showed leasions in her brain. The PET scan was frightening to read. She had multiple active lesions in her soft tissues,lymph nodes in her chest & abd multiple bones,liver and spleen and it said they were unable to differentiate between inflammatory and malignant lesions. We were told it looked like a fungal infection. However since Andreas counts were down so long from previous treatments and the fungal infection it actually put her at risk for cancer. I couldn't believe it, how could such a terrible thing happen, But we were and are hopeful. Here the infectious disease team think the lesions on her bones and in liver and spleen look like cancer. The hematology team talked to dr. Kent and he too was a little worried but they are hopeful that it is the infection. So Andrea was told that if she has lesions on the bones with the new pet scan that they would recomend a bone marrow biopsy to see what it is. So tomorrow we dare to hope for Andrea a break in this terrible cancer journey. She's tired and she's tired of being sick and everything envolved with the painful treatment but in some her most difficult times closes her eyes and she chants I am strong, we are strong and I cry.

So today is another big day for Andrea and she can use all the extra love, thoughts and prayers you all can send her. Today all the tests from here will be reviewed and some compared with some of tests at Rush. Then they will give us their interpretations and recomendations. So thank you all for all the love and support you send to Andrea and all of us. Today and tuff days ahead(and may they be fewer) we will continue to get strength from all of you and all the wonderful ways you show Andrea and us your love and support.

Thank you, Take care Love Sharon,

Big day today

Andrea is still in the hospital in Indy. The blood cultures and CT-scans and MRIs have all come back negative so far for infection. She is doing okay but still is fighting nausea and back pain. Yesterday she got very nauseated early in the morning and then again in the evening. I still do believe though that she is getting stronger. Her white counts are in a safe range and hopefully she will be able to leave the hospital soon.

Today is especially a big day for her. She has another PET scan today. This scan is the best scan available to tell if she is still in remission. The last few PET scans have shown she is in remission and all signs point to this scan showing she is in remission also. Andrea, however, and all of us are still a little nervous. So, send a few extra prayers and positive thoughts her way today for positive results on this PET scan.

Doing better today

Andrea seems to be doing better today. Her main symptoms right now are pain in her back which she has had for a while and dizziness/vertigo which she also has had for a while. The meds though are seeming to control the pain and vertigo ok. She still is very dizzy at times, but there seems to be no answer for the dizziness except valium.

She is no longer having any fevers. The doctors don't really know why she did have fevers. They have a few theories though. It could have been due to an infection generally, it could be an infection that she had in her PICC line, or it could be just her immune system recovering. They don't know if it is an infection because no cultures have come back positive for cultures. The CT scans also didn't show any new infections. So, maybe it is just her immune system recovering. Although the part that may seem like an infection is that the fevers stopped after the PICC line was removed and after she was put on antibiotics.

Either way, she seems to be recovering and feeling better today. She has mostly been relaxing and taking lots of naps. A walk and maybe a cheesy movie is also in her future.

In the hospital

I apologize about not many updates on the blog past 10 days or so. Just started a new job and been very busy unfortunately.

Andrea had to be rushed to the emergency room last Tuesday night in Indianapolis. She is currenly at IU Medical getting care for a possible infection. She was in Indy visiting her parents and family and, then, on last Tuesday night she had a fever of 102. We thought she may have been past her danger point because her counts were up. However, if anything we have learned from her condition is to expect the unexpected.

She was taken to IU Medical and has been receiving antibiotics and antifungal medications. The doctors there are not sure yet what is going on. They believe it may be an infection. Her blood cultures so far have come back negative for infections, but sometimes it takes many days/week for bacteria or fungus to grow. She also had to have her PICC line replaced with another type of line. The PICC had moved and the doctors thought it may be a source of infection as well. Along with the PICC being removed, she also had a spinal tap to make sure there is no infection in her central nervous system or brain. Andrea has been having severe headaches so doing the spinal tap seemed prudent.

She had those two procedures done last night under sedation. She came out just fine. Hopefully she will be feeling better today. I will once again try and keep everyone updated and I am hoping this is a small bump in the road to recovery.

Happy Halloween

Above is video of Andrea and Jaden. Below are some pictures of Andrea's Halloween.


Andrea has a pretty good Halloween weekend. Yesterday in the morning she had some trouble with pain but it was quickly controlled by pain medication. Then, I made her breakfast and we watched a movie (it was not a romantic comedy - it was just a plain 'ole comedy). After that, Andrea and I went trick or treating with Jaden, Max, and Brody. They are our friends' and neighbors', Bela/Andy & Sarah/John, children. Jaden was a mermaid, Max was a polar bear, and Brody was a cat.

After going treat or treating with them, my brother Vipul, his wife Morgan, and my nephew Layton (dressed as a lion) came over with my parents and we again went trick or treating. We didn't get very far as Layton is only about 7 months old. We did try and get candy for him though. He was dressed up a lion. Also, after Andrea trick or treated with all the kids, she and her mom handed out candy to the neighborhood kids. After the Halloween festivities, we all had dinner together. Andrea really had a good Halloween.

Additionally, Andrea today got the best treat of all. The home health nurse came this morning to draw her blood for the regular blood test. We got the results back today and her white blood count is up to 6.1! That means that she is not at risk for infection anymore. This will be the first time after chemo since she started treatment that she has not gotten an infection between rounds of chemo. Looks like our doctor's plan for her chemo regimen worked and she will hopefully have another few weeks of healing at home before her next round of chemo.

Low white blood count

Andrea's white blood count is essentially zero and she is feeling the low count. She is very tired, has more pain, and a little more nausea. She is still fighting and hanging in there. So far no sign of a fever which is great. Fevers are what tell us that she has an infection and to go to the hospital. I think if she can make it past this weekend, then maybe she will be able to stay home for good until her next round of chemo.

