Schedule of Events
 | 7/1 - Jeri got to come home today. She's feeling
surprisingly good in a relative sense of the word. She's easily
fatigued but doesn't appear to have trouble with nausea. Now we watch
and wait as the chemo does it's trick. Her blood counts are supposed
to bottom out in a few days. We have to watch for a fever or any
unusual bruising or bleeding. She has to quickly return to the
hospital if her fever goes over 101°. Jeri's stem
cells have been returned and they, along with the G-CSF
(aka Neupogen), will shorten the length of time it takes for her body to
begin producing blood cells again. Until then, we have to ask everyone
who comes by the house to take extra measures to ensure cleanliness.
We'll be doing the same, including disinfecting the remote control for the
TV. Jeri seems to have claimed that device these days. It may
grow to her hand. Whoever said that channel switching was a male trait
didn't know Jeri. |
| 7/2 - Jeri felt ok today as long as she didn't move
around too much. She's easily fatigued. The highlight of the day
was a visit from one of her friends. Tomorrow is the first visit to
clinic since being released from the hospital. They'll check blood
counts and make sure everything is going ok. P.S. Anyone who
talks to Jeri should tell her to drink more water. |
| 7/3 - Jeri and Virg went to the clinic today to get the
first blood counts following the release from the hospital. Today's
counts are:
| Category (see
link for definitions) |
Normal |
Adequate / Acceptable |
Jeri |
| Hemoglobin |
12 |
8 |
9.1 |
| Platelets |
250,000 |
100,000 |
103,000 |
| White Cells |
4, 000 - 10,000 |
4,000 |
500 |
|
The white count is way below normal.
Platelets are at an acceptable level but under a watch. The next blood
counts will be on Thursday. This was not a normal day for Jeri to visit
the clinic but it will be closed tomorrow. Today was leukemia day versus
solid tumors (like Jeri's). The doctor that checked Jeri normally
handles leukemia patients. She said that Jeri was a poster child for
outpatient bone marrow transplants. We'll see if that assessment holds
up.
|
7/4 - Fourth of July. Don't be surprised if
there is not a report today. OK, just a little one. Jeri is still
feeling weak. Even so, she wanted to see some fireworks. We
wheeled her out in the wheelchair and she watched some of the neighbors and
me shoot a few off. |
| 7/5 - The home healthcare nurse
came by today to watch Virginia pack Jeri's central
line. She had her original one replaced on June
13 and it is a different care procedure. The nurse had been by to
give instruction on caring for the line and needed to come by to watch
someone do it and make sure that the instruction took. This was the
first chance to do so since it seems like Jeri was always doing something at
the clinic or hospital since the replacement. Oh yes, Virginia passed
with ease. Jeri goes back to the clinic tomorrow and we'll get an
update on the blood counts. |
| 7/6 - Dr. Murali
says that Jeri is doing very well. That must be a very relative
term. She doesn't feel well at all and the nausea continues to be a
problem today. The blood counts weren't too sterling either.
Here they are:
| Category (see
link for definitions) |
Normal |
Adequate / Acceptable |
Jeri |
| Hemoglobin |
12 |
8 |
8.4 |
| Platelets |
250,000 |
100,000 |
20,000 |
| White Cells |
4, 000 - 10,000 |
4,000 |
100 |
|
The white cells are just about off the map, probably
within the accuracy of the measurement, and the platelets have bottomed
out. Jeri received a unit of platelets today to assist her while her
body continues producing it's own blood cells. Jeri also has some
soreness in her throat. That's one of the side effects of the repeated
vomiting or perhaps from one of the chemo drugs. We're all glad that Jeri's doing so well and do not want to
see what bad is all about. However, we must remember that the end, while
in sight, has yet to arrive.
| 7/7 - Today was a bad day for Jeri. The sores in
her throat kept her from eating solid food. They also made it
difficult to drink. She just generally felt bad the whole day.
Her temperature was over 100° but stayed below the magic 101° where we
would have had to take her to TCH.
We had some words over her drinking enough liquids. She started
drinking more even though it hurt and her temperature at bed time was down
to 99.4° which is where it tends to stay. Hope tomorrow is a better
day but it probably won't be until her blood counts come back up and her
throat heals. |
| 7/8 - More of the same today. Jeri managed to keep
a small bit of soup down. She was eventually able to keep her pills
down after being provided a few replacements for those unfortunate enough to
see the daylight again. |
| 7/9 - Things went a little better for Jeri today.
She only threw up a couple of times. All things are relative.
She was able to eat something solid without too much discomfort. It's
stayed down for a couple of hours now so she just might make it. This
evening, she's using scotch tape to lift the loose hair off her head....just
when it's starting to grow back. Oh well, one thing at a time.
