Chemo Today 3-27-06

Last week Andrea said that her eyes changed dramatically. She claims that she can see all the color in the world now and everything is a little blurry. She visited the Low Vision Clinic in Houston early last week and they gave her a prescription for glasses. On Friday we went to Eye Masters and picked out frames for her lenses. They should be in this week so we'll see how she does with those. This is a huge improvement and one I honestly didn't always expect. Truly another miracle has occurred and will continue to occur forever.

Last Friday Andrea and I went to an Italian restaurant with a group of friends to celebrate her 25th birthday. Her birthday is not till Wednesday of this week, but we wanted to do it before she started her chemo treatment. We all had a great time and she loved it. On Saturday Andrea and I went to Fort Worth for one of her friend's wedding reception (Alex and Bart Hall). We stayed at her friend Erin's house in Bedford and had a wonderful time.

Today Andrea begins her second chemo treatment. She will be able to do it at home as long as there are no complications or precautions that must be taken. Please stop sometime today and say a prayer for Andrea. Continue these prayers throughout her treatment and we will keep her out of the hospital and on the road to complete recovery. Thank you so much for your support and prayers. God Bless.

Me and Andrea 

Andrea at the Lakehouse 

Dustin's Wedding 

The Weight is On

Andrea has made significant improvements over the past week. She has described it like a switch turned on inside of her. She has not gotten sick in ten days, and she has been pigging out. Not only has she gained nine pounds in one week, she has been able to see a lot more color. Andrea is thrilled about the changes and it shows in her attitude and energy levels.

This weekend was her first trip away from Houston. We went to one of my best friend's wedding, Dustin Duhon, in Austin, Texas. We also went to my parent's lake house on Canyon Lake on Saturday. She has not visited there since the week before she was in the hospital. I will post some pictures of the weekend on the blog very soon.

Andrea's doctor has decided to do a half dose of chemo next week to keep the leukemia from coming back before the bone marrow transplant. She was also informed that the doctor would like for her to do the transplant in about two months. Please continue to pray for her and we will bring her through this terrible ordeal. She would like to thank to all of you again for all the support and prayers.

All is Well 3-12-06

The surgery went well and hopefully Andrea's trachea will heal properly now. She spent the weekend recovering and catching up on her movies. We think we might have nailed down which medication was causing the nausea. The dosage of the medication will be complete tomorrow so we are keeping our fingers crossed that this will allow her to start gaining some weight. We will keep everyone informed if anything comes up this week. Keep praying for her tummy and eyes. Good night and God Bless.

Pray Today 3-10-06

This week has been much better than last. Andrea doesn't have the headaches anymore and is beginning to hold more and more food down. She did visit the eye doctor this week and some improvement have been made since the last visit. The doctor also told her that at this point he is not trying to correct her vision, but stabilize her eyes for the bone marrow transplant. Once the transplant is over he can go back in and focus more on correction of her vision to some degree. This was very encouraging to Andrea.

Earlier this week the doctors at MD Anderson discovered a small amount of bacteria on Andrea's trachea site and put in a pick line so that she could receive an antibiotic drip from home. She returned to MDA yesterday and saw a head and neck doctor. They decided to do a minor surgery today to help close her trachea site and help it heal more quickly. She will be going into surgery today (Friday) around 11:30AM. Please pray especially for this procedure and we will get her through another obstacle. Hopefully the procedure will not set her back a bit and we will continue on the road to recovery.

Thank you for your support and please keep Andrea in your prayers. God Bless.

A Little Set Back 3-6-06

On Monday of last week Andrea had a spinal tap to determine whether the leukemia was in her nervous system. The good news was that test was negative, but the bad news was the spinal tap caused extremely painful headaches. They lasted all week and she couldn't keep any food down during that time. We started all over in the weight gaining arena.

Saturday the headaches ceased and she had a great time with her friends that night. Monday we went back to the doctor and the IV fluids from the week before lowered the Calcium level but not the Creatine in the kidneys. They found bacteria around her trachea and prescribed a drip that can be done at home.

She will be resting and eating as much as she can all week. Please continue to pray for her kidneys, tummy, and eyes. She loves each and every one of you. God night and God Bless.

Another Week 2-27-06

This past week was somewhat uneventfully, but Andrea continues to show signs of improvement. The cough that she had been battling since we returned from the hospital finally ceased, even though she has developed some sinus pressure. They did any MRI on the brain last week and it showed no signs of trouble. MD Anderson also did more blood work and there was 0% blasts in the blood. They did discover that her creatine (kidney number) was elevated and today they started a four hour drip of NaCl for the next three days. Hopefully the drip will take care of the problem. The doctors tell us that they want her back to atleast 90% before the bone marrow transplant and we are not real clear on what this means. The main thing we are focusing on is getting her to gain weight. She needs to put on another 10-15 pounds so that she will weigh 90% of what she did when she arrived at the hospital in November. She has experienced a hard time eating larger meals and holding all of it down. Let's all pray this changes soon. In my opinion her eye sight continues to improve. She is not using her hands as much to get around and lately she has begun to recognize more color. I am truly impressed with the strides her eyes have made over the last few week. Well enough about the medical stuff.

