All is going really well. Dr. Griffiths was in and she is very happy with where Rita is in the course of her treatment. That is very encouraging. Rita is doing laps around the unit and has just gotten out of the shower - she smells much better now :)!
Jazzy, Meema is doing realy good and wants you to know that she loves you and will be better as soon as she can so, don't worry! She even has me watching cooking shows on the TV so you can see that she is still the boss!!
OK folks - I'll update as things develop. Love, Dave.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Dave's first try at blogging - danger!!
Hi everyone - we are all doing great out here. Rita as usual is our rock. I will try to keep this up when Lisa is not here but I probably won't be as creative. I can tell you that Rita looks wonderful - you would never think that she is sick. Of course, she is giving me a lot of advice and suggestions about how I can handle the household chores in her absence. I'm taking a lot of notes.
I'll update as we get more news. Love, Dave
I'll update as we get more news. Love, Dave
Day 4
Morning! Amy and I stayed at the DoubleTree last night, what a difference a bed makes! Dad was here with mom and I guess her IV pole was being quite obstinate all night. It beeped at least 10 times and, of course, never at the same time that the nurses came in to poke and prod! Oh well, mom didn't feel that tired anyways. Her blood labs came back great again this morning. They take blood every morning around 4 and have results around 6, so every day of good blood news is much appreciated.
Mom has made friends with ALL of the nurses and has asked to be changed to the corner room (kind of like the difference between a tent and The Ritz Carlton.) She also has asked if we could bring blow up mattresses once in the corner room and is hinting that we would be willing to rent out some rooms in their houses if they needed a little extra money... she's still looking for the best deal!
The food is pretty good, not mom's cooking but she said the banana bread "is about the best ever." She can order whatever she wants really.. except no fresh produce that hasn't been washed, peeled, washed again and possible sanitized. This morning on her tray she had:
cranberry juice, prune juice, milk, mandarin oranges, stewed prunes, yogurt, english muffin, banana bread, eggs, coffee cake, raisin bran and coffee...
AND she's got little secret stashes of goldfish and crackers that she has for second breakfast. She just hollered that she's only taking ONE bite of everything and is insisting that she's saving most of it for Jasmine. (or christmas presents) There's also a refrigerator full of juices, soda, fudgesicles (the 5 of us in the room can't spell it..), sherbet, italian ice, jello, pudding, ice cream.. possible more..
Amy and I are leaving sometime today, I'll be back Sunday afternoon... so I can't promise anything on this blog.. I'll try to write tonight, but it really is much better being here first hand so I can comment on all her antics. Like, for instance, she's drinking her Miralax with cranberry juice right now and her faces are HYSTERICAL! I don't think it really tastes bad (it's supposed to have no flavor) but it's just the thought of drinking it that is making her wince. Yup, she's confirmed that it really does taste horrible!!! poor thing.
An MD "Fellow" is in the room now... she's managed to confuse him immediately with all her knowledge and her questions.... He's just here checking on her, nothing really to update on.
Alright.. signing off now. I'll show mom and dad how to post but.. once again, can't promise anything!
love.
Mom has made friends with ALL of the nurses and has asked to be changed to the corner room (kind of like the difference between a tent and The Ritz Carlton.) She also has asked if we could bring blow up mattresses once in the corner room and is hinting that we would be willing to rent out some rooms in their houses if they needed a little extra money... she's still looking for the best deal!
The food is pretty good, not mom's cooking but she said the banana bread "is about the best ever." She can order whatever she wants really.. except no fresh produce that hasn't been washed, peeled, washed again and possible sanitized. This morning on her tray she had:
cranberry juice, prune juice, milk, mandarin oranges, stewed prunes, yogurt, english muffin, banana bread, eggs, coffee cake, raisin bran and coffee...
AND she's got little secret stashes of goldfish and crackers that she has for second breakfast. She just hollered that she's only taking ONE bite of everything and is insisting that she's saving most of it for Jasmine. (or christmas presents) There's also a refrigerator full of juices, soda, fudgesicles (the 5 of us in the room can't spell it..), sherbet, italian ice, jello, pudding, ice cream.. possible more..
Amy and I are leaving sometime today, I'll be back Sunday afternoon... so I can't promise anything on this blog.. I'll try to write tonight, but it really is much better being here first hand so I can comment on all her antics. Like, for instance, she's drinking her Miralax with cranberry juice right now and her faces are HYSTERICAL! I don't think it really tastes bad (it's supposed to have no flavor) but it's just the thought of drinking it that is making her wince. Yup, she's confirmed that it really does taste horrible!!! poor thing.
An MD "Fellow" is in the room now... she's managed to confuse him immediately with all her knowledge and her questions.... He's just here checking on her, nothing really to update on.
Alright.. signing off now. I'll show mom and dad how to post but.. once again, can't promise anything!
love.
Friday, July 30, 2010
here's the plan...
So after meeting with the stem cell specialists here's our plan...
