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

Update August 28

Family Fun:  Big weekends here.

8/12 Jim's sister Gina and brother-in-law George came up this weekend for a visit.  They arrived yesterday and we had a cookout. It was a blast to catch up. Emma did an evening 5k run with glow in the dark stuff thrown at her.  The kids went on the boat with Jim, their aunt and uncle.  Gina and George left and my mom and Kate arrived.

8/19 Emma again went on a boat trip with Jim and some pals.  We also had a goodbye party for Joseph.   He went off to school on 8/25.  Emma and Joe have spent a lot of time together shopping and going to the beach.  Emma, Grandma and Kate even took me out for a day at shopping at target.

Medical Update: Sunday (Aug 28) Over the last several weeks Maureen had continuing weakness.  On Monday, Maureen was admitted to the hospital unable to walk or dance under her own power.  She had not been able to keep down any food or drink before this for days.  They discovered a toxic reaction to one of her antibiotics,  Once she stopped taking it things started recovering rapidly.  The first 3 days in the hospital were a nightmare but I am now feeling much better and beginning to take steps on my own with the help of two nurses.  A ways to go to but no more lightheaded or dizziness.  Mostly severe lack of strength and fatigue.  No worries we'll get back.  Started next round of chemo on Thursday.  No ETA yet for discharge.

In other news...on Sunday 8/21 at 330 am Maureen fell over her walker and her head grazed the corner of a chest.  We went to the emergency room and they found no internal damage so home we went. The same day at 330 pm my Mom was bringing me to a clinic visit.  She tripped and fell while getting me a wheelchair and banged up her face pretty good.  She too went to the emergency room and got two stitches for her trouble but also no internal injuries.  She was able to go home that night and is doing great.

So Joe is at school, Emma starts just after labor day (oh and also made the JV Volleyball team!!). Kate went home after a week stay, and grandma spend 5 hours in the emergency room but has been home in north andover beyond that.   WOW

Thanks for checking in

Love Maureen

Update August 8th

Family Fun:  Emma is home!!  Her return was preceded by a letter with a list of activities she wants to knock out before school starts.  Good stuff like beach days, dinner at a favorite restaurant, bonfire - don;t think cleaning out the trunk from camp made it to the list but this is only day 1.  Joseph is counting the days until he returns to Bowdoin.  Master Shin (who runs the Tae Kwon Do studio where Joseph works) is planning a nice goodbye party for my big guy.  Jim and the kids enjoyed  beautiful day on the boat this past Sunday.  Hope to be joining them on an upcoming trip soon.  Jim's sister Gina and husband George will be here this weekend.  My Mom and Kate get her late Sunday afternoon for an extended visit.

Medical Update:  Good week on the medical front.  Heading into the clinic regularly still as this is the point post-chemo where my counts drop.  (you may know from previous posts - low platelets, low red blood that I need replenished).  Not sure how long this will last -  will update all on next treatment possibilities as they present themselves.

Thanks for checking in!!

Love Moe

Update August 1st

Family Fun:  We've received a few letters from Emma and she is having a great time at camp.  I don't know how she will be able to fit in all the activities.  Of course we miss her terribly and cannot wait to see her this coming Saturday.  Joseph continues to squeeze every bit of fun out of the summer while being really helpful to me.  He goes back on the 25th and we will really miss him.  Jim, Joseph and I spent the weekend with my best friend Lisa and her husband Charlie.  It was wonderful!  For the first time in months I was able to get out (thanks to SVDP and my friend Michelle for the temporary loaning of a transport wheelchair) on a real outing.  Lisa and I drove up to Gloucester, MA for lunch meeting Jim and Charlie there who arrived by boat.  We poked around a beautiful art studio then Lisa and I took a tour of the coast.  A great day!  Thank you Lisa and Charlie for a beautiful visit

Medical Update:  First of all thank you to everyone who brought me to and from the clinic.  Truly without your help I would be in the hospital getting the treatment.  Not only is the physical healing happening faster at home it is great for the soul to see the kids everyday and sleep in my bed every night.  Finished the first week of chemo on Friday.  Everything went well.  I am having some side effects which are common to the chemo I am receiving (fatigue, some stomach trouble).  My blood counts are dropping which will mean more clinic visits (probably every 2 days) for infusions.  The plan is to see how my leukemia responds to the chemo and then chart out future plans for treatment.

Thanks for checking in.

Love, Maureen