tom's blog

mack truck

Posted Fri, 09/26/2008 - 20:58 by tom

She felt like she got run over by a mack truck today. Nothing specific occured to cause this, it really is just a result of the leukemia and the treatments. She was talking with one of the nurses earlier and the nurse said that Anna was really on a high for a while... this treatment stuff has a tendency to really beat up on your system so she had been doing way better than anyone could have possibly imagined. Today was one of those days where she was brought back down to earth a little bit in that everything was a little more difficult. She was still able to clean up, walk around, eat, spirits are still high, etc but you can tell that everything hurts a little more and the energy level just isn't what it was. I think we're going to have some good days and some bad days... and this one probably was a little closer to one of the bad days. But, in reality the bad day wasn't really all that bad. There is a lot to be thankful for.

Also, today was the day that they changed the port again. This one was very easy and she did not feel a thing. They definitely figured out what happened last time. Apparently, the hospital had started changing needle sizes/types or something like that and she got caught in the middle of a bit of a mix up. Either way, it's all sorted out at this point. This was another hurdle and anxiety point that she was able to overcome. Moving forward, this should be a bit of a non-event.

Thanks again everyone for the comments, thoughts and prayers, etc. It's amazing how many people I hear from that say they check the blog regularly. It has really worked out well as a method of communication.

Xiomara (Sam) goes home tomorrow. Thanks Sam and Abuela (Anna's Grandma) for helping this week. TJ had a great time and I'm glad it went well. My parents are next up in the rotation, so they'll be down on Sunday.

Stephanie: Regarding colors, she says blue, gray, beige...

Niko: Pay attention in school. Call me if you need help. Seriously.

chemo (day 11)

Posted Thu, 09/25/2008 - 22:18 by tom

She had a bit of a sad night last night, in that an older Cuban guy who was in her unit passed away. For the last few days you could tell something was happening as he had a bunch of family that was here pretty much constantly. Felt a bit like the Mariel boatlift landed in Livingston, NJ but with my 25% Cuban left-handed future fast-ball throwing two-year old at home, who am I to complain. She was up for a while last night and wound up having rice and beans around 3am. But she did manage to get some sleep last night and it was a bit of a relaxing day.

We're on day 11 of the official schedule so today was another chemo day. I think this was the fifth chemo day thus far (11 days on the schedule and 5 rounds of chemo, got it?). This one was administered a little earlier in the day than the other ones. This one was administered via a shot and the nurse was so gentle that she barely felt it (plus it was in an administered in an area where she has a little extra cushion, if you know what i mean).

She washed her hair earlier today and there were quite a few clumps of hair that came out. She's still in good spirits about it and not sad about it, just annoyed as it gets all over the place. Her mom's got a few cool scarves that she's been checking out, plus the ever popular yankees cap is likely to become a semi-regular fixture at some point.

When I got here, she was full of energy and in good spirits. We had takeout from some Italian place in the neighborhood and she had most of a personal pizza and some garlic bread, so the appetite was pretty good and we gave grandma/xiomara a night off from cooking.

Also, she wanted to send a special thank you to Stephanie as she's sent a few cards now. Also, she wanted to the Gallagher's (neighbors) for sending a card today and everyone else for their comments and for continuing to check-in.

143 days....

Posted Wed, 09/24/2008 - 22:39 by tom

Now that the Yankees are officially out of it, we can start the countdown to spring training... 143 days to go!

She had a bit of a tough night last night. She had some consistent pain in her legs, which is a side effect of either the chemo or the leukemia. Plus, I think she over did it the last few days and then did not get a good night sleep last night. Also, she has noticed that she is starting to lose some hair. If you look at her, you can't tell... but she sees it on her pillow and when she cleans up. I think this has a bit of an emotional impact on her, which definitely doesn't help.

She has another round of chemo tomorrow. We're expecting that she'll do well, just like she has for the last few times.

Over the past few weeks, we've really had some great conversations and spent some great time together. We've been married now for almost 6 years (I know, I can't believe its been 6 years!) and this experience has really given us a new found appreciation for each other. Generally, our conversations are happy and fun, but occasionally, we'll chat about something a little emotional. TJ has this book at home called "Love You Forever" by Munsch (the text is here http://www.rogerknapp.com/inspire/loveforever.htm) and the other night he just kept constantly bringing that one to me. I'd put it down and grab the colors or shapes or any of the other books, and he kept going back to that one. I couldn't read it... just couldn't... Well, i guess my point was, conversations like that are sometimes a little emotional. We're both looking forward to growing old and watching Mr TJ grow up to be a man. It's amazing to me how quickly he went from being a baby to a toddler.

Much to my surprise, Anna is not going stir crazy. She seems to keep herself pretty occupied and is at peace with this situation, though she is looking forward to going home at some point. I think I'd be bouncing off the walls and probably would have slipped the housekeeping people a couple bucks to sneak me out of here for a couple hours.

Overall though, she continues to do great, is in good spirits and is full of faith. Anna's Aunt Xiomara and Anna's grandma are staying with me and TJ this week. So far, its going great and we're real appreciative of the support.