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.

Blog note from Andreas Mom

Dear family and friends

I’m sorry I don’t write on the bog much I didn't have a computer or ? multiple other reasons but I am very thankful that Anshul has and thankful for all of your kind attention to Andrea through this. Usually when I do this it is with Andrea but she is really sick and there are a few things I wanted to say and I wanted to ask for. I ‘m asking for an extension some of your loving, kind thoughts and prayers you all so thoughtfully sent to Andrea and to also be sent to the rest of the Taylor family. Last Monday Andreas beloved Grandma Taylor while enjoying some vacation time with her daughter and her family in Michigan had a heart attack and though at first we were hopeful that after she had an angioplasty and stets she was going to do well but that did not happen. Unfortunately she has had a terrible stroke. Andreas Dad had been here for the weekend had gone to work then left to be at his mother’s side along with his brothers and sisters. The day before Andrea and I had just started on a care package for the Grandmas but again events changed. About a couple of weeks ago my Mom who just finished radiation for lung cancer had been admitted for blood transfusions and treatment for an infection actually had complications went into cardiac arrest. She did recover and is working hard in a rehab center and is hopeful she will go home soon. She and Andrea have had many pep talks and supportive letters.

Andreas Grandma Taylor lives in Indianapolis where Andrea grew up and fortunately for all of us all the Taylor family members are very close and have been a very loving support for Andrea and all of us. It has been very hard on Joe her dad who has had to have to work and then coming here on his days off and then worry in Indy while I am staying in Chicago to be with Andrea. His family have been inviting him to dinners and helping as they can. We have all missed the Taylor monthly get togethers but they have been very loving and supportive in many ways, to all of us, as Andrea fights this terrible cancer and all the terrible complications and infections. Just last month we all enjoyed the wonderful birthday party that Anshul arranged. Grandma Taylor was here as she always has been for most of wonderful Taylor family events. The knowledge that she has had some terrible medical events has made all of us in Chicago so sad that this has happen to such a special person in our lives and sad that we could not be with her and the rest of our family. At this time her prognosis sounds poor and we are so worried and sad but we are hopeful from a far and I ask you all to continue sending to Andrea but also send her grandma and all the Taylor’s some of your love, thoughts and prayers.

As Anshul already described Andrea has had really tough time especially this week but Andrea is so amazing. I cannot put into words the terrible suffering that she has gone through for so many months. In my 35 years of nursing I could have never imagine how difficult it could be. It breaks my heart. However she takes on it all with such determination and she is so thankful for everything everyone does and she still worries about all of us. I too am very thankful we still have Andrea and I am so thankful for her determination, my wonderful family, friends, Anshul and his family, so many wonderful doctors, especially Dr. Kent, so many wonderful nurses, so many other caring hospital staff and all the love and support that comes from so many. So during these really tuff times I try to remember to still be thankful and I very positive and hopeful for her future. Unfortunately she has had one more terrible event to deal with his current infection is frightening. Yesterday we had hoped the new antibiotic would really make the difference but again that night her blood count really dropped. Dr. Kent came and he does all our hearts good. He ordered more tests, medications, blood and Kathleen’s platelets. Today some of Andrea’s symptoms are better but she developed some discomfort in her lung. They have increased her pain medication and she resting better. So lets hope tomorrow is a better day for Andrea.

On another note Kathleen quit her job to be her with Andrea and it has been really nice for Andrea and me it is very hard on her to see her sister so sick but our girls have been so strong. She has helped us in many ways and brought us her comforting ways and funny wit. Even the other, night as hard as this has experience with Andrea being so sick, we all had a moment of laughter when Kathleen and Anshul had a fan off. Who was the best fanner when Andrea was feeling nauseated. The techniques and stamina were impressive and very funny. It was really nice for all of us.

We also want to thank Anshul's coworkers that donated platelets. We were told she got donor platelets on Monday when her platelets were nonexistent and she was bleeding. We think blood and platelets given in love and kindness are especially lasting. So thank you so much. also we want to thank my cousin Stephanie for the wonderful care package, from so many other wonderful others all the wonderful cards, letters, clothes from Aunt Debbie, all the blog notes and all your love thoughts and prayers.

