We got home today around 3pm. Fran is not feeling great which is to be expected.
She received her BIG chemo drug on Friday and did will with it. Then she started taking the prescribed meds for nausea and she began having extreme stomach cramping every time she ate or drank something. It was OK while we were at Duke because she was receiving a constant drip day and night of fluids, we don't have that anymore now that we are home.
Duke wanted us to get an appointment with a gastro Dr. here in Roanoke, so we go to see Dr. Kevin Dye this Tuesday. His office was great and allowed us to come with out having to wait along time for an appt. We go see him on Tue. at 1pm. Just pray he will be able to figure out what is going on with her stomach to give her some relief.
If all goes well, we will return to Duke next Tuesday to begin stem cell harvesting. We will keep you posted
Thank you again for all the prayers.
We love you, Charlie and Fran
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Friday, February 26, 2010
Second Day at Duke
We had a long day at Duke, but a good one. We began at 8 AM and left at 4:10 PM
We had lots of fluid bags administered including the cytoxin chemo. So far so good, except for drowsiness which is good. We came straight back to our room and Fran went to bed. She woke up for supper and is almost out again.
We go back the next two mornings just for check up regarding her blood counts, etc.
Hopefully everything will be fine. Thanks for all the prayers, we love you all. If all goes well we'll be back in Roanoke Sunday afternoon.
Charlie and Fran
We had lots of fluid bags administered including the cytoxin chemo. So far so good, except for drowsiness which is good. We came straight back to our room and Fran went to bed. She woke up for supper and is almost out again.
We go back the next two mornings just for check up regarding her blood counts, etc.
Hopefully everything will be fine. Thanks for all the prayers, we love you all. If all goes well we'll be back in Roanoke Sunday afternoon.
Charlie and Fran
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Down at Duke
Presently, Mom is down at Duke recovering from the installation of her central line. Dad and mom arrived in Durham yesterday and got set up in a hotel there. They saw mom's stem cell doctor this morning at 8AM and then reported back to the hospital at 12:30PM, this morning (Thursday). During this second visit the central line was installed in her chest near the location of her other port she has been using for chemo thus far. They first removed the old port and then implanted the new line. They numbed the site around the central line before installation but did not put her out.
Throughout their research, Duke has found that hydrating patience prior to this chemo prevents potential bleeding in the bladder. So currently mom is hooked up to a very large bag of different fluids. Everyday she has report to the bone marrow transplant clinic at 8AM. Tomorrow (Friday), she will receive her BIG chemo. Saturday and Sunday she will be monitored to see if there are any adverse affects from the chemo. Their hope is to return to Roanoke on Sunday afternoon.
Other than the pain in and around the site of the central line, she is doing great at the moment. Please pray for her as she goes in tomorrow for her BIG chemo.
They are scheduled to return to Duke in two weeks for the stem cell harvesting that will take potentially two days. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. We will continue to keep you all updated through this blog as regularly as possible.
Thank you,
Robert
Throughout their research, Duke has found that hydrating patience prior to this chemo prevents potential bleeding in the bladder. So currently mom is hooked up to a very large bag of different fluids. Everyday she has report to the bone marrow transplant clinic at 8AM. Tomorrow (Friday), she will receive her BIG chemo. Saturday and Sunday she will be monitored to see if there are any adverse affects from the chemo. Their hope is to return to Roanoke on Sunday afternoon.
Other than the pain in and around the site of the central line, she is doing great at the moment. Please pray for her as she goes in tomorrow for her BIG chemo.
They are scheduled to return to Duke in two weeks for the stem cell harvesting that will take potentially two days. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. We will continue to keep you all updated through this blog as regularly as possible.
Thank you,
Robert
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
The Grand Finale...Revised
Hi everyone! I received a phone call last week letting me know the schedule has been postponed one week. So, the process will still proceed as below...everything will just move one week later. Again, thanks for praying!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
The Grand Finale!
Yesterday Charlie and I went to Duke to discuss the upcoming events. Everyone there is very efficient and the day went well. They were pleased with my progress and gave me the OK to proceed. However, the procedures are not as simple as I had hoped:
On February 10th we will go to Duke for a day. I will have a series of preliminary tests (EKG, etc.) to determine if I am healthy enough for the transplant.
On February 17th we will go back and spend 4 days. I need to have a major dose of chemo to get my body "prepped" for the transplant. I also need to have the catheter inserted in my chest; this is used for the harvesting. They will monitor these procedures before discharging me.
On March 1st I will return to Duke; harvesting begins on the 2nd. This will take 1-2days.
On March 8th my stem-cell tranplant will begin. This will last 2-4 weeks.
This is a lot to digest! Some things I am thankful for: I get to return home between each of these procedures, this will all be over much faster than I had anticipated, my protein levels were satisfactory to proceed. Some things that are difficult: there is a lot of traveling, I'm not sure I was mentally prepared for this to happen so quickly, fear of the unknown. I only share these concerns with you so you can join us in prayer. I feel like you all are and have been my support through this. I cannot thank you enough. I will keep blogging to let you know how it progresses! Love to everyone, Fran
On February 10th we will go to Duke for a day. I will have a series of preliminary tests (EKG, etc.) to determine if I am healthy enough for the transplant.
On February 17th we will go back and spend 4 days. I need to have a major dose of chemo to get my body "prepped" for the transplant. I also need to have the catheter inserted in my chest; this is used for the harvesting. They will monitor these procedures before discharging me.
On March 1st I will return to Duke; harvesting begins on the 2nd. This will take 1-2days.
On March 8th my stem-cell tranplant will begin. This will last 2-4 weeks.
This is a lot to digest! Some things I am thankful for: I get to return home between each of these procedures, this will all be over much faster than I had anticipated, my protein levels were satisfactory to proceed. Some things that are difficult: there is a lot of traveling, I'm not sure I was mentally prepared for this to happen so quickly, fear of the unknown. I only share these concerns with you so you can join us in prayer. I feel like you all are and have been my support through this. I cannot thank you enough. I will keep blogging to let you know how it progresses! Love to everyone, Fran
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