Weekend Update 10/29 - 10/30

Family Fun:  I can't quite remember what I've put in previous blogs so briefly here is what's been going on.  Jim went to Family Weekend at Bowdoin and he and Joseph had a great time.  They had a nice Thai dinner on Friday.  Saturday they attended a lecture on Sir Thomas Moore and went to a couple Bowdon museums.  They both enjoyed their time together and I am so glad it worked out.  Gina (Jims sister) came back for a second visit and her first job was to bring me home from the hospital (Monday 10/24).  We had a great week and Emma was happily spoiled.  Emma had her last Volleyball game on Friday and the team played so well.  Until Friday I hadn't seen her team play and play they did.  Another sin for the girls Junior Varsity!!  Jim's friend Bob and wife Joan are here this weekend.  We had a lovely dinner last night and today Jim took them on a tour of the North Shore of Mass.  Kate arrived this morning and has been busy pulling the hose together while also being wonderful company. 

Medical Update:  I came home Monday after a 10 day course of chemo.  Being home this week has been wonderful.  I'm hoping it can extend a bit butt anticipate going in within the next 1 - 2 weeks for more treatments.  My liver function numbers are high but fortunately coming down - this could be a reaction to a new drug.  Some of my other lab values are off and if they continue to trend in a bad direction I could go back into the hospital sooner rather that later.  For now I am home, getting my treatments as an outpatient and live is pretty good. 

Thanks for checking in

Love,  Maureen

Weekend Update 10/22 - 10/23

Family Fun:  Good Sunday morning.  This week I am told we've gone from 80 to 50 degrees in the course of a couple days.  Brrr - who knows what the day holds today.  Jim and Emma are coming in today (Sunday).  We've  been going to a Catholic Mass in a small chapel on the West campus which is about a 15 minute wheelchair ride.   Today may be tough with the wind and chill but we'll see.  Jim saw Joseph this weekend for 'family weekend' at Bowdoin.  They attended some lectures, went to a couple of museums, and, of course, enjoyed the famous Bowdoin food..  It sounds like they had a great time.  Emma spent the night with her great friend Caitlin after winning a volleyball game on Friday.  Last night was the homecoming dance and I await a report on that - I am thinking it will go something like this "it was fine".  While I've mostly been resting this week, I have enjoyed several visitors including some good friends from the north shore earlier this week and some close friends from North Andover yesterday (who brought a chocolate cake!  what a glorious idea).  And my Aunt Debbie and cousin in law Jane brought lunch earlier this week.  All good stuff

Medical Update:  I was readmitted last Friday after a brief stay at home.  I've had several rounds of chemo over the last 3 months most lasting 5 days with 21 days or so of recovery before the next regimen.  The plan has been to do the recovery at home but I always seem to run into complications - a drug reaction, infection, mouth sores, just general pain in the ass chemo stuff though some complications gotten pretty bad.  Anyway, this last stay has been completely uneventful.   I came in Friday Oct 14 and started a 7 day course of chemo on Saturday (2 different types of chemo).   The chemo ends Monday and, barring any complications, I will be heading home tomorrow.  We continue to look to a immune therapy clinical trial as the next step. I hope to get more details on this next week.

Thanks for checking in - thanks for all your love, meals and prayers.  We are blessed to have support on so many levels.  Looking forward to another visit from Jim's sister Gina followed by my sister Kate. 

Love, Moe

Update 10/16

I know it has been awhile since the  last update.  Thanks for your patience. 

Family Fun
We had two amazing overnight visitors this past month mto keep things together while I was in the hospital and Jim was traveling on business for a couple of days.  Thank you John (my brother) and Gina (Jim'sister).   Your company was great and I cannot believe all you did;  John helping with outside projects like getting deck furniture put away.  Gina - there is not a dirty towel, shirt, or sheet in the house.   Plus all the food you made was amazing. 