This weekend, however, will most likely be the most dangerous time for her. I think some extra good thoughts and prayers from everyone are much needed.

Some good days

Andrea has been having some pretty decent days as of late. Yesterday she just hung out, took a walk, and just had a great day with her mom and sister. Then, in the evening, Andrea and I had a nice Italian dinner.

Today was even a better day. She went to the Chicago Botanical Gardens with her mom and sister. She was taking classes for Landscape Design at the Gardens, but unfortunately she had to temporarily stop her curriculum due to her diagnosis. She loves the Gardens and she had not been there since she was diagnosed. She took a nice walk there. She did, however, get a little sick today. She felt a little dizzy coming back from the Gardens and in the evening today had a little nausea. She still seems to feeling good afterwards and hopefully it was just a moment.

Her home health nurse is coming tomorrow morning to draw her blood. Her white blood counts should be very low tomorrow and into the weekend. She is already feels a bit more tired in the evenings and she can actually feel that her counts are low. I am hoping even though they are low, they bounce back quickly and she does not get an infection. The doctor had stated with the lower dose of chemo that she received in the past round that her count may not go completely down and if it does, it should come back up faster. I am hoping that will be the case and she will be able to stay out of the hospital.

Less pain today

Andrea had less pain today. Seems as though her pain is getting better and she is getting stronger. She took many walks and had a smile on her face when I came home from work. All signs are pointing to a good week and lets hope she stays out of the hospital until her next round of chemo.

Painful day yesterday, better day today

Andrea was in a great deal of pain yesterday. The pain is mostly in her lower pain and legs. She had pain before she went in to her last round of chemo and the spinal tap may have made it worse. It took much more pain meds to get her pain under control yesterday.

Today she was a little better. She was still in pain but we now know that she needs more pain meds. So, she was much more comfortable with the extra pain meds. She even took a long walk to a park near our home and did some spring cleanup in her backyard. The doctors have stated that her pain should go down and I am hoping that it does. The pain is really the only thing bothering her right now. She has no nausea, is eating great, and has good energy. If her pain can just subside, she would feel so much better. Hopefully, soon, the pain will go away.

At home

Andrea was discharged this morning. I think this was the first time she went home almost in the same condition as she was in when she was admitted. She had no nausea at home today and has really not many problems with it through this past round of chemo. She still does have bone/joint pain which continues to cause her problems. Hopefully, that will get better over time. Below are a few pictures of us leaving the hospital with all the wonderful nurses that have taken great care of Andrea. Also, my brother Vipul stopped by today at the hospital to visit Andrea and he is also in the picture.


She also got a great gift when she went home which was a visit from her Aunt Karen and Uncle Tom from Indianpolis. They mostly just relaxed with Andrea and took a walk with her. It really made Andrea very happy to see them. Andrea has missed her family very much because she has been able to really visit anyone through all this and the visits have really uplifted her spirits.

In all, a good short stay at the hospital and good day overall with some bone/joint pain. I am optimistic that Andrea will continue to have good days at home and she will continue to get stronger.

Going home today

Andrea is going home today. She did have bone/joint pain today but right now she is feeling fine and has no nausea. I will post more from home....

Update: Andrea is not going home today. Andrea's methotrexate levels were not low enough to go home. She will most likely be going home tomorrow.

Last night of chemo

Tonight is the last night for this round of chemo. Yesterday, Andrea had a spinal tap. The procedure went well and the doctor indicated that there is no sign of cancer in Andrea's central nervous system (there has actually never been signs of cancer in her CNS). She did have some pain due to the spinal tap, but some time and pain medication made her feel much better. She was doing very well yesterday evening and had pizza/cheese sticks for dinner.

Today, she had another decent day. She felt pain again in her joints/bones, but she took some pain meds for that. She also felt nauseated once but did not vomit. She was able to overcome that fairly quickly. She did get to go outside for a nice walk with her mom and take a bath at the hospital. I was at home most of today trying to install new doors and windows (with some professional help of course). A side effect effect of the medications that Andrea is taking is that she is cold all the time. Also, winter is around the corner and our windows are over 50 years old and very drafty. Thus, I thought it would be good idea to get them replaced so that Andrea is more comfortable. They were installed today and hopefully Andrea likes them. She will see them when she gets home.

Speaking of home, as I stated above, tonight is her last night of chemo. She cannot go home after that until one of the drugs she receives, methotrexate, is out of her system. So, they check her urine to make sure it is at a sufficiently low level. As long as that level is low, then Andrea should be released tomorrow. And, after that, her next round of chemo is not for another 3 weeks. Hopefully, this time she can stay at home and will not have to go in to the hospital for any sort of infection.

Day 1 of Chemo

Andrea was admitted to the hospital yesterday morning. It was a pretty uneventful day which is always good for Andrea. She did not start her chemo until last night around 9:30. She was administered two different chemo drugs Vincristine and Methotrexate last night. Everything so far seems to be fine and she seems to be handling those drugs just fine. She usually gets nauseated from those drugs, but so far no nausea.

Today, she has a spinal tap. That is where they introduce chemo into her central nervous system. They d0 so by sticking a needle into her spinal cord and injecting the chemo. These are very painful and Andrea will be sedated for this procedure. That should be done this morning and I am hoping that everything goes will with the spinal. I will update everyone and let you guys know how it went....

Chemo starts tomorrow

Tomorrow is a big day for Andrea. She will start her next round of chemo. Andrea last time did fine with the chemo drugs. Hopefully, this time will go well also. The more significant concern will be Andrea getting an infection. I am cautiously optimistic that she will not get one this time around.

She is mentally ready though for the chemo round. She is also physically stronger than she has been since she started this many months ago. She had another good day today and got even stronger. She spent most of the day outside with her dad and sister. They went to a park and Andrea went on a hike. Andrea alo had a visit from some family, my uncle, Mahendra Bansal, my aunt and their kids Uma and Shanti Bansal.