Thank you all for all that you do for all of us. Take care Love Sharon

A little better again today

Andrea is feeling a little better today. Her white blood count is coming up slowly. The doctors have explained to us that the reason it is now taking longer and longer for her counts to rise is the cumulative effect of her treatment. Hopefully soon they will jump to more normal levels.

Also, some of her symptoms from her infection are resolving. The pimples/breakout all over her skin is getter better. Her eyes are less swollen. She still has a great deal of pain in her eyes, but it is slightly better. Her eyes were really sensitive to the light last few days, but today they are better. So, these things are better, but there is something going on with her lung/ribcage. She is complaining of pain in under her ribcage near her right lung. They did a xray last night and we are awaiting the results. They are also going to do a ultrasound. Also, now they have increased her neupogen injections to get her white counts up and, thus, she is having more muscle/bone pain from those.

Overall, though, she is a little better. My brother actually got her a new mattress pad which made her incredibly more comfortable last night. So, even though her sleep is always interrupted by doctors/nurses, she slept more comfortably. She was really thankful. I am looking forward to her getting even better and having some more of these symptoms resolved.

A little better this morning

Yesterday was another rough day. She had about 300 doctors come in and out and check her for various things. All that makes her really tired and really nauseated. She had ophthalmology come in and check her eyes. Fortunately her eyes looked good and they could not find a problem. Unfortunately, they could not find a problem, and, thus, she continued to have a great deal of pain and swelling in her eyes.

Later on yesterday though, she did have a visit from infectious disease. They examined her and actually gave her a great recommendation. They changed one of her antibiotics and that has seem to really help. Andrea had all sorts of bumps on her face/body due to the infection and those have seemed to be getting better with this new antibiotic. Also, the swelling around her eyes has decreased. She still has a great deal of pain in her eyes though. I am hoping with time and this new antibiotic that it subsides as well.

Seems like for now though we will be here a while. She is improving, but is still feeling still terrible. Just this morning from 6AM - 8:00 AM, she threw up three times from nausea. She is still taking a great deal of pain medication. Yesterday she still had fevers up to 103. Maybe those will be better today - I am not sure. Overall though a little better today and maybe her health is heading in the right direction.

Not feeling so great

So, Monday night and the last couple of days have been fairly terrible for Andrea. As I said, on Monday, most of the day she was feeling fine. She got up that day and sat outside in her garden, ate breakfast, and was fairly relaxed. Her cough that she had was better and she seemed to have a little more energy. She did complain of a unusual pain though. She told me that she had pain originating from her shoulder running down her right arm. This was different because the pain was only in one arm. She took some pain medicine for it and it did help.

In the evening, however, she started to spike a fever. She was at 99.4 then 100.1 then all the way to 101.6. She was vomiting and could not keep any of her medicines down. Her pain in her arm got much worse. She was in so much pain that arm was shaking excessively. So, we went to the ER Monday night. She just kept getting worse there. She has these dots all over her legs and right arm. It is called petikia. Her pain/nausea/fevers got even worse and she was bruising everywhere. We found out her white blood count was zero and her platelets were also almost zero. She also was bleeding in her mouth and other areas due to low platelet count or an infection.

So, we came to the ER on Monday night at 6PM and she was up until Tuesday morning 6AM trying to fight her fevers/nausea/pain. We finally, after 12 hours, were able to get some medicines to stay down and then she felt a little better. She still had a great deal of symptoms, either from an infection or from low counts. Also, she developed brusing around her eyes and sometimes it hurt for her to open her eyes and hurt for her to focus on objects. Thus, last night near 10PM (for some reason really late at night) they did a CT scan of her eyes area, ultrasound of her arm, and xray of her arm. Those ended at 1AM Wed morning. All those scans also made her very nauseated and more uncomfortable. We were able to calm her down though and she slept fairly well last night.

This infections/low counts is probably the worst she has had. Her fevers usually go away after a day, but they continue to persist. Some of her symptoms have resolved, like petikia, but she still does not look or feel good. Her CT scan was negative, but I am really worried about her eyes. We are still awaiting results of the xray and ultrasound.

So, a rough couple of days. Andrea is hanging in there and as soon as I have some better news, I will let everyone know.

Back in the hospital

Andrea got a terrible infection last night. We rushed her to the hospital. She was in really bad shape and was in serious pain, was bleeding, and nauseated. This was one of the worst infections she has had. She is in the intensive care unit and somewhat stable now after 12 hours of pain/nausea. She is ok for now and I will give further updates later....