Both kids are good - Joe was here for Columbus Day weekend which was also his birthday weekend.  Emma is keeping busy with school, friends and volleyball

Medical Update
I've been in and out of the hospital these last several weeks.  I am back in the hospital now. Currently getting chemo on a regular basis with the last two regimens as an inpatient.  The most recent round of chemo began Saturday 10/15.  We are adding a second round of chemo as the leukemia is pretty active.  Ultimately we are still working toward getting me into a clinical trial and we are hopeful that will happen after this round of chemo (there would be a waiting period before the trial).

Physically my appetite is good and I am getting around just fine.   I am tired to my bones and the Doctors say this happens when the leukemia gets active.  However I am doing exercises in the hospital, keeping my head in a good fighting place and thanking God every day I have the strength to keep up this fight.  Will be nice when I am not so exhausted but I need to be patient.  Please continue to call, write and text and accept my apologies if it takes me awhile to get back to you. 

Thanks for checking in - love and miss you all

Maureen
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

Update Sunday 9/25

Family fun. Fifteen years ago monday my greatest birthday gift was delivered...Emma Staudt. Born on my bday we share many other things in common.  love of a good joke, dedication to family and extrodinatry disappointment when the fudgy the whale cake stopped being produced. Joe, Jim, Emma and all of Beth Isreal will be celebrating our big day one day early. Great day with lots of presents a cake from a local ice cream store and delicious dinner from local pizza shop. I am hopeful to see my cousins on my actual birthday - Monday.  Now I've hit every holiday as a Beth Isreal patient at least once. Thanks Jim and kids for bringing the holidays to me over the last two years. 

Medical update. Been in hospital since Wednesday September 14. They replaced my pic line which they thought was infected and installed a central tunnel line coming out of my chest. A little weird looking but definitely more convenient for transfusions and blood draws

Beginning Wednesday 9/21 I started chemo. I also started treatments to address high counts of potassium and white blood counts. Both too high and both being managed with medications. The white blood cells can and have become leukemia cells so I am taking medication to slow down their growth. May extend my chemo treatment from 5 to 10 days. Take that leaukemia. The potassium is a bit more baffling and maybe tied to a drug reaction. No eta on coming home as we need to get me stabilized. Hopefully will be this week - maybe Wednesday. 

thanks for your love, prayers, food and comments (lol on the culture Zoli. You make an excellent point. )

Love you all and thanks for checking in.   How lucky am I to never feel alone

Love Moe

Update Sunday 9/18

Good morning everyone.

Family fun. Another good week of volleyball with the North Andover girls again sweeping all games they played. Now this is two different teams they played Wednesday and Friday. Emma and the other girls are really fine tuning their skills and it is a pleasure to watch them play (from clips sent to my phone thanks Micheline though Jim was there this week).  Joe has 60 people interested in a tae Keon do club he is looking to start. The funding process /vote begins soon with student government and that will determine if he can move forward. Jim and Emma were in to see me this weekend at Beth Israel. Oh yeah...back in the big house.  My cousin Margien and her daughter Clair joined us and we had a lot of laughs. Earlier this week my great friend Denise was here and several good friends come tomorrow and Tuesday   Also margiem is bringing me something mouthwatering from the north end. Really getting pampered this week all in an effort to buff up.   Kate was with me for the hospital admission and first day. We had a lot of fun leading up to the interruption and it was so great to have her here last week

Medical update. My medical team and my family has our eyes on the prize of starting a next round of treatment. To do so I must be stronger, more beefed up and infection free (plus a few more variables that are out of my control). This most recent stay started Wednesday when my nurses thought my pick line (this is an iv like line in my arm that is semi permanent and allows for blood draws and infusions) looked infected. They drew blood into chemical combinations in small bottles called cultures. If I do have an infection these cultures will turn into bacteria within 7 days. So far on day 5 they show as pending or negative. If they are still pending on day 7 I will probably be considered infection free, get anothe pic line, and go home. No specific day was mentioned but hopefully mid week. Also had some chest pains due to fluid in my lungs ( not pneumonia). And I've been taking medicine to help my body expel the fluid   Feeling much better and able to breathe more productively.

So none of this has delayed my efforts to get stronger. I'm exercising every day and so grateful to those who've brought food. I am a big baby with the hospital food and having a real dinner (fried chicken, lasagna, and a special treat from the north end coming tonight) makes a huge difference. Jim and Emma brought several breakfast treats and high calorie snacks and I am happily gaining back the weight I lost over the past few months.