I hope all goes well for Andrea next week and I hope she can come out of the hospital in the same physical and mental shape she is in now.

Diwali

Andrea had another really good day today. She woke up with little pain this morning. She did not use the pillows I bought, but rather the ones she has been using for the last 6 years and the ones she finds very comfortable. I will never again buy new pillows.

Today, we celebrated Diwali, the Indian festival of lights. My parents came from Indy and arrived in the morning along with Vipul, Morgan, and Layton. Andy, Bela, Jaden and Max, our next door neighbors and good friends also came over. Andy and Bela have been really great to Andrea and I during our hard time. They have brought over many flowers for Andrea and made us many delicious meals. Also, they have two awesome kids that we can have fun with when we are feeling down. We mostly just hung out and watched the Jaden/Max/Layton play with each other and run around. Jaden and Max were eager to play with Kathleen's new puppy. On the right, is a picture of the puppy with Andrea and Kathleen.... I know, I know, Kathleen really needs to do something with her hair.



Next, we opened presents. We got my parents some clothes and the snuggie. Layton received a toy car which he can jump around in and other toys/clothes. He also got an Indian outfit from my Aunt Kusum in India for Diwali. For the first time in months, Andrea felts strong enough to hold Layton. She had missed holding him very much and it was great to see her play with him and hold him today.

Then, my mom made all of us say our prayers and we had a nice meal. We also lit off some fireworks with Jaden and Layton in the backyard. Everyone left in the evening and Andrea and I wound down with yet another romantic comedy, The Ugly Truth. It was a hectic day for Andrea, but one that she really enjoyed. She got to play with kids, visit with family, and watch another movie with me. Tomorrow, her dad will be here and Andrea is really looking forward to that. So, the good times will continue and hopefully Kathleen will do something with her hair (like shampoo, rinse, condition, and then again shampoo, rinse, condition).

Museum & Mexican Food

Andrea had a busy day today. She woke up today with a good deal of pain. I bought new pillows for her to help her sleep better. They backfired, however, and caused her stiffness in her neck. She was fairly uncomfortable this morning. She is sleeping on different pillows tonight. She did get her pain under control though with pain medicine.

After her battle with the pillows, she ended up having a really good day. She took a walk with Kathleen and Kathleen's new dog, Penny. We then went to the Museum of Science and Industry. We saw the U-505 Submarine exhibit and went to chick egg-hatchery. The picture below is a picture of Andrea at the chick egg-hatchery (I know, not a great picture).

Then, in the evening, I made Andrea some Mexican food. All the chemo and other drugs have really messed up Andrea's taste buds and Andrea has really not been able to enjoy food as she used to. This past few weeks, however, seems like some of her taste buds were coming back and she was actually having cravings for certain foods. Tonight, she really wanted her tortilla soup. So, Andrea taught me the recipe and I made her some soup, Mexican rice, and some beans (picture below). She really loved it and it made me feel really great. It was extremely rewarding to see her really enjoying food like she used to and Mexican food is her favorite. Then, we watched another movie and it was not a romantic comedy.

In all, a good day, and looking forward to celebrating Diwali tomorrow with my family, Andrea, and the Taylors.

Good days

Andrea has been some good days at home. She still have been having a great deal of bone/joint pain, but she has not let that slow her down. She has been taking as many walks as possible and getting out more and more. Today she went to a pet store and Jo-Ann fabrics, things that she would not have been comfortable doing weeks ago. Yesterday she went to Subway and ordered her own sandwich. So, it is good to see her progressing.

We also have been having more company over and hanging out with friends/family like we used to. Last night, some of our dear friends, John and Amanda Khoury, stopped by with pizza and mochi (Japanese ice cream) (pictured on the left). Andrea has not had mochi in a long time and it was great to see her goble it up. We will continue with the fun this weekend. It is diwali on Saturday (Indian festival of lights) and my parents will be coming by to celebrate with Andrea and the Taylors. Hopefully, it will be a fun time for Andrea.

Visit to the doctor

As you know, Andrea had a appointment today with her hematologist-oncologist to discuss her future chemo treatment. In all, it went well for Andrea and answered many of her questions. Andrea has four rounds of chemo left and they are called "maintenance" rounds. They are supposed to be the easiest rounds. They are the easiest because they have a lower dose of certain chemo drugs than what Andrea received in previous rounds. Her first maintenance round will start next Monday. It will be require about 3-4 days in the hospital as compared to her previous rounds which required 5-6 days in the hospital.

Also, as you know, the chemo treatments that Andrea had caused her to have really bad infections as compared to other cancer patients. Therefore, our doctor wants to proceed through these maintenance rounds very cautiously. He actually had a thought that Andrea may not need them at all. He thinks she may already be fully cured and these maintenance rounds are simply precautionary. Andrea, however, wants to beat the cancer once and for all and she wants to go through as much chemo as possible to make sure it does not return. Additionally, she still may have a fungal infection and giving chemo will drop her counts causing the infection to return. Thus, the doctor and Andrea have to carefully balance giving her more chemo and curing the cancer long term versus putting Andrea's well being in jeopardy short term by giving her more chemo.

Therefore, to address both her long term and short term well being, our doctor will be cutting the dose that she would have normally received in her first maintenance round by 1/2 to see how Andrea's body responds to the treatment. If she is ok through the first round, then in the second maintenance round he will reduce her dose by 1/4. Then, if is still doing okay, he will give her the full dose of chemo during her last two maintenance rounds. As I said earlier, these maintenance rounds already are a smaller dose, but the doctor still wants to be on the safe side. This way he can ease Andrea through these rounds and still not take away very much chemo. Also, the doctor thinks that these rounds aren't as important anyway as the ones she has already received, so reducing these rounds by a small amount will hopefully not affect Andrea at all in the long run. Additonally, she will be prophylacticly be on anti-fungal and anti-bacterial medication throughout her chemo rounds in order to take care of the fungal infection she has and maybe prevent further fungal/bacterial infections.