Andrea is still at home

Well, everyone, seems as though for the first time Andrea has made it over a week at home after a round of chemotherapy. So far, no fevers, and no sign of infections - knock on wood. She still has to work hard to stay at home while her counts are low, but I am very very hopeful that she will be at home until her next round of chemo. I actually think her counts are already on her way up and she has gone past the day where her counts are at the bottom. I say that because she seems to getting a tad bit better. Her nausea has been better past few days. Today, she had no nausea. She also a cough earlier this week which was worrying me, but that seems to be resolving.

Also, her counts were probably at their bottom this past weekend and now they will start to rise. That is why she tried to take it as easy as possible. She took lots of naps. She also played the guitar with her dad, took some short strolls in some gardens near our condo, and watched a few movies. She has been extremely tired these past few days and, thus, taking it easy has been really good for her. I think she will continue to take it easy and start doing more as the week progresses. I think next week she will continue to take more walks and try and get more strength back. She is scheduled to meet with the yoga instructor a couple times next week and, of course, there will probably also be lots of hammock time.

I think each day next week she will get stronger and stronger and it will be a great accomplishment for her to stay out of the hospital until the next round of chemo. She and we are working hard to make sure that happens.

Tougher day today

Today was a tough day for Andrea. She felt really tired today. It may be because her white blood counts are probably at zero. She was also nauseated much of the afternoon and evening. She tried to go for a walk today, but she got tired very quickly.

Most of the day she took naps and just watched television. Tomorrow, I am hoping her counts may start to rise and she starts feeling better. Her counts won't come back to normal for many days though. She is still at home, however, and so far no sign of infection. The Mangals and Mr. Taylor will be here tomorrow. So, Andrea should have a lot more company around to cheer her up.

Lazy Thursday

Andrea was able to put a good day and good night together today. She did not have any nausea or pain or headaches today. She felt pretty good most of the day. She was very tired today though and took a bunch of naps. Her white blood count is probably at its lowest today or tomorrow which would explain why she is so tired.

Her home health nurse stopped by today and did a bunch of blood tests. So, we will know what her count was tomorrow. The home nurse comes every Mon/Thu for blood tests when Andrea is out of the hospital. I am actually hoping that Andrea's count were really low today so that tomorrow or next day they may start to rise. That would also signal that we may actually stay out of the hospital with no infections. I am hoping for the best for Andrea and hoping tomorrow is another hospital free day.

Andrea does yoga

Today started off being an okay day but ended being a hard day for Andrea. She got up this morning and felt pretty good. She ate a decent breakfast and had a nice Italian lunch. She did not do any gardening unfortunately, but she did do some yoga today. An instructor came over and helped Andrea stretch her muscles and do some meditating. Andrea really enjoyed it. She did get some vertigo when she did one of the yoga moves. Overall though a positive experience and I think Andrea will try it again in the upcoming weeks.

After yoga though she had a really tough night. She was really nauseated and did not feel good. She also had a migraine headache. She was able to eat a little for dinner and did not throw up. She did not have as much bone today though which was positive. Hopefully, tomorrow she can have a good day and a good night.

Also, I have posted a bunch of pictures from Andrea's birthday party on our photo site - http://www.themangals.com. Enjoy.

Andrea plays the guitar

I took this video yesterday when Andrea was playing the guitar with her dad. It was great to see Andrea doing something she loves. Not only is she showing off her natural musical talents, but also her beautiful bald head. Even though she has no hair now, she still looks extremely beautiful.

Also, Andrea's counts were checked yesterday. Her counts are still up, but they will be falling this week. They will be very low this weekend. She is going to fight this week, get her strength up, and hopefully no infections this time around. She did have nausea yesterday and today and continues to have bone pain from neupogen injections. But she is fighting and she is even going to be doing some yoga tomorrow. There is a yoga instructor coming to our house tomorrow that was recommended by a doctor in the hospital. I think doing some yoga will really help her relax and give her some time to meditate.

She is also hoping to do some gardening tomorrow with her mom and sister. She is going to point and they will pull the weeds. I have even volunteered to buy and carry mulch. I don't know why I did that. Tomorrow is a big day for Andrea - gardening and yoga.