October 14, 2010

DAY 210 OF TRANSPLANT

MIKE’S PLATELET COUNT WAS ON THE RISE TODAY. IT WAS 108 AND DOCTOR BARKER WAS VERY PLEASED. THE RED COUNT IS STILL LOW, BUT SHE SAID HE IS ANEMIC AND HE COULD STAY LIKE THAT HAVING LOW RED BLOOD CELLS. OR HIS BODY JUST NEEDS MORE TIME TO RECUPERATE. ONE OF THE STEROIDS THEY LOWERED AND HOPEFULLY HE WILL BE OFF SOON.

MIKE STILL HAS SOME PAIN IN THE LEGS, BUT IT IS SLOWLY GETTING BETTER. THE SWELLING IN HIS FACE IS GETTING MUCH BETTER AS WELL, HE IS STARTING TO GET THAT DIMPLE BACK ! KEEP PRAYING FOR MUCH MORE NEEDED IMPROVEMENT.

WE GO BACK TO OUTPATIENT ON OCT 27 TO MEET WITH THE DOCTOR ABOUT THE BLOOD CLOT AND HOW MUCH LONGER I WILL HAVE TO GIVE HIM SHOTS. HOPING WE CAN STOP THE SHOTS SOON. WILL POST ON THE 27TH . 

September 29, 2010

DAY  + 194
TODAY MIKE HAD OUTPATIENT. HIS COUNTS ARE ON THE RISE AND HIS SWOLLEN FOOT IS GETTING BETTER, THE BLOOD THINNER SHOTS ARE WORKING!
MIKE STILL HAS TROUBLE WALKING DUE TO COMING OFF SOME OF THE STEROIDS, HIS MUSCLES IN HIS LEGS ARE WEAK AND HE HAS TROUBLE WALKING UP AND DOWN THE STEPS. DR BARKER SAID IT WILL TAKE 6 OR MORE MONTHS UNTIL HE WILL GET HIS STRENGTH BACK IN HIS LEGS.
I WILL BE POSTING ONCE A WEEK SO DON’T GET NERVOUS IF YOU DON’T SEE ANYTHING, IT ONLY MEANS THAT IT IS VERY QUITE IN THE COSTANZA HOME ! 

September 2, 2010

DAY  167 OF TRANSPLANT
MIKE WENT TO OUTPATIENT ON AUG 24 FOR A CHECK UP. THE DOCTOR LOOKED AT HIS LEFT LEG, WHICH WAS SWOLLEN FOR  2 WEEKS. HIS PLATELET COUNT HAS BEEN DROPPING AND THE DOCTOR HAD NO REASON TO BELIEVE THE LEG HAD A SERIOUS PROBLEM.

NEEDLESS TO SAY, DR BARKER WANTED HIM TO HAVE A DOPPLER, JUST TO RULE OUT ANY CLOTS. SURE ENOUGH HE HAD A HUGE CLOT FROM HIS KNEE TO HIS GROIN. HE THEN HAD TO BE ADMITTED TO THE HOSPITAL . AFTER BEING ADMITTED, WE LEARNED THAT HE HAD TO GET A FILTER PUT IN. REASON BEING, INCASE THE CLOT BREAKS, HE NEEDS PROTECTION FROM THE CLOT BREAKING AND CAUSING A HEART ATTACK.

ON OUR 9 YEAR ANNIVERSARY, AUGUST 25, HE HAD THE FILTER PUT IN. IT’S  SUPPOSE TO BE TEMPORARY, BUT IT COULD BE PERMANENT AS WELL.

MIKE NOW HAS TO GET 2 SHOTS A DAY OF LEVINOX,  A BLOOD THINNER TO PREVENT MORE CLOTTING. HE WILL NEED THIS ANYWHERE FROM 3- 6  MONTHS. HIS COUNTS ARE STILL LOW AND HOPING THIS WAS THE PROBLEM SO HE CAN BE ON HIS WAY UP A BEAUTIFUL ROAD.

