Doing Good

This week Andrea's main doctor was pleased that her left arm is less numb than before. He said sometimes with neuro chemo, it goes away completely and other times it does not. Her blood tests showed improvement except with her kidneys. She really needs prayers for her kidneys. They are working about 30-40% capacity. They start dialysis when patients are at about 10% capacity. Andrea is still drinking loads of water a day, and her diet was almost exactly what the kidney doctor wanted her to be eating; however, he said all of us could probably benefit if we cut down on salt intake.
Andrea sees the brain and spine doctor on Monday, but we do not anticipate any more input, so have a Happy Thanksgiving.
We all are so blessed.

Keep on keeping on

Sorry I haven't posted lately but we were waiting for test results.
Andrea's kidney levels came down close to normal so they gave her a half dose of contrast on the MRI this time. It still shows a high intensity in the medulla of the brain which they continue to attribute to chemo. They are still concerned that it may be an infection or otherwise. So they ordered a spinal tap without chemo and it came back clear, just as it has before. Plans are to continue monitoring. Her left arm has become less numb and she can write again.
Andrea had her flu shot, but she still caught some bug that made her throat feel like golf balls had lodged during Tuesday night. She got a prescription to deal with that, so hopefully she'll be okay tomorrow.
Thanks for the emails, calls and asking about Andrea. You all are a wonderful support group praying for her, and we thank you for that.

A Bigger Hiccup

With the higher kidney levels, Andrea started feeling more fatigued and nauseous last week; however, her greatest concern was when her left arm went numb. MDA ran an MRI of the brain and a spinal tap with no chemo on Monday. The good news from the spinal tap is that there are no cancer cells, but the MRI showed a new high intensity spot in the medulla of the brain. Basically, the neurologist said Andrea has had too much aggressive chemo which is causing the spot in the brain, numbness in her arm, throwing her kidneys off balance, and giving her massive headaches . We are meeting with a renal nutritionist tomorrow to help her plan a diet to combat all these issues. I think it is safe to say "No More Chemo"!
Let's just say with Andrea being left handed, she can recover from this quickly.
You know what's next.....pray, pray, pray. : )

One More Diversion

Andrea cannot have the spinal tap this month because her kidney function numbers are not in the normal range and her blood pressure has been a bit high. She feels good, but it is one of those silent obstacles that can be picked up from drawing the blood and monitoring the blood pressure. Her main doctor is setting up an appointment with a kidney specialist so he may have added suggestions other than taking her off as many drugs as they can.
We really appreciate your prayers.

3 More To Go

Today the spinal tap with chemo went well so far. Andrea is sleeping through the medication this afternoon. We just pray for no headaches or back pain when she awakes. The advanced practioner nurse was talking to us before the procedure and was surprised/happy when Andrea told him that after today, there are only 3 more scheduled spinal taps. We are all looking to the end of spinal taps and a great new year of 2009 with no more chemo. Her hair has grown back to a "boy cut" length, which I think is cute even though I know she prefers longer hair!
Thanks for checking this site and for your prayers.

Continued progress

Andrea went to her main doctor Thursday with the jab to the arm vein for all the blood tests. Some nurses are just better at jabbing than others. Her "numbers" are looking good now, but she does need to keep more hydrated. She has become conscientious about how many plastic bottles of water she was using and we have been trying out a variety of reuseable plastic bottles while using the filtered water from home. While in hospital beds along with recuperating and watching HGTV does have an affect on your views of a 'green earth'! An outing to a Home and Garden Show in Katy with Carter Oosterhouse, host of 'Red, Hot and Green" was fun this weekend. Reuse and recycle was the theme.
Andrea is feeling better and we appreciate your prayers.

4 More To Go

The spinal tap/chemo went well on Friday. Andrea has only 4 more of those, once a month through December. She has swollen ankles and appears to be retaining water, so we saw the main doctor Monday and he agreed with the pain management doctor to drop a medicine to see if that is the reason. Otherwise, she is feeling okay now, thank goodness!
The brain MRI was good, spinal tap fluid clear and bone marrow is 100% donor cells. We appreciate everyone's encouragement. It has been such a long process, and we are beginning to look forward to fall and cooler weather since we've been having a good dose of rain.

Friday is the Day

Andrea goes in for blood tests on Thursday, and if everything checks out good as it did Monday, then she gets the methotrexate chemotherapy in the spinal tap on Friday morning. Like I said before, she just wants to get on with the prescribed treatment and be done with it because she is feeling better. She does feel tired and fatigued, but that can be attributed to the chemo effects that last quite a while after it is given. Her MRI of the the brain this week looks very good, so they are confident the headaches were from low red blood cells. Thanks for your prayers, God listens!

More Rescheduling

The doctors are trying to get together again to reschedule more chemo since Andrea's white blood cells returned to normal, and even though the red blood cells and platelets are low, they are not so low that it would inhibit her from having the spinal tap. They also think the headaches could be from low red blood cells but have ordered an MRI to make sure they are on track. Please continue to pray that Andrea gets a boost in her red blood cells. We think of each of you wherever you are and pray for your families, t0o.

Well.....

I didn't think we'd be disappointed to NOT have chemo, but Andrea is at the point she would like for everything to go as scheduled so it will be fininshed. Today she could not get the scheduled spinal tap with chemo because her red blood count was too low. Most probable causes for this are the chemotherapies of the past, so we go in Monday to see what the blood counts are. We ate liver at Luby's at lunch to see if the iron in that boosts her system, and more yummy proteins this weekend are in store.....so we'll see what comes of it. Otherwise, she is feeling okay, so we'll be praying for a boost in her white and red blood cells.