Right now mom's receiving chemo through IV every 3 to 4 days. About once a week she will also receive chemo through her spine. This will prevent/treat any Leukemia in her central nervous system (CNS). As of now (as posted earlier) there are no signs in her CNS. (whew). She also receives prednisone twice daily to assist her immune system. This treatment for ALL is scheduled to last 29 days. Only 27 to go.
After the 29 days, hopefully she will be in remission. While in remission, mom might be able to come home! She'll need to rest for a few weeks to see if she can stay in remission. After that she'll start the Stem Cell Transplant.
Stem Cell Transplant: This is the hard part! Hopefully one of her siblings will be a perfect DNA match. (we have about a 90% chance that 1 of 8 will match perfectly so that's great!) Once they find a match, the donor will need to undergo testing and medication to assist with the transplant. They will collect healthy cells for two days leading up to the transplant and then mom will receive the healthy cells. This counts as day zero. On or around day 100 mom can go home if everything goes perfectly. She will be 4-6 weeks in-patient and 6-7 weeks at either the Kevin Guest house or the Hope Lodge here in Buffalo. This will bring us to approximately Dec. 29.
Then she'll need to be tested weekly to be sure she stays in remission and does not get graft vs host disease.. we won't go into that now.. no need to worry!
There is a long road ahead of mom, and she's prepared to fight the whole time. She's very optimistic and we do keep receiving little bits of good news so that helps! We have a great support system not only here but through all our friends and family.
Keep the comments coming... we'll keep posting and hopefully stick to the plan so we'll be able to celebrate soon!! I've always said I could do anything for a year.. move to tampa, myrtle beach, the bronx... try a new job, etc. I know this doesn't compare to what mom is going to face, but I have faith that the really hard parts will be over within a year, and while it won't be the most comfortable year of her life, she'll get through it. we all will.
love.
Right now mom's receiving chemo through IV every 3 to 4 days. About once a week she will also receive chemo through her spine. This will prevent/treat any Leukemia in her central nervous system (CNS). As of now (as posted earlier) there are no signs in her CNS. (whew). She also receives prednisone twice daily to assist her immune system. This treatment for ALL is scheduled to last 29 days. Only 27 to go.
After the 29 days, hopefully she will be in remission. While in remission, mom might be able to come home! She'll need to rest for a few weeks to see if she can stay in remission. After that she'll start the Stem Cell Transplant.
Stem Cell Transplant: This is the hard part! Hopefully one of her siblings will be a perfect DNA match. (we have about a 90% chance that 1 of 8 will match perfectly so that's great!) Once they find a match, the donor will need to undergo testing and medication to assist with the transplant. They will collect healthy cells for two days leading up to the transplant and then mom will receive the healthy cells. This counts as day zero. On or around day 100 mom can go home if everything goes perfectly. She will be 4-6 weeks in-patient and 6-7 weeks at either the Kevin Guest house or the Hope Lodge here in Buffalo. This will bring us to approximately Dec. 29.
Then she'll need to be tested weekly to be sure she stays in remission and does not get graft vs host disease.. we won't go into that now.. no need to worry!
There is a long road ahead of mom, and she's prepared to fight the whole time. She's very optimistic and we do keep receiving little bits of good news so that helps! We have a great support system not only here but through all our friends and family.
Keep the comments coming... we'll keep posting and hopefully stick to the plan so we'll be able to celebrate soon!! I've always said I could do anything for a year.. move to tampa, myrtle beach, the bronx... try a new job, etc. I know this doesn't compare to what mom is going to face, but I have faith that the really hard parts will be over within a year, and while it won't be the most comfortable year of her life, she'll get through it. we all will.
love.
quilt squares...
Hi everyone. We have had a rather uneventful day.. I think that's a good thing! Mom's felt great, we've been keeping up on our foodtv network and some re-runs of the office.
I thought it might be fun for her to start a quilt while she was here.. she's just lying in her bed and aside from the walks we take throughout the day, she can't go anywhere but in a small circle. If anyone wants to send a square of 100% cotton fabric, we could put together some random quilt throughout her treatment. And then when she's all done, we'll burn it!! ha hahha. no just kidding... she'll keep it. :)
She likes pinks and greens but any color you think reminds you of her would be great. patterns or plain, big or small, as long as it's cotton we can work with it! I put her address on the first post. I don't know how long it takes mail to get here, but I will also be coming back and forth each week, so if it's easier to bring it to my house feel free!!
We have another meeting with the stem cell doctor in about 20 minutes. Dr. Batty..... he seems right on top of things. All kidding aside. He will go over the process mom will be going through after chemo. (hopefully in 27 more days) She's asking a lot of questions and volunteering way too much information, but at least he'll learn a thing or two before he's out of here.. in fact she already taught him and a nurse that the lump on the roof of her mouth is called a taurus. hmm.. she's quite proud of that.
I'll update more later.. giada is on and she wants me to stop "clicking".
love.
