tom's blog

it's been a while

Posted Sun, 03/15/2009 - 15:48 by tom

OK, I'm way overdue. I really haven't been too good at updating lately, so sorry about that.

Overall, things are going very well. For the last couple of weeks, Anna has been dealing with a little bit of a cold and a cough. She's has been on an antibiotic for a little bit, but thankfully she's been fighting it off well enough that she's been able to stay at home (and not go back to the hospital). I think it has her worn down a little bit but on most days she still feels good enough to go back/forth to the doctor for her checkups and run small errands like stopping at the super market. Some of her numbers have been a little lower than normal this past week, but nothing that a couple shots and possibly a transfusion can't fix.

This coming week should be relatively quiet from a treatment perspective, and then on the 23rd she starts another 8 week program that is much more intense that what she's doing now (but not as bad as the first few weeks back in September). I think we're all a little nervous about it, but it's nothing that she can't handle. Assuming everything stays on track, that means that by June she will be in maintenance - which means she has treatment about once a month. We're all looking forward to that, as she should really bounce back at that point.

This past week, Bianca came up from Orlando while she was on break from college. It was great to have her here, as she really does help with the cooking, laundry, TJ, etc. My mom is back this coming week, and then for parts of the next few weeks... Then Anna's other relatives (Bianca's grandparents) come up for much of April. While having visitors help out is great, it also means that TJ has been able to stay here the last few weeks and will continue to be here for the foreseeable future.

With TJ being here, he's gotten really close to Anna these days. Plus, she's been feeling well enough to give him milk, change the occasional diaper, and put him to sleep - so she's starting to feel more like a mom again (and it's been great to see). Hopefully, with all the people here over the next couple of weeks, we can get him potty trained.

that's all for now.

time

Posted Wed, 02/25/2009 - 01:23 by tom

hello everyone. it's been a while since i've posted an update. things have been a little hectic with my work schedule lately, so haven't had time to sit down and write..... havent had time for much at all.

anna's continuing to make good progress. she's had a cold the past week or so, which has slowed her down and made her feel a little crummy. but, what's amazing is that she was actually able to stay home while she had the cold and didn't have to go back to the hospital. with everything that is going on with chemo, her immune system is pretty weak and something like this could have put her back in the hospital, but she was able to fight it off.

treatment is continuing forward for her. it's just a weekly checkup and then chemo pills for another two weeks or so. then, she's back onto a little bit more of an intense program but nothing like what she's been through.

anna's been staying home these past few weeks. on the alternating weeks when my mom isn't in town, TJ has been going into the city to stay with her parents. that process is getting tougher and tougher. when we drive him in, he knows where he's going and starts to get real upset about it... which in turn, makes everyone else a little upset as well. it's real tough to drop him off, but it is what we have to do right now. we're trying to figure out some other plans for the spring and beyond, but it is what it is for now.

it was tino's birthday this past week. we tried writing to his new owners, but didn't hear back... i'm sure he's doing well.

another week goes by

Posted Wed, 02/11/2009 - 00:57 by tom

Anna had her checkup on Monday. All of her numbers continue to be exactly where we want them to be. She's been feeling pretty good lately and looking great. Her hair is really filling in and looking pretty stylish. She's been taking pills during the week and they seem to have some effect on her, but not nearly as bad as some of the more intense IV/spinal tap procedures that they had been doing. She has another 5 weeks or so like this, so we're in a really good stage of treatment. She went to the mall herself today and managed to do a little shopping, so that's always a good sign from a health perspective (and bad sign from a checking account perspective).

She'll keep a little busy this week, but nothing too crazy. She's resting up for the Marc Anthony concert this weekend. TJ is in the city with her parents, so it's pretty quiet out here. My parents are back down this weekend and it's the first time we've seen my father in a few weeks, so it'll be good to see him.

Crazy world out there... stock market took a beating again today. A-rod is A-roids or A-fraud... i guess that was one way to get them to stop talking about the Joe Torre book. Baseball is right around the corner.... should be an exciting year.