Emotional she is doing better and the support has been wonderful. Perry has a done a great job taking her shopping and helping her find wigs. This weekend she got another wig custom made and it looks great. This coming weekend Andrea is going to have a group of girlfriends over to spend the night which should be really fun. I will be taking off to do a little hunting with some of my friends.

Please continue to pray for Andrea's blood, tummy, eyes, and kidneys. We really appreciate the support everyone has provided in this time of need and I don't know how to repay each and everyone of you. Just know that Andrea and I are so thankful to have a group of people out there that care for us the way you all do. God Bless and keep the prayers coming.

All Week 2-19-06

This past week Andrea went to MD Anderson and had an MRI of her abdomen on Wednesday. We have not heard the test results yet, but we will keep you all posted. The only other doctor she saw this week was the eye doctor. Even though her vision is extremely blurry she is gaining more central vision with her right eye instead of just peripheral. She ordered one of her wigs on Tuesday and she picked it up Thursday.

The day before Andrea got sick and went the hospital, we picked out a ring for our engagement. While she was sick I went and bought the ring so I could give it to her when she felt better. I expected to give it to her much sooner, but she was feeling horrible and couldn't see all that good. On Valentines day this week I decided the time had come and I gave her the ring that she picked out months ago.

On Saturday night we had a wedding shower (really just a party) for one of my best friends and his bride to be (Dustin Duhon and Cheryl Sparks). Lupe's Tortillas Mexican restaurant catered the party and we had about 50 guests. Andrea was able to see many familiar faces and chatted all night long. She also got wear her new wig and makeup (courtesy of Perry) for the first time.

We don't know what our schedule looks like this coming week, but we will keep you all informed. Please continue your prayers for Andrea's eyes and tummy. God Bless and goodbye.

Back from the Ranch 2-13-06

This weekend we went to the ranch and Andrea rode on the 4-wheelers. She had a great time relaxing by the outdoor fire and breathing the country air with friends. We grilled steak, chicken, and baked potatoes. Zues had a wonderful time running wild around the house. In the morning she watched the guys shoot skeet and rifles. She really enjoyed getting out the house for a change of scenery.

When she returned to Katy on Sunday she was happy to see her father who had returned from overseas for good. Today was a good day and we don't have any appointments this week. This week will hopefully be a healing week and we can just relax. We will let everyone know if anything changes and please continue your prayers. She needs everyone support for her eyes and for her tummy to except more food. Continue your prayers and God Bless.

Going to the Ranch 2-11-06

This week was full of more doctors appointments and Andrea's condition is being tested. My Mom bought an elliptical machine and she was able to stay on it for 45 seconds! She is beginning to walk to more of her appointments without the aid of the wheelchair. Everyday we have been taking walks down the street and we lengthen them each time.

The cardiogram done on Tuesday looked good, but she struggled a little bit with the lung test on Thursday. This is due to her cough which is slowly getting better since the doctor prescribed her new antibiotics. The blood tests this week are looking better and better. Her calcium levels still look good and the deposits on her hand and arm are going away. The liver numbers are down again and almost normal. At one time her liver numbers were nearly 30 times what is normal. Her white blood count is normal and indicates that her body is not fighting any sort of infection. Andrea's eye sight is still very limited, but we are keeping the faith that over time she will gain more and more sight. Earlier this week she found a magnifying glass that helps her see. She was able to see detail for the first time since November. She could actually see my face.

Tomorrow we are going to get Andrea out of the house for a full night. We are planning to take a short trip to my parent's ranch in Wharton, TX. It is probably going to be really cold, but I still plan on doing a little fishing. This will be good chance for us to relax in a different setting with several friends. Andrea and I send everyone love and appreciate all the cards, gifts, and comments on this blog. God Bless and good night.

Getting Better 2-7-06

Andrea had a great weekend and continues to improve. She gets more and more energy everyday and gains more strength on a daily basis. On Friday her friend Krista came over and spend the night with her and they watched movies and chatted all night. Saturday I stayed with her and she was doing so good. On Sunday we went to her friend Perry's house and watched the Superbowl. She has begun to eat more each day and is having a better time keeping the food down. On Monday she didn't have any doctor appointments and continued to relax. Her cough is getting much better and her Calcium level has come back to a normal level. Today she went to MD Anderson for a liver ultrasound and a heart cardiogram. Everything at MD Anderson seems very promising and we are glad to be at one of the best hospitals in the world. Tonight Andrea decided she wanted to go out to eat at an Italian restaurant and she had a great time.

