Well this relapse has certainly thrown me for a loop. It is taking a bit to shake off the shock and disappointment and remember all that is good and hopeful.
Here is the latest and greatest on the kids...Jim and I had a lovely day at Bowdoin with Joseph. We took care of some logistics, had a nice tour of the campus, Joe got reacquainted with the track coach and he really likes his roommates. He is off to a great start. He started off with a trip that is part of the orientation - it involves Kayaking, canoeing, and spending a quite uncomfortable but very fun couple of nights under a tarp sleeping on the ground. All good but the Staudt house is a bit too quiet.
Emma is having a busy last couple weeks of summer - she is getting in a fair amount of friend time which includes a week at volleyball camp. With me going to the clinic daily she has also been going from friend's house to friend's house and having a great time. Once again we are amazingly blessed with great friends.
I ended up starting chemo this week (grateful to my medical team for starting after the Joseph drop off). The port was placed today. This was followed by the chemo infusion; pretty quick and straightforward...no side effects or bad reactions. This particular chemo regimen is not nearly as toxic as my last and most people do quite well. Truly I feel just as good as I've felt for the last several weeks. Side effects may come over the course of the next couple weeks but so far so good. My chest where the port was placed is an ouch fest but this will pass.
One big question on all our minds is my overall prognosis - here is how things were explained to me. This treatment has worked on others in my situation. A relapse of leukemia relatively soon after the transplant is concerning but a realistic outcome with the chemo coupled with the boost of donor cells is to get me back to remission. I have faith until further notified (thanks Arline for the saying and hope I got it right). I don't know when we'll have a measurement of whether the treatment is working. Ultimately it will be the next bone marrow biopsy that gives us a definitive answer. I'll keep you posted on any directionally good news and also when the next biopsy is scheduled - we are probably at least 2 + months out. In the meantime my posts may consist of updates on my appetite, good books I am reading and how the kids and Jim are doing. Bear with me!!
Thanks for checking in
So happy your time at Bowdoin was enjoyable. No doubt Joseph is going to have an amazing year. He has as they say "it all!" The apple doesn't fall far...
ReplyDeleteLove you and cheering you on.