So, looks like there is a solid plan in place for Andrea's future treatments. Andrea felt good about this plan and I think it makes good sense for her. I am hoping these next few rounds will truly be less painful to her and I am optimistic that she will make it through.

Doctor's Appointment Today

Andrea has a nice day yesterday. Andrea, her sister, her dad, and I went to the Field Museum of Natural History yesterday. Then, we came home and just relaxed. Unfortunately, as Andrea was going to bed, she did have some joint/bone pain. We were able to help her fall asleep and get that under control fairly quickly though.

Today is a big day for Andrea. We have a appointment with her doctor to find out when she will be starting her next round of chemotherapy. Most likely it will start next Monday, but the doctor/Andrea may decide to start it earlier. Also, the doctor may order more scans to determine if Andrea still has the fungal infection and, if so, to determine how much it has improved. Also, the doctor has discussed maybe shortening her chemo protocol. She has four left and he may suggest only to go through two more. Andrea's infections have progressively gotten worse and the worry is that additional treatments may not be as good for her.

So, Andrea has a number of questions and she is very nervous about starting her next round of chemo. Hopefully, today's meeting will put her mind to ease.

Yoga

Andrea had another good day today. She did not have any fevers and nausea. She ate well and felt good most of the day. She took a nice long walk and even did one hour of yoga at home. Looks like she is finally turning the corner. She is getting stronger by the day and seems like her fungal infection is subsiding.

A few decent days for Andrea

Well, we were thinking of going into the doctor's office on Friday, but we ended up not going in. I called the doctor and he thought Andrea was fine at home. And I am glad he did. She ended up not having any more fevers and has been relatively fine at home. She still has her occasional fight with nausea/bone pain, but overall she is doing much better than a few days ago when she was fighting vomiting and regular fevers. She has actually not had a fever for two days almost. Andrea really needed to stay home and her wish came true.

Additionally, yesterday, Andrea had a visit from friends of ours from Austin, Texas, Adam and Eva Nyer, as well as friends of ours that are in Chicago, Mike and Crizen Hasegawa (picture above). We had a sushi dinner and sake at house. I think Andrea even tried to take some sake with her nightly medication (joking). It was really nice. It was great because it was just like a dinner that we used to have with these same friends before everything started. It really took our mind off things and Andrea had some much needed fun. She also ate a boat load of sushi which she has not done in many months. We are hoping to have more nights out with friends and family members that we have not spent much time with next week.

I think this entire week has been great for Andrea and she has had more fun this week than she has had in a long time. The zoo, the lake, friends, family, letters/cards, flowers, blog posts, and pumpkins from all of you have really helped her in her healing process. Thank you everyone for everything.

Rough Day Yesterday

Andrea had a rough day yesterday. She had fevers up to 103 yesterday. She was also nauseated some of the day. We are not sure why she is still having fevers. It may be the infection still, drug related, or something else. The doctors are covering her for just about everything - fungal and bacterial. We may go into our doctor's office today to have her checked and make sure everything is okay.

Good day today

Yesterday, as you saw from the pictures on the blog, that Andrea had a good day. At night, though, Andrea got very nauseated and so the day did not end so well. Today was different and better for her.

Today, she did wake up with some joint/bone pain again. She got over that, however, after some pain meds and time. Then, her, Kathleen, her mom, and Lisa Dorsey, her mom's friend, went to the lake. They walked along Lake Michigan and had a picnic. Andrea really enjoyed that and she really enjoyed Lisa's company the past few days. In the afternoon/evening, I ordered dinner from the Cheesecake Factory for Andrea and I. We had a nice dinner and Andrea even ate a big portion of her sandwich. She is starting to regain her appetite a little. Then we watched yet another romantic comedy, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, and Andrea went to sleep. She did not have any nausea and the night ended really well for her (I however was very nauseated during the movie).

Andrea has another big day tomorrow. She will be doing some yoga and meditation. Hopefully, that will help her with her pain and help her gain more strength.

A day at the zoo

Above is a picture of Andrea, her sister, her mom, and her mom's friend, Lisa Dorsey, at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. Even though it was drizzling and a little chilly today, Andrea went and walked around at the zoo. She looked at some polar bears, animals from Africa, and birds (lots of birds and just when I thought no more birds, there were more birds). Then, we all had dinner out at a restaurant in Lincoln Park.

Even though it is still hard for Andrea to all these things, it was very nice to see her get outside and get some fresh air. She did feel weak and had some bone pain today, but she still seemed to enjoy doing all these activities. Also, Andrea has really enjoyed having Lisa Dorsey visiting. It brought a huge smile to her face.

So far, a good start to her week home and hopefully she will continue to get out more and have fun in these next few weeks at home.

At home

Andrea came home today. She was discharged this evening. She will most likely have the next two weeks to heal and get stronger. She had a terrible fungal infection and that infection has to mostly resolve before she can get more chemotheraphy. I think the rest and relaxation will be good for her spirit. She will again be scanned in a few weeks to determine if she still has any fungus left in her body. If the scans are negative, then the doctor will proceed with chemo.

