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.