Gaining Strength

Andrea is feeling better and gaining momentum.
However, today was a bit exhausting just in the waiting game to have blood taken, get a bone marrow aspiration, and see the doctor. Total time for all of those takes about 30 minutes, but we were at the hospital today for 6 1/2 hours, all without Andrea eating during that time because she has the bone marrow aspiration with sedation. We were glad to get home!
On Friday, she gets the once a month spinal tap with chemotherapy. So far, those have been going well and we pray for the same. Thank you for your continued prayers. God listens!

Continuing Improvement

Today is J. and Andrea's first wedding anniversary and we are so happy for them that they are celebrating it with a positive health outlook. The doctor dropped more medication, so Andrea is taking about 11 pills a day now. She has her major burst of energy in the morning and usually has a list of things to be done, then rests some in the afternoon. Andrea has even driven her car some on streets near her home, which shows boldness for any driver! Thank you for your ever-continuing thoughts and prayers.

Getting Better

Andea is off the immunosuppresant drugs and her platelets have returned to normal. What a relief! Her kidney creatinine level function is still little high, so the main doctor is not going to give her the Vidaza shots now. So, Friday they removed the Central Venous Catheter line that was just below her clavicle. With that line out, it is just so much easier to take a shower. She still needs to drink at least 3 liters of fluid a day, and is taking about 14 pills a day. With all that said, Andrea is 'on the mends' and feeling better. Thanks for your continued prayers.

Seeing past the discomfort

Tomorrow, Friday, is the day for the once a month methotrexate chemotherapy spinal tap. We somewhat have that routine down now and can anticipate what will happen and how careful Andrea needs to be the next few days.
Monday the plans are for her to take the Vidaza shots once a day for 5 days. She's been drinking as much water as she can so her creatinine levels are good in order to take those shots, so we'll see what the blood tests reveal tomorrow. As with most of us, a good motto may be: "work in progress".

Trade Offs

It has been a relief not to report to MDA everyday to receive meds and fluids. However, that means that Andrea has to drink at least 3 liters of water/fluid a day. Anyone who has actually measured that out knows it is one of the greatest weight loss or weight control measures of all time. It is difficult to be hungry enough to eat at meal time, and she needs to gain weight. Plus she is still taking about 20 pills a day. She has a good outlook on what she needs to do each day and is trying to eat healthy meals.
Even though Andrea does not have to go to theATC, she is still at MDA often to test her blood levels, have the Vidaza shots 5 consecutive days each month, and the spinal tap chemotherapy once a month. The spinal tap chemotherapy should be finished by the end of the year. The MRI of the brain came back normal again, so the spinal tap chemotherapy is a reassurance of no relapse.
She was happy this week when they said she could eat salad again. Great gains and great hope. Thank you for your prayers.

100 Days

As 100 days from the stem cell transplant approaches on Wednesday, June 25, Andrea continues to feel better. They have her reporting to M.D. Anderson once or twice a week instead of every day to check her blood levels and take care of any other health concerns that arise. Also this marks the time that they reduce the immunosuppressant drugs so she can start building up her own immunity system. We're hoping the amount of pills taken a day drops from the 20's down to the teens. She is still receiving medicine through the central venous catheter. It is a long process that takes time and lots of patience.
Thank you for your continued prayers as we realize this is a long time to keep praying!

Wouldn't you know

Wouldn't you know as soon as I said that Andrea had not needed blood or platelets, she needed a red blood infusion on Friday. I noticed that the red blood cells she received stayed good until July 10, so they do not expire as quickly as platelets do. Anyway, if anyone wants to give blood or platelets, just tell MDA you are giving on behalf of Andrea Martin. She is feeling better and is working hard recoup.

Grateful

We have so much to be grateful for and your continued prayers and support are part of the top of the list. If anyone in Houston wants to give blood or platelets on Andrea's behalf, M.D. Anderson is ready to accept them at 1515 Holcombe, 2nd Floor, near Elevator A. All you need to do is call 713-792-4531 to make an appointment and they will tell you what medicines you can and cannot be on to give blood. It struck a heart string to know Pi Phi sisters (who may not even know Andrea) are interested and praying.
Praise God that Andrea didn't need any this week because she sustained the minimum that she needs. If Andrea does not use any blood donated in her behalf, just know that the blood you donate is going to our fellow Ambulatory Treatment Center friends or to the surgeries that they perform daily to battle these awful cancers.
Andrea is feeling better even though her energy level is low. Her stamina will grow with God's help, your prayers, time, good food and the TLC she has been getting.

Small Gains

Even though Andrea's blood count numbers are low, she gained a few points from the 30's last week to 41 platelets today. We are encouraged that she made her own platelets. The spinal tap went okay last Friday and did not cause extreme pain like it has before. This week she takes the Vidaza shot every day Monday through Friday and is taking infusions of extra daily fluids to be able to take the drug.
Please pray that this new treatment will work in her favor.

Steady

Although the platelets are not normal, they have held steady for a week and a half, and Andrea has not required an infusion. This is good news but low platelets causes extreme fatigue. Andrea is not in pain, but has a very low energy level. She is just so grateful not to be hurting that she does not complain, but she wants to do so much more.....You know her....... Please pray for her to make her own platelets!
Also she has to have the chemo spinal tap on Friday, so special prayers would be appreciated for healing and no pain then, too.