She again did not have any fevers or nausea today. She still did have bone pain, but hopefully that will resolve with time. Things are looking positive for Andrea and she is at home just in time for some fall gardening.

hard week behind us lets plan a fun restorive week for Andrea

Dear family and friends it feels like another tough week is behind us and hopefully this week will be an easier and better week for Andrea and all of us who love her. Last week was another terrible week for Andrea. It was so hard for her to be so weak and unsteady she only is up for short periods. She continued to have the fevers but her terrible pain in arm was gone which was a relief. When we took her to see Dr. Kent last Tuesday and they gave her fluids, antibiotic and changed her IV antifungual we had hoped she would start to feel better so I decided to leave for a day. My mother’s funeral was that Tuesday but since she was buried with my father in the military cemetery it was scheduled for the next day. Thanks to the generous gift from Andreas Uncle Ralph he arranged and rearranged several times a flight for Joe and me so I could go to my Mom burial. Thanks to a special person at the funeral home and the military cemetery staff provided a not previously arranged a very nice environment and moments for me to say goodbye to my Mom. It was a beautiful day. It was really hard but I was thankful for those moments to say goodbye and put the beautiful flowers that the Taylor’s and others had sent. My Mom loved flowers. I was also very thankful for all of you that sent words and cards of comfort. Monarch the company I work at sent me a kind note & a beautiful smelling arrangement of flowers that I can still stop and smell and enjoy a moment of its beauty during one more tuff time. So I thank you all for all your kindness. As you all know from Anshuls updates Andrea got even worse the next day which was frightening for all of us. The thought that now her kidneys were having even more difficulty was awful. Poor Andrea, when the kidneys are not working as well it causes so many terrible problems that were another reason why she felt so terrible. For me I was thankful for Anshul and Kathleen for taking such good care of Andrea during another scary event. I was also thankful for all the wonderful medical support. I knew what kidney problems and daily IV replacement of potassium, magnesium and then more blood could mean. The doctors told us it was possibly caused by the medication and the infection, but again for whatever the cause Andreas strength with all the support from so many seems to pulling through another terrible time. It was so good to see her laugh with Julie and Ross it did all our hearts good. Yesterday she was still so cold, was having a lot of bone pain, a little short of breath and she had gained 12 lbs of fluid so they gave her some IV medication to get rid of some of that extra fluid so I hope today will be a better day for her. Though not really feeling like it she bundled up got a little fresh air went on a couple little walks and beat her Dad and I at? yatzi. It was a game we had never played but had been sent by her cousin Sarah and it was a nice distraction from a lot of hard work for Andrea.

So yesterday I left feeling sad that this is so hard for poor wonderful Andrea. It is so tuff to think how everything we take for granted from getting out of bed, eating, etc is just hard work for her. She is so tuff but this disease, it treatments, the complications and infections and all it taken from this beautiful, loving person has been hard on her and all those that love her. I feel she is getting worn out and misses so much but this is still thinking of us and how hard it is for us.

So I think it is time to regroup all of our energy for the final get rid of cancer for ever treatments and bring some restorative fun and energy to Andrea.
So I was thinking Andrea needs a boost of laughter of comfort things for what
I hope will be a restorative week for her. So if you could send her something that you thought was really funny movies, candid camera etc, jokes we’re almost out of the twins jokes of the day, CD’s etc, something warm hats, gloves, scarves (plain J) etc. flowers, funny cards, pictures anything you think of that would bring some restorative fun
So as I get ready to go for my one day a week to work I wanted to start this day by sending my love and telling everyone thank you all so much for all that you have done and do for Andrea for all of us.
Love Sharon

Another positive day today

Andrea had another positive day today. She had no fevers and no nausea again today. She took three long walks and is getting stronger everyday. Her electrolyte levels were also normal. We will most likely be going home tomorrow.

Feeling better today

Andrea had a reasonably good day today. Today was the first day since she was admitted to the hospital that she did not have any nausea. She took a few walks today and had three small meals, also for the first time since she was admitted.

Also, her fevers are still nowhere to be found and her electrolyte levels were much better today. I think she will continue to get stronger and improve tomorrow. Hopefully, she will out of the hospital by early next week. Last, her cousins, Ross and Julie Fischer, stopped by today. They drove up from Indianapolis to see her and brought some great gifts for Andrea. Andrea really had a great time talking with them and catching up with them. It really took her mind off things and made her smile.

Thanks Ross and Julie for the visit and, hopefully, when Andrea is at home next week, she can have many more similar visits from family and friends.

Feeling nauseated

Andrea has had a tough past few days. She has been extremely nauseated and has been having joint pain. We have tried giving her everything we know we can give for nausea and it still has not helped her very much. Today, the doctors are going to try and give her a steroid called decadron to help with her nausea. Hopefully, that will make her feel better.

Also, her potassium, magnesium, and calcium levels have been fairly low these past few days. That is most likely due to the ampho anti-fungal medication that she was getting. As I mentioned before, they have stopped the ampho, but her electrolyte levels still have not come back to normal yet. She is receiving supplements to help. We are also hoping that getting these levels back to normal will make her feel better.

For now, seems as though she will be in the hospital for a few more days until her nausea has stopped and her electrolyte levels are back to normal. Tomorrow, one of her cousins, Ross and his wife Julie Fischer are coming to visit from Indianapolis. Andrea is looking forward to seeing and I think a visit from family is exactly what she needs right now.

In the hospital

Well, as I mentioned yesterday, Andrea's doctors confirmed she is still in remission. Her fungal infection, however, has really beat her up and she was admitted into the hospital today. This morning Andrea consistently was having fevers of over 102 and she was vomiting everything she ate/drank. She also has felt like crap for many days now and has been very tired. Thus, we brought her in to the hospital to have her examined by her doctor and he determined that it would be in her best interest to be admitted and monitored in the hospital for a little while.

We know that she has a fungal infection, but the doctors believe that she may have another infection as well, bacterial or viral. So, they have started her on some additional medicines, antibiotics and anti-virals. They also changed her anti-fungal medication. They took her off ampho-terrible and put her on another medication. The ampho has caused some terrible side effects. It has made her very tired, dropped various electrolyte levels lower, and made her lose her appetite. They also did a cat scan of her sinuses and a chest xray to make sure there is nothing else going on.