So all good with my non-infection and hoping to be home soon.

Thanks so much for checking in and for all your love, card, emails, texts and prayers.  Gavin's some phone trouble here so sorry for any delays in my response.

Love. Moe

Update - September 12, 2016

Family Fun:   Emma had her first Volleyball game last week.  My dear friend Beth who drives me to many appointments took me from the clinic visit straight to the volleyball game.  We made it in time for the varsity game and the girls played awesomely!  We missed Emma's JV game but I hope to get to her game this Wednesday.  All three teams (Fr, JV and Varsity) won their games and at this point in the season (one game under their belt) are undefeated.  Joseph comes home September 24 for a quick visit.  He is petitioning the student government for funds to start a Tae Kwon Do club.  Pretty cool...He is doing well in classes and enjoying life in his new house. Jim found several first mates to join him on the boat this past Saturday and all had a great time.  Kate came in town on Sunday and we've had a lot of quality time together including a shopping trip to TJ Maxx.  We'll be in the clinic much of the time she's here but, if the stars align, will get to Emma's next Volleyball game on Wednesday.

Medical Update:  I continue to feel well overall - My appetite has improved, Physical Therapy comes twice a week for strength training, and I am getting plenty of rest.  Right now I am at the point post-chemo where my blood counts are really low.  Thus I am in the clinic frequently (every other day) for infusions of platelets and red blood.  Makes for longer clinic visits but my counts should improve soon.  Not much else going on.  Thanks for keeping me in your thoughts and prayers.

Love. Maureen

PS Oh...and thanks for checking in!

Update September 4, 2016

Family Fun:  Beautiful labor day weekend this year and yes I am HOME!  I was discharged on Wednesday and enjoyed a nice weekend with Jim and Emma.  We had our friends Glen, Kirsten and Jane over for dinner on Saturday.  Their dog Cash and Guinness are best buds and entertained us for the evening.  Today Jim gave Emma and I a nice diversion of driving up the coast (sadly we had to drive past the hikers and canoes instead of joining in but soon...soon...).  Tomorrow Emma and I get the last odds and ends before her first day of school on Tuesday!  Joe continues to do well at Bowdoin and may come home to see us later this month.  He lives in a house and seems to have a lot of "house meetings".  I feel like that is code for something but he assures me it is not.

Medical Update:  In my last update I talked about my recent week + hospitalization.  That was a doozy.  Basically one of the antibiotics I was taking turned rouge.  One of the rare side effects of this drug is an increased production of lactic acid.  This is what happened to me and I got very sick.  It took about 4-5 days for my lactic acid levels to get back to normal.  One of the Doctors told me it generally takes 11 or more days for the levels to come down - once again your prayers lifted me out of a very dangerous place and put me back on the road to health.  Now that I am home recovering I realize how exhausted I was for the last several weeks before they stopped the antibiotic.  I tried to fight it but the reality was I was light headed, had heart palpitations after walking short distances, and low blood pressure resulting in my needing to rest after going a few steps.  Scary...fast forward to now and I am feeling pretty strong at home.  I use a walker whenever I feel a little tired because my earlier fall scared the sh$% out of me.  But for the most part I am getting around on my own and both my resting and post 'exercise' heart rate are very strong.  I am thrilled to be back on track and fully appreciate how miserable it is to be, well, miserable.  In terms of treatment...I finished another round of chemo and those side effects are kicking in (low blood counts) - no physical side effects yet so we'll wait and see.  Still waiting on the sign off for my next round of treatment.  I have a feeling when it comes it will be fast and furious.  In the meantime, my job is to get stronger and fatter.  So off to get some ice cream.

Thanks to everyone who  continues to bring meals and help with rides to the clinic.  My family could not function without you.  God Bless.  Also Kate comes back on Sunday which will be awesome.  Both fun and super helpful.  I cannot have one moment where I feel bad for myself when I am surrounded by all this love.

Thanks for checking in.

Love Maureen