August 21, 2010

DAY 156 OF TRANSPLANT AUGUST 20
WE GOT THE ASPIRATE PART OF THE BONEMARROW BIOPSY WHICH SHOWED NO LEUKEMIA. THERE IS ABNORMALTIES IN THE BONE MARROW THAT WE DON’T KNOW WHAT THEY ARE UNTIL NEXT WEEK, IT COULD BE LOSS OF ENGRAFTMENT OR SOMETHING DESTROYING THE CELLS IN MIKE’S BLOOD STREAM.
PLEASE WE NEED ALL YOUR PRAYERS ONCE AGAIN , WHEN IS OUR FAMILY EVER GOING TO GET A BREAK ? MIKE IS SUCH A FIGHTER  !
TODAY HE NEEDED 2 UNITS OF BLOOD CAUSE HIS BLOOD COUNT WAS VERY LOW, HIS PLATELETS ARE STILL LOW AND WE NEED THESE NUMBERS TO GO UP SO HE CAN RECOVER AND PUT THIS BEHIND US !

August 13, 2010

AUGUST 12 DAY 147 OF TRANSPLANT
  
TODAY WE SAW A HEMOTOLIGST THAT SPECIALIZES IN BLOOD. DR BARKER REFERRED US TO HIM BECAUSE SHE WAS UNCERTAIN WHAT IS CAUSING THE COUNTS NOT TO RECOVER.

MIKE HAD BLOOD WORK DONE AND THE DOCTOR CALLED US INTO HIS OFFICE TO EXPLAIN WHAT COULD BE GOING ON. THE RESULT WAS IN THE BLOOD SMEAR AS THE BONE MARROW IS ABNORMAL  AND THERE IS SOMETHING THERE THAT THE DR DOES NOT LIKE. HE SAID IT COULD BE LEUKEMIA RETURNED OR IT COULD BE LOSS OF ENGRAFTMENT. HE WAS NOT SURE SO HE ORDERED A BONE MARROW BIOPSY FOR MONDAY. WE SHOULD GET THE RESULTS BACK BY THURSDAY, THIS WILL DETERMINE WHAT IS GOING ON, BUT THIS IS REAL SERIOUS. WE NEED ALL YOUR PRAYERS.
 
MIKE IS BESIDE HIMSELF AND WE ARE HOPING FOR THE BEST SINCE ALL WE GET IS BAD NEWS. PLEASE PRAY!!!!! MIIKE IS FIGHTING SO HARD. I’VE NEVER SEEN SUCH A PERSON FIGHT SO MUCH! HE DESERVES TO WIN THIS BATTLE HANDS DOWN!

August 12, 2010

DAY 146 OF TRANSPLANT

TODAY WAS NOT A GOOD DAY, ALTHOUGH MIKE WOKE UP FEELING PREETY GOOD, HIS COUNTS ARE LOW. THE COUNTS DROPPED SINCE LAST WEEK AND DR BARKER WANTS HIM TO SEE A SPECIALIST TOMORROW. SHE DOES NOT KNOW WHY THE COUNTS ARE NOT RECOVERING SINCE SHE TWEEKED LOTS OF MEDS AND EVEN TOOK HIM OFF OF SOME. SHE TOLD US THAT SHE IS NOT CONCERNED ABOUT THE LEUKEMIA RETURNING BECAUSE HIS BONE MARROW WAS CLEAN. SHE TOLD US SHE IS VERY CONCERNED THAT SHE NEVER SAW THIS BEFORE AND NOW WE ARE WORRIED, SO PLEASE EVERYONE PRAY.

MIKE APPRECIATES ALL THE TEXTS AND CALLS BUT HE REALLY WANTS ANSWERS HIMSELF ON WHY HIS COUNTS AREN’T RECOVERING, SO HE IS NOT UP TO TALKING UNTIL HE KNOWS THESE ANSWERS. HE JUST HATES TALKING ABOUT IT !

I WILL MAKE ANOTHER POST TONIGHT,  AFTER WE VISIT THE SPECIALIST ! 

August 5, 2010

DAY 139 OF TRANSPLANT
I WILL BE POSTING ON WEDNESDAY EVENINGS FROM NOW ON,  AS LONG AS WE KEEP GOING ONCE A WEEK ON WEDNESDAYS. MIKE’S COUNTS TODAY WERE GOING UP A LITTLE FROM LAST WEEK, HIS BONEMARROW SEEMS TO BE PRODUCING PLATELETS AND RED BLOOD CELLS. HIS LDH IS VERY HIGH AND THAT IS INDICATING SOMETHING COULD BE BREWING, AS WELL AS HIS LIVER COUNTS WHICH ARE ON THE RISE AS WELL.
 