Andrea was really upset that she had to be admitted. Hopefully though these additional medicines and tests can get her feeling a little better.

Still in remission!

We heard from our doctor today that Andrea is still is remission! The petscan did not show cancer but showed that Andrea has a bad fungal infection. That is great news and I post more details tomorrow.

Some garden time

Andrea had her petscan early this morning. The test itself went fine. We do not have the results yet. Tomorrow we have a meeting with Andrea's hematologist-oncologist to discuss the results and her future treatment. Depending on the results, he may suggest to follow the current protocol we are on to the end, modify the protocol by shortening it, or modify it in other ways. I am hoping for the best.

The test today was hard for Andrea emotionally. She is very nervous and anxious about the results. She is also very sad and tired. She is simply sick of going through all of this and is wondering why this happened to such a good person. I wonder that same thing sometimes. We reminded her that sometimes bad things happen to good people and this is just a bad moment in what has been and will be a beautiful life.

Andrea did have a little fun after the test today. We went to lunch at a restaurant that Andrea and I always used to go to for Sunday morning breakfast. Also, in the afternoon, we visited the Garfield Park Conservatory (pictures on the right). Andrea loves this place because even though it is now cold in Chicago, it is warm inside the conservatory. It is filled with all different sorts of plants. We have a nice walk through the conservatory and even sat by a pond to watch some fish. Tonight we will again wind down with pizza and a movie.

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and prayers today and Andrea could definitely use more tomorrow when she finds out the results of her test.

Big day tomorrow

Andrea had an okay day today. She was visited by my Aunt and Uncle (Promila and Naresh Mangal), my father's younger brother and his wife, from India. They flew here to see Andrea. They care for Andrea very much and they wanted to give her some love during this hard time. Andrea really enjoyed their visit. Along with them, Vipul/Morgan and my almost 6 month yr old nephew came to visit. It was a fun afternoon with the entire Mangal clan. In the evening, Andrea, wound down with a romantic comedy and a good book. She is sleeping soundly tonight for the first time in many days.

Tomorrow is her petscan. It will show if there is any sign of cancer in her body. She is very nervous about this test and we are hoping for the best. She could really use all of your prayers, thoughts, and spirits for her big day tomorrow.

concerned sad note from Andreas Mom

Andrea's home which is wonderful in it's self. She is still very ill but we are working on focusing on the strength,positive,loving, happy healing energy Andrea has in her and her also being nourished and comforted by all those loving energy, thoughts and prayers from all that love her to help her through this difficult time. Though she is still on alot of pain medication her pain in her arm seems to be getting better so she has been able to have some relief from that terrible pain. She is so tired and weak. The walks are short and with alot of effort. She has been able to eat alittle but she is not hungry and she vomited yesterday and is still having fevers but she is working so hard to feel better. Her strength gives us hope and comfort while seeing her so weak and sick is so terribly hard. Next Monday is her Pet Scan and Tuesday she has a meeting with her oncologist to discuss the test results and her future treatment. So please send her alittle extra prayer, thoughts and energy filled with your love, strength and happy thoughts for this weekend of healing.

On another sad note Andreas Grandma Smith had gotten better and went home. We were working on her care package when she got ill and died today. Andrea, Kathleen and I were able to call her yesterday with our words of love. She had along battle of cancer which we thought she recently won. I am very sad with her loss I had hoped to see her again when Andrea was better. She had wanted us to come and celebrate beating cancer together. But the reality was that she had gone through so much. She was a very a very strong woman who did not have an easy life. She worked hard to make a better life for me and my five brothers and sisters. As a child I remember how hard she had to work to make ends meet we had little money but she always made sure we had the best birthdays to celebrate the birth of special people we were and latter when she met my father Johnny together they continued celebrate and make many wonderful memories, they took us on great camping trips, in Germany we visited the castles and concentration camp where my Dad was there to witness the horror and freedom of its prisoners, we learned many of lives wonderful and hard lessons on the way, we all loved and share many wonderful holidays and all the fun, tacky decorations. My Mom had to endure the loss of my father and then cancer with all the surgeries and treatments, it was been so hard on her and she was so tired. So I will miss her but I have alot of loving memories of her and may her strength and love that she gave Andrea continue.

Take care and thank you for all that do for Andrea and my family during this difficult time.
Love Sharon

Going home today

Looks like Andrea may be on her way home today. The doctors have decided that she is stable/getting better and is ready to go home. She is still having low grade fevers (100.4) every now and then and still has a lot of pain, but she is improving day by day. Yesterday, she was a little less sedated and her pain in her arm/shoulder was a little better. She did have more pain in her abdomen/chest yesterday, but Andrea said that was also better this morning.

To get Andrea ready to go home, she is having a picc line inserted into her left arm. She is getting a picc because she does not have a port (it was taken out due to infection) and Andrea will need an IV antibiotic administered to her at home. It works the same way as a port-a-cath and is a line where she can get her antibiotics and future chemo treatments. It is not as comfortable as a port, but the risk of infection is much lower for a picc. Also, if Andrea does get another infection, the picc is much more simpler to remove and, unlike a port, does not require surgery to remove.

As long as the picc insertion goes well, Andrea should be all ready to go home. I am not sure when her next round of chemo will be. The doctors want her to heal and get rid of this infection fully before the next round will start. I think it will be at least 7-10 days before her next chemo will start. It is still warm here in Chicago for these next few days and, hopefully, Andrea will be able to enjoy the outdoors and do a little relaxation. Also, my uncle and aunt from India, Naresh & Promila Mangal, are also coming from India to visit Andrea and I know that Andrea is really looking forward to seeing them.

Good day yesterday

Yesterday was a really good day for Andrea. We took a bunch of walks yesterday. We went outside and walked for about 30 minutes. She also is starting to eat and drink more. She also did not have a fever yesterday. She still is in pain in her shoulders/arms, but that is well controlled with the pain medicine. She does have a new pain that has appeared in the last few days in her left lung area. The doctors are equating that to the infection and I hope it gets better as this infection gets better.