I thought it might be fun for her to start a quilt while she was here.. she's just lying in her bed and aside from the walks we take throughout the day, she can't go anywhere but in a small circle. If anyone wants to send a square of 100% cotton fabric, we could put together some random quilt throughout her treatment. And then when she's all done, we'll burn it!! ha hahha. no just kidding... she'll keep it. :)
She likes pinks and greens but any color you think reminds you of her would be great. patterns or plain, big or small, as long as it's cotton we can work with it! I put her address on the first post. I don't know how long it takes mail to get here, but I will also be coming back and forth each week, so if it's easier to bring it to my house feel free!!
We have another meeting with the stem cell doctor in about 20 minutes. Dr. Batty..... he seems right on top of things. All kidding aside. He will go over the process mom will be going through after chemo. (hopefully in 27 more days) She's asking a lot of questions and volunteering way too much information, but at least he'll learn a thing or two before he's out of here.. in fact she already taught him and a nurse that the lump on the roof of her mouth is called a taurus. hmm.. she's quite proud of that.
I'll update more later.. giada is on and she wants me to stop "clicking".
love.
Good news!
We just met with our favorite nurse, Sheila, who informed us that mom's blood looked excellen in her last tests!! She's doing so great. Sheila also said because she's so healthy and in shape that's a huge plus. Like dad said, hopefully we're over the bad news and can just keep getting good news.
Moms asking so many questions it's awesome. We're also making deals for a bigger room... I think she's already up to 2 quilts...
will write more later.
love.
Moms asking so many questions it's awesome. We're also making deals for a bigger room... I think she's already up to 2 quilts...
will write more later.
love.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Day two
Today was a restful day. We watched a movie (I think we started it around 11:30 and we just finished it at 5:30!!! we had a nap and a few laps around the unit at intermission). We did get one pretty good bit of news.. as of now her spinal fluid is showing no signs of leukemia cells. We still have to wait a little to be 100% positive, but we're on the right track.
She's feeling better, in good spirits and is focussed on Paula Deen at the moment... so bye for now!!
love.
She's feeling better, in good spirits and is focussed on Paula Deen at the moment... so bye for now!!
love.
Good morning!
We had a decent night's sleep. Aside from the poking and prodding every few hours (which mom thinks somehow they could consolidate,) mom finally slept through most of the night. No chemo today and she's very happy about that. She does have to take prednisone which comes in pill form and she HATES that. She is sure that there's got to be a better way to get that drug into her besides through her mouth. We've mixed them with applesause and yogurt and that seems to be better. Anyways.. she's resting and looking forward to watching some movies!
If you know of anyone who wants to be invited to join this blog let me know!
flisa22@gmail.com
love.
If you know of anyone who wants to be invited to join this blog let me know!
flisa22@gmail.com
love.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010- Mom arrived at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, was admited and underwent testing to diagnose what type of Leukemia she has.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010- No real news today. Some possible diagnosis' but the doctors are still not sure.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010- The doctors confirmed that mom has ALL Leukemia and discussed her course of treatment. Chemotherapy started today.
I'm not sure how this blog will work, how often we will be able to write or if it will even be something mom wants to continue, but for now, here we are. I have the ability to be here with mom until school starts in September, so I hope to at least keep it going until then!!
Today's chemotherapy was a little scary, but she made it through and said it wasn't that bad. The first drug was put in through her spine and she was really nervous about the pain... it ended up being not as bad as she thought. She was able to take a short break, then the other chemo drug was administered through her port. She didn't feel anything and is now "resting her eyes". No more chemo for 2 days.
This is going to be a long process, but she is being treated very aggressively and she has a great team of doctors and nurses working for her. We are hopeful that this will be behind us soon!
Her address here is
Rita Briggs
Room 5412W
Roswell Park Cancer Institute
Elm & Carlton Streets
Buffalo, NY 14263
Thank you for your love and support. Mom is the strongest person we all know and she's going to kick Leukemia's butt!!!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010- No real news today. Some possible diagnosis' but the doctors are still not sure.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010- The doctors confirmed that mom has ALL Leukemia and discussed her course of treatment. Chemotherapy started today.
I'm not sure how this blog will work, how often we will be able to write or if it will even be something mom wants to continue, but for now, here we are. I have the ability to be here with mom until school starts in September, so I hope to at least keep it going until then!!
Today's chemotherapy was a little scary, but she made it through and said it wasn't that bad. The first drug was put in through her spine and she was really nervous about the pain... it ended up being not as bad as she thought. She was able to take a short break, then the other chemo drug was administered through her port. She didn't feel anything and is now "resting her eyes". No more chemo for 2 days.
This is going to be a long process, but she is being treated very aggressively and she has a great team of doctors and nurses working for her. We are hopeful that this will be behind us soon!
Her address here is
Rita Briggs
Room 5412W
Roswell Park Cancer Institute
Elm & Carlton Streets
Buffalo, NY 14263
Thank you for your love and support. Mom is the strongest person we all know and she's going to kick Leukemia's butt!!!
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