BECAUSE HE IS ON ONLY 1 STEROID NOW AND THE DOCTOR LOWERED THAT TODAY, THEY HAVE TO MONITOR HIM FOR THE GVHD ( GRAFT VERSE HOST DIEASE ) TO MAKE SURE IT’S NOT MAKING HIS LIVER UNHAPPY. THE DOCTOR WILL BE KEEPING A CLOSE EYE ON THIS AND WE WILL KEEP OUR FINGERS CROSSED THAT THE GVHD DOES NOT COME BACK.

MIKE IS STILL VERY WEAK AND IS HAVING PAINS IN HIS LEGS , THIS IS DUE FROM THE TAMPERING OF THE STEROIDS AND COULD LAST FOR A FEW WEEKS. THE PRAYERS ARE ALWAYS NEEDED !   

July 31, 2010

DAY 132 OF TRANSPLANT.
TODAY MIKE HAD A TREATMENT, THE IVIG TO BOOST HIS IMMUNE SYSTEM AND IT MAKES HIM REAL SICK, VERY TIRED, WEAK AND CAN’T MOVE. DR BARKER ALSO TOOK HIM OFF THE PREDISONE, ONE OF THE STEROIDS. BY DOING THIS HIS LEGS ARE VERY WEAK AND HE WILL BE OFTEN FATIGUED. THIS SHOULD LAST FOR A FEW WEEKS UNTIL HIS BODY ADJUSTS TO HAVING NO STEROIDS.
 
MIKE’S PLATELET COUNT IS ALSO STILL DROPPING, THE DOCTORS BELIEVE IT’S THE MEDS BUT CAN’T TWEEK ANYTHING ELSE BEING THE BIG THING WAS GETTING OFF THE STEROIDS . 

July 19, 2010

DAY 122 OF TRANSPLANT
I MADE A MISTAKE ON THE PREVIOUS POST, I MEANT TO SAY THAT THE BONE MARROW IS NOT WORKING PERFECTLY, BEING HE HAS PNEMONIA . THE INFECTION IS MAKING THE MARROW WORK SLOWER BECAUSE OF THE INFECTION AND THAT’S WHY HIS COUNTS ARE LOW.
MIKE STILL HAS THE PNEMONIA, IT SEEMS LIKE IT IS GETTING WORSE. THE COUGH IS STILL THERE AND HE IS VERY WEAK. THE ANTIBIOTICS END ON WEDNESDAY. I AM SURE HE IS GOING TO NEED ANOTHER ROUND TO KILL THE INFECTION.

MIKE HAS BEEN TRYING TO REST BUT IT’S HARD WITH THE KIDS. THANKS TO MOM AND GREAT FRIENDS HE HAS BEEN GETTING LITTLE BREAKS. HE STILL CAN’T HAVE VISTORS CAUSE THE IMMUNE SYSTEM IS STILL VERY LOW , SO HE IS BORED OUT OF HIS MIND .
  

July 14, 2010

DAY 118 OF TRANSPLANT
TODAY WAS THE BEST DAY AT THE DOCTORS. WE WENT IN VERY SCARED BUT CAME OUT RELIEVED.
MIKE’S BONE MARROW BIOPSY CAME BACK 100% DONOR AND LEUKEMIA FREE. THE MARROW IS FUNCTIONING PERFECTLY BECAUSE OF THE PNEUMONIA. WHEN YOU HAVE AN INFECTION IN YOUR BODY, THE MARROW HAS TO FIGHT EXTRA HARD AND AFTER THE TRANSPLANT IT IS STILL VERY WEAK.
MIKE STILL HAS A LONG ROAD AHEAD OF HIM AND MANY MORE MONTHS UNTIL HE FEELS LIKE HIMSELF,
THANK YOU FOR ALL THE PRAYERS, IT’S WORKING!

DAY 117 OF TRANSPLANT
MIKE CAME HOME ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON STILL FEELING VERY WEAK AND STILL FIGHTING THE PNEUMONIA . WE GO TO OUTPATIENT TOMORROW AND DR BARKER WILL GIVE US THE RESULTS OF THE SECOND HALF OF THE BONE MARROW. WE ARE VERY NERVOUS. PLEASE EVERYONE PRAY THAT THIS NEWS WILL BE GOOD !!