The one thing that is still bothering Andrea is her sight. She continues to see more and more, but it is such a slow process. Please pray for her sight to improve and for her health to continue to improve. She loves all of you and appreciates all of your support. God Bless and good night.

Wiggin'out

Today Andrea went with Krista and her mother to start looking at wigs, she wants to play around with colors but let's just say she's not a blonde! After that she had a doctor's appointment at MD Anderson to check out the calcium deposits on her hands and arms. The doctor was not absolotuly positive on how to get rid of it & wanted to run more tests before he could prescribe medication. She found out from xrays this week she has broken 2 of her ribs from coughing. Tonight she is having friends stay over and plans on spending the rest of the weekend shopping for wigs and gaining more strength. Love, Hugs, & Prayers.

Remission!

Andrea went back to MD Anderson today thank God she is still in Remission! We just have to get our baby to gain weight so she can get stronger, as well as getting rid of this nasty cough before we can proceed with the bone marrow transplant. The doctor was very optimistic when the results came back from her bone marrow biopsy...only 3 blast cells (5 & below are normal). It was a very long day for Andrea, she was at the hospital from 10 AM to 6:30 tonight and is very happy to be home again. Tomorrow the doctor will be examining the calcification on her hand and arm, so far it appears to be healing. Right now her major challenge is he nasuea, which is caused by all of the anti-biotic medication they had her on, hopefully we found a way to remody this today with new prescriptions. Andrea really appreciates everyone's thoughtful prayers, they are truly working & we love you all for that!

MD Anderson 1-31-06

Sorry we haven't posted in a while, but we are back at it again. Yesterday we made our first trip to MD Anderson to meet with the doctors about a bone marrow transplant. They ran several tests taking up to 13 vials of blood and did a x-ray on Andrea's chest. The plan down the road is for Andrea to receive a bone marrow transplant from her sister, Kristin. In order for this Andrea will have to take another round of chemo followed directly by the transplant. She will have to stay in the hospital for 30 days then for the next 70 days she will have to visit MD Anderson for daily blood draws.

Right now Andrea is taking antibiotics for a respiratory infection. She continues to have more energy and is getting around better each day. Tomorrow we will make another trip to MD Anderson to see more doctors and stop by the eye doctor for a check up. Thursday she will have to do a bone marrow biopsy at MD Anderson. Our plate is full again, but we now have an idea of what's ahead.

Everyone should pray for Andrea's biopsy to come back good, her lungs to clear up, her eye sight, and for her overall strength and faith. Thank you everyone for the support and keep the prayers coming. We love all you guys.

Recovery 1-27-06

Yesterday we went back to the eye doctor and the left eye was still too swollen to find out how much she could see. She was able to see another line of letters with her right eye with the aid of a lens. The whole eye recovery process is still going to take a lot of time and patience.

The physical therapist also came by to go over exercises and do an evaluation of Andrea's condition. She will continue to come by twice a week for the next four week. Andrea continues to gain more strength and we will not stop encouraging her to get up and do more.

We also have an appointment with MD Andersen on Monday to find out more about the next steps of treatment. She will also return to the eye doctor on Wednesday for a check up. Other than that keep praying for her eyes, lungs, and overall strength. She continues to have an extremely annoying cough that we are praying for to stop and give her some relief. Andrea wants to thank everyone for all the flowers, cards, and prayers. She can't see the flowers at this time but loves the smell and we have taken pictures to show her in the future. Take care and God Bless.

No Pain No Gain 1-26-06

Today we woke up early to go back to the hospital for Andrea's eye surgery. It all went well however she is in a lot of pain and it will take many months to know the full result of the surgery. We just have to continue to pray and ask God for her sight to be restored.

Tomorrow she has an appointment to revisit the eye doctor for a check up. She will be receiving physical therapy for the first time at home. The lung doctor is also sending breathing treatment to the house to help clear her lungs.

Andrea has begun to really love hearing the blog comments now that she is more awake and at home where we have internet 24/7. Please keep the comments coming and I will continue to read them each day. Also keep the prayers headed her way and will get this girl healed. God night and God Bless.

Healing from Home 1-25-06

Today was another healing day for Andrea. We all went to her apartment and was her first time back there since Thanksgiving. She enjoyed getting out the house and taking a ride in the car.

She wanted everyone to know that the ends of two of her toes fell off last night. There were two perfectly new toes underneath the old ones. We were scared that she might lose these two toes completely, but thank God that wasn't the result.

Tomorrow she will be going into surgery on her left eye at 10AM. Please continue to pray for her eyes, lungs, and overall strength. She is doing great but is very weak. Everyday I can see her gain more and more strength. Keep the prayers coming and God Bless.

Home Address

The address you can send cards, flowers, and etc is:

Andrea Luthringer
c/o J. Martin
722 Enford Ct.
Katy, TX 77450