Things are mostly tending to look up for Andrea. Except for the pain, her infection seems to be going away. The fevers are down significantly and she is more awake/alert. I hope her pains subside soon and she can go home for some rest and relaxing in her hammock.

Feeling good today

Andrea had a fairly decent Sunday considering everything she is dealing with. She went outside for the first time in weeks and took a walk with her family. She still had fevers yesterday and pain in her shoulders. The pain, however, seems to be better. She is using less pain medicine which is great news. The thing that has been sucking for Andrea is that she has had to get stuck with needles for a peripheral IV every couple of days. Her port was taken out last week because it was infected. So to get her anti-fungal medication she needs an IV. Because she does not have a port, the nurses have to use a peripheral IV and those only seem to last a few days. Thus, every few days, the peripheral IV get infiltrated and Andrea has to get stuck by needles to start another one. Andrea is tough though and her attitude is do whatever that needs to be done to get me over this infection.

Today, so far, she is also having a good day. She woke up and ate a nice big breakfast - Cheerios. We went for a walk in the hallways of hospital and now she is taking a nap. Her pain again seems a little better. More good news is that she does not seem to having any side effects from the crazy anti-fungal medication she is on. Also, she has not had a fever for over 19 hours! That is a great sign that she is improving. I hope her health continues in that direction and she can kick this fungus out quick.

A little hope of better days

Today was a tough day for all of us, but it ended well. Andrea has been having more fevers and still has a great deal of pain in her shoulder/arm. She also has been hallucinating a little lately. She will sometimes see animals in the room when they are not present. She does know they are not real. So, little to say, we all have been on super-red alert these past few days. She also had a bunch of tests last couple days and we received results of those tests this morning.

The tests showed that Andrea still has a rare fungal infection in her lungs, in her brain, and in other parts of her body. Needless to say, when we found out, we all were taken back, were extremely worried, and just in somewhat utter disbelief. So, it was a fairly rough morning when we all found out. The afternoon, however, provided all of us a little more comfort. A very good doctor, who has been treating her infection, informed us that even though the type infection she has and way it has presented itself is rare, it is very curable. He even felt even though Andrea has had fevers the past few weeks that she is already on the mend. He also put her on an additional anti-fungal medication that will take care of any time of infection in the brain and other parts of her body. He also reassured us that there should be no long term effects on her brain or anywhere else. The drug, however, has terrible side effects which Andrea will have to deal with for a short period of time. The drug is name amphotericin and the doctors here call it ampho-terrible. But if it makes Andrea feel better, we are all for it. Even though it has side effects, Andrea is extremely tough and I know she is willing to do anything to get better.

I am not exactly sure when Andrea will be better though. It is hard to peg an exact date down. The doctor indicated anywhere from a few days to a week. Hopefully, it is the former. After the visit from the doctor and hearing his plan to cure Andrea of this fungal infection, we all felt much better and somewhat relieved. Andrea even went for a nice stroll outside with Mr. & Mrs. Taylor and Kathleen. Then, all of us, including my parents, ate dinner together and watched yet another chick flick.

In all, a terrible morning, a good afternoon, a great evening and a little more hope of better days ahead for Andrea.

More tests today

As you know, Andrea has had pain in her left shoulder and fevers. So, they did an MRI of her arm/shoulder yesterday. Good news is that all those tests came back negative. Bad news is that the tests are negative so that we still do not know what is going on. She had more tests today - a bone scan and another MRI of her head and spine. Hopefully, those tests will be normal as well.

She did again have fevers today and pain in her shoulder/arm. The doctors keep reassuring us that she is on the right path. I think she is, but it is hard to see her in so much pain and so sedated due to the pain meds. She is eating though and the nausea has been mostly under control. She is also going on many walks during the day. Also, her counts keep rising. So, all those factors make me feel a little better.

As I said, I am hoping these tests today come back normal and the fevers/pain start to go down.

Fevers again today

Well, yesterday did start off really good and then it got bad really fast. As you know, Andrea's port was taken out so she had an IV in her arm where she was being administered her pain meds. That IV in her arm, however, stopped working mid-day yesterday and she got behind on her pain meds. So, she was in intense pain for about 2-3 hours. We gave her oral pain meds, but since she was so far behind, it took a very long time for her to calm down. She finally did calm down, but after hours of crying and pain.

They end up switching her to all oral meds though and her fevers seemed to be gone until last night. I woke up in the middle of the night and found Andrea very hot. The nurse took her temperature and it was 102.2. So, I guess she still has an infection and the fevers are not completely gone. She also had a fever this morning. Due to her fever, last night, they had to stick another IV in her arm to take blood to see if there an infection still. That was also not pleasant for Andrea. She hardly slept last night.

Today, however, her pain is under control and she is doing okay. She is still have a great deal of pain in her right arm. We are not sure why and that is why they are doing an MRI of her arm/neck. We are also concerned about her fevers and her infection. We are not sure yet what the doctors are going to do. They may give her some more antibiotics. She is overall doing better and is stable. I am hoping soon these fevers will be gone and the MRI will shed some light on her arm pain. This has been a very frustrating visit to the hospital and I am not sure when we will be going home. Whenever we think she is getting better, she gets worse. I am optimistic she will improve, but it may just take a little more time.

Feeling better today

The surgery as I stated went as smoothly as could go. Andrea was in a great deal of pain in her right shoulder after the surgery, but just a few hours later she was moving her shoulder and walking around (with the help of a lot of pain medicine). She even ate a good size meal for the first time in 8 days. Andrea is sad though that she could not Grandma Taylor's funeral service. She is hoping that once this is all over, she can pay her respects and sit and talk with the entire Taylor family about what a great person Grandma Taylor was.

