Miss V. reported to UCSF for admission on Monday, but after doing some lab work and having a PICC line inserted whe was told to go home because there were no beds available. She had to go home with the PICC line, which was sort of sore, but not nearly as bad as in August when she was horribly bruised because of her low platelet count.
While it was nice to be able to go home and see the pups, V. is in the frame of mind to get this journey started and over with, so it was disappointing. She's to call back today and find out whether or not they will be able to admit her.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
UCSF on Monday
Last week's bone marrow biopsy was very, very un-fun, but the results showed that Miss V. is in remission which is a very good thing. Sine then she's been a busy gal getting tests, tests, and more tests. She said they need to make sure she's well enough for them to make her sick again.
V. says, " I passed all my tests with flying colors and Dr Damon said there is no better place to start than perfect! That made me feel very good. I am ready to start . I will be admitted to UCSF on Monday. I may have to share a room for awhile but ASAP they will move me to a private room. I am anxious to get this started."
V. says, " I passed all my tests with flying colors and Dr Damon said there is no better place to start than perfect! That made me feel very good. I am ready to start . I will be admitted to UCSF on Monday. I may have to share a room for awhile but ASAP they will move me to a private room. I am anxious to get this started."
Friday, October 10, 2008
UCSF Says . . .
Vicki had her appointment with the leukemia specialist at UCSF yesterday. UCSF has one of the top ten cancer treatment centers in the country. They have an entire ward specifically for the treament of cancers of the blood and lymph systems.
No More Chemo
The specialist recommends that Vicki not undergo additional chemotherapy. The drug she would receive is from a class of drugs called anthracyclines. There is a lifetime limit on these drugs due to their cumulative toxic effects, particularly on the heart. Between the chemo she received for breast cancer and her recent chemo for leukemia, the specialist believes she should not receive more of this particular drug.
So What's Next?
The speciliast has recommended an autologous stem cell transplantation (aw-TAH-luh-gus). Stem cells are a kind of generic cell, the Bisquick of the human body. Just like Bisquick can be made into biscuits, pancakes, or taco casserole (yuck), stem cells can develop into any type of specialized cell such as heart, brain, or blood. The basic idea of the transplant is that you kill the patient's diseased bone marrow, then give the patient her own stem cells which will grow back as healthy bone marrow.
The first stage is collection which requires a 3-4 week hospitalization. During this phase medications are administered which stimulate the bone marrow to release stem cells into the blood stream. These cells are collected and stored for later.
After the collection phase she would go home for a month.
The next phase is transplation which requires another 3-4 week hospitalization. The first step in transplantation is high dose chemotheraphy and radiation to kill the bone marrow and the diseased cells which are responsible for the leukemia. In the second step the stem cells collected in the first phase are returned to the body in a process similar to a blood transfusion. The stem cells grow back as healthy bone marrow.
Prognosis
It's a long and potentially dangerous process with risk of infection along with some pretty miserable side effects, but the prognosis is pretty good with an 80% success rate.
Decision Pending
Vicki hasn't reached a final decision on whether to proceed with this therapy. She wants to have some additional tests to find out what's going on with the breast cancer, maybe a PET scan to make sure the breast cancer hasn't returned. She will also need some tests to insure that she's a candidate for the transplant, one of which is the dreaded bone marrow biopsy.
Logistics
The treatment would be at UCSF where she would receive the best care available, but which would make it more difficult for all of us to visit as frequently and help keep her spirits up. We'll have to get creative about finding ways to deal with the more complicated logistics, but I know you smart folks are up to the challenge.
No More Chemo
The specialist recommends that Vicki not undergo additional chemotherapy. The drug she would receive is from a class of drugs called anthracyclines. There is a lifetime limit on these drugs due to their cumulative toxic effects, particularly on the heart. Between the chemo she received for breast cancer and her recent chemo for leukemia, the specialist believes she should not receive more of this particular drug.
So What's Next?
The speciliast has recommended an autologous stem cell transplantation (aw-TAH-luh-gus). Stem cells are a kind of generic cell, the Bisquick of the human body. Just like Bisquick can be made into biscuits, pancakes, or taco casserole (yuck), stem cells can develop into any type of specialized cell such as heart, brain, or blood. The basic idea of the transplant is that you kill the patient's diseased bone marrow, then give the patient her own stem cells which will grow back as healthy bone marrow.
The first stage is collection which requires a 3-4 week hospitalization. During this phase medications are administered which stimulate the bone marrow to release stem cells into the blood stream. These cells are collected and stored for later.
After the collection phase she would go home for a month.
The next phase is transplation which requires another 3-4 week hospitalization. The first step in transplantation is high dose chemotheraphy and radiation to kill the bone marrow and the diseased cells which are responsible for the leukemia. In the second step the stem cells collected in the first phase are returned to the body in a process similar to a blood transfusion. The stem cells grow back as healthy bone marrow.
Prognosis
It's a long and potentially dangerous process with risk of infection along with some pretty miserable side effects, but the prognosis is pretty good with an 80% success rate.
Decision Pending
Vicki hasn't reached a final decision on whether to proceed with this therapy. She wants to have some additional tests to find out what's going on with the breast cancer, maybe a PET scan to make sure the breast cancer hasn't returned. She will also need some tests to insure that she's a candidate for the transplant, one of which is the dreaded bone marrow biopsy.
Logistics
The treatment would be at UCSF where she would receive the best care available, but which would make it more difficult for all of us to visit as frequently and help keep her spirits up. We'll have to get creative about finding ways to deal with the more complicated logistics, but I know you smart folks are up to the challenge.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Follow, Subscribe
Blogspot has added some new features: Followers and Subscribers. I've put links to both on the right side of the page.
Follower
If you sign up as a follower of this blog you'll be able to see a list of all the blogs you follow when you log in. You can also see other followers and public information from their profiles so you can get to know other members of our village
Subscribe
I haven't tried this yet, but supposedly you can use it to feed posts from the blog to various services like your e-mail account. Try it out and let us know how it works.
I've put links to both
Follower
If you sign up as a follower of this blog you'll be able to see a list of all the blogs you follow when you log in. You can also see other followers and public information from their profiles so you can get to know other members of our village
Subscribe
I haven't tried this yet, but supposedly you can use it to feed posts from the blog to various services like your e-mail account. Try it out and let us know how it works.
I've put links to both
The Jenny Hat - Blondes Have More Fun
Another serious knitter in the house, Jenny M. models this hat she made she made from her own original design. The final version has a pair of little purple flowers that sit over the right ear. Vicki always wanted to be a blonde.
The Lisa Hat
My friend Lisa W. is a knitter supreme. She made up this very soft number with a cute furry contrast band.
No News is Good News
V. has been home for two weeks now. The first week rough due to a medication that was causing constant, exteme nausea. Fortunately her blood counts came up enough that she could discontinue that medication. Since then she's been growing in physical stamina and emotional strength every day.
V. will be referred to a specialist at UCSF who will help decide which chemo regimine to do next. Her oncologist is not in a big hurry to start the next batch of chemo, but would rather do it sooner than later. V. is ready to go for it, hoping not to be quite so ill this time since she's starting out stronger than the last time. She said that the sooner she does this, the sooner she can get on with her life, which I think is a good way to think of it.
V. will be referred to a specialist at UCSF who will help decide which chemo regimine to do next. Her oncologist is not in a big hurry to start the next batch of chemo, but would rather do it sooner than later. V. is ready to go for it, hoping not to be quite so ill this time since she's starting out stronger than the last time. She said that the sooner she does this, the sooner she can get on with her life, which I think is a good way to think of it.
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