Even though she is sad, she does have some good news. The good news is that she has had no fevers since the surgery. If this trend continues today, then that would mean that the infection was in the port and Andrea is finally getting rid of the infection. I think today they may try to switch her to oral medicines and maybe take her off some of her IV drugs. She has not had any nause for a few days now, so this probably is ok. Also, I think a good idea because it would bring her one step closer to going home.

Today is shaping up to be a good day for her. Hopefully, she will continue eating, taking walks, and getting better. If all goes well, we may be home this weekend.

Surgery Today

Andrea had a cat scan of her chest abdomen and pelvis yesterday. It showed again no signs of cancer. It did, however, show signs of infection in her lungs. The doctors think that her port is contaminated and is spreading the infection. That is also why she is still having fevers despite being on antibiotics for 8 days.

Consequently, she had to have surgery today to remove the port. This whole thing from the scan to surgery was a very painful and tiring process for Andrea. She is sleeping right now and trying to recover. I really hope the doctors are right and the removal of the port gets rid of her infection.

Grandma Taylor Obituary

All -

Below is the obtituary of Mary Elizabeth Horn Taylor, Grandma Taylor. It contains information pertaining to her funeral service.

Funeral Service Information

Visitation: Tuesday, September 15, 2009, 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Washington Memorial Chapel, 9606 E Washington St, Indianapolis, IN

Service: Wednesday, September 16, 2009, 10:00 a.m. at Holy Rosary Catholic Church, 520 Stevens Street, Indianapolis, IN

Burial: Holy Cross Cemetery (following the service)

Obituary

Born on: July 20, 1926 in Valparaiso, Indiana
Departed on: September 12, 2009 and resided in Indianapolis, Indiana

83, of Indianapolis, passed away September 12, 2009. Born in Valparaiso, IN Mary was the daughter of Joseph and Irene Ruge Horn. Mary had a sister, Joan Horn Burt, who preceded her in death. Mary attended Valparaiso High School and Indiana University for her undergraduate and graduate education. She placed children for adoption as a social worker and later taught elementary school. Mary wed the late Ralph H. Taylor, and they had six children: Joseph Taylor (Sharon), Mary Helen Fischer (Joseph), Thomas Taylor (Karen), Joanne Carey (Brian), John Taylor (Lisa) and Ralph Taylor (Gi Yun). Mary is also survived by her thirteen grandchildren. Mary had two passions in her life, her Catholic faith and her family. She volunteered thousands of hours at the Marion County Home for the Elderly, later Lockefield Village. She sponsored an immigrant family from Vietman and worked with other immigrants to this country. She had a special devotion to the Blessed Mary of Jesus and was a rosary maker and member of the Legion of Mary. She was a strong believer in the Right to Life movement and worked tirelessly for the cause. Mary loved to spend time with her children and grandchildren. Dutiful daughter, loving wife, mother and grandmother, devout in her faith; Mary E. Taylor followed the teaching of the Beatitude; Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. In lieu of flowers, Mary would like masses to be said for the repose of her soul and the rosary to be prayed. Calling will be held Tuesday, September 15, 2009 from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at Shirley Brothers Washington Memorial Chapel, 9606 E. Washington St. and traditional Latin Mass will be held at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, September 16, at Holy Rosary Catholic Church, 520 Stevens St., Indianapolis.

Rest in peace Grandma Taylor

I am sad to write that Grandma Taylor passed away the night before last. She was a great person, and she was loved by many family and friends. Her and Andrea had a special bond because Andrea was the first grandchild in the Taylor family. Andrea told me one reason why she loved her so much because Grandma Taylor was always the first grandmother at the pool who would jump in and play with all the kids. Andrea loved her very much and her passing made Andrea really sad. Andrea is happy though that she was able to spend a few good moments with Grandma Taylor at her birthday party and before that when Grandma Taylor visited her in the hospital. Below is the last picture of Andrea and Grandma Taylor.

Andrea the last few days has been struggling with this news and has been trying to get better. Even though her white blood counts are up, Andrea for some reason still has a fever, and is having trouble breathing. Usually her fevers subside after a few days of antibiotics, but they have lasted a long time this time. Also, she has been put on oxygen because she is having difficulty breathing and Andrea is having pain when she breathes deeply. She is also still nauseated and not eating much. This morning, Andrea did say some of her pain was better and her breathing is more normal. The doctors also did an xray of her chest to make sure everything looks okay. The xray ended up being normal.

Hopefully, these fevers will stop, and Andrea will start feeling better soon. Her next round of chemo starts probably next week and I want to make sure she gets as much rest as possible.

Counts on the way up

Andrea woke up today and felt like herself for the first time in a few days. She had little pain and felt much better. She even took a walk this morning which she has done since last Sunday. I think her medications working for a few days and more white blood cells have really helped her. She still has a little bit of nausea and is tired, but hopefully the nausea will subside soon. Also, she has not eaten or drank anything in 6 days. Today maybe we will try and get her to eat.

She actually started feeling good late last night. She was on a great deal of pain medication which really sedated her. So, we asked the doctors to give her less pain medication. That made her less sedated and she started to feel like herself. I knew she started to feel better and feel like herself when last night she accused me of flirting with the nurse. This is what happened.

ACT 1: ANSHUL AND THE NURSE

Nurse walks in.

Nurse: "Hi Anshul"
Anshul: "Hellooooooooo Nurse"
Nurse: "Those pain meds make Andrea really sedated, huh?"
Anshul: "Nurse, you can sedate me anytime."

CLOSE OF ACT 1

I don't see how I did anything wrong. Andrea is obviously hallucinating and must have more tests done. I was just agreeing with the nurse that being sedated is not that great.

All joking aside, today is a good day and Andrea is seeming to turn the corner.