She goes back to the clinic tomorrow and we'll find out how the blood
counts are progressing. She still gets tired but occasionally shows
that sparkle in her eye. That's usually a sign that she's doing a bit
better. I'm taking this opportunity to go back out of town and do a
bit of work. Virginia will handle the updates for the next few days. |
| 7/10 - Jeri and I had a long day at the clinic
today. We were there from 10:15 until 3. In that time, Jeri had
a five minute blood test, a ten minute examination and one hour of receiving
platelets. The rest of the time was spent waiting. Someone asked
me if I was developing patience and I had to admit that my frustration
levels are rising but my patience levels are not. Guess I had better
work on that. After a week of no solid food, (with the exception of
the salad last night), Jeri ate a bag of Frito chips in chili-cheese flavor
today while waiting at the clinic and they stayed down. Go
figure! Blood counts for the day are:
| Category (see
link for definitions) |
Normal |
Adequate / Acceptable |
Jeri |
| Hemoglobin |
12 |
8 |
8.4 |
| Platelets |
250,000 |
100,000 |
8,000 |
| White Cells |
4, 000 - 10,000 |
4,000 |
500 |
|
Jeri ate well at supper
tonight and was feeling really good about being able to eat
again. Unfortunately, it didn't stay down either.
Maybe tomorrow.
| 7/11 - Jeri had a good day today. I played tennis
most of the day and she hung out here at the house with her grandpa.
Food and drink are starting to sound good to her again and she kept him
running to satisfy her current cravings. I think that they both
enjoyed it. She had a good physical therapy session today. She
had her first opportunity to exercise in the whirlpool. Dad better
watch out...she may decide that we need one of those in the next retail
therapy session! |
| 7/12 - Jeri had another good day today.
Yesterday's food all stayed down and it is looking good so far today.
We are off to the clinic again tomorrow for another round of exams and blood
counts. |
| 7/13 - Today was a landmark day for us. Jeri and
I went to the clinic this morning and were in and out in under two
hours! In that time, Jeri had blood tests, visited with the surgeon
who removed her tumor, Dr. Johnson, visited with the physical therapist who
gave Jeri an atta girl, was examined by the nurse practitioner and visited
with Dr. Murali. Quite a difference from Monday! Jeri also had a
banner day at physical therapy today. For the first time since the
surgery, she was able to completely straighten her left leg!
Progress!! Her appetite is increasing and she is eating well and
getting stronger (and sassier) too. Just what we like. Brit will
be home tonight and he will continue with the updates. The blood counts for
the day are: |
| Category (see
link for definitions) |
Normal |
Adequate / Acceptable |
Jeri |
| Hemoglobin |
12 |
8 |
7.8 |
| Platelets |
250,000 |
100,000 |
61,000 |
| White Cells |
4, 000 - 10,000 |
4,000 |
14,900 |
| 7/14 - Jeri was in good form when I got home from work
so I know she's feeling better. Physical therapy went well. She
was trying to wear out the TV remote control. She's getting the
sparkle back in her eye and the ornery streak in her spirit. Three
days in a row of keeping all her food down. It's got to be nearly time
to go back for the next treatment. Hard to do but ever so
necessary. (Does that sound suitably brainwashed or what?) |
| 7/15 - Jeri ate at the table with us for the first time
since the last chemo. She used her crutches to come to the table which
was also a first. It was a short trip and it exhausted her.
Small steps. She continues to try and that's the important thing. |
| 7/16 - It was a lazy Sunday. The highlight of the
day was a trip that Jeri, Virginia and my Dad took to Blockbuster.
It's a good thing. I was about to have a new rule that in the evening,
Jeri could only watch things that at least one other person hadn't
seen. Today seemed to continue improvement. She went a bit
farther on the crutches and generally felt better. Jeri and Virg go to
the clinic in the morning for more tests. The blood counts should be
up if Jeri's spirits are any indication. |
| 7/17 - Brit is having to work out of town again so I am
going to continue the updates in his absence. Jeri and I did visit the
clinic this morning for some lab work and then followed it up with lunch out
at a sandwich shop. Jeri enjoyed getting out of the house (someplace
that wasn't the clinic.) Jeri's white count is artificially high due
to the daily GCS-F injections that she has been getting. We will get
to discontinue those for awhile so her white counts should level out.
Her counts for the day are:
| Category (see
link for definitions) |
Normal |
Adequate / Acceptable |
Jeri |
| Hemoglobin |
12 |
8 |
9.1 |
| Platelets |
250,000 |
100,000 |
47,000 |
| White Cells |
4, 000 - 10,000 |
4,000 |
20,500 |
|
| 7/18 - Jeri had another good day today. We spent
the morning at the medical center for her chest CT and then went out to
lunch again. She is definitely feeling better everyday! I have
strict orders to let her sleep as late as she wants tomorrow...she must be a
teenager. |
| 7/19 - It was nice to not have to get up and go to the
medical center this morning. Jeri, Charlie and I had lunch with Debbie
Kissel, her daughter, Sarah, and Tasha Daniels. Sarah and Tasha were
two of Jeri's teammates on the Superstars dance team. We have to be at
the medical center early in the morning for an echocardiogram (7:30)
followed by the usual clinic visit. Dr. Murali
called today and informed us
that as soon as Jeri's platelet count reaches 75,000, she will be admitted
for the second chemo. I do keep bags packed for the two of us and I
double checked them today...just in case. The one cloud in our sunny
day today was the news that there were a couple of tiny spots on Jeri's
chest CT. Dr. Murali says that we will proceed with the second chemo
and then Jeri will take another CT. If the spots are still
there, she may have to have surgery and have them removed before the third
chemo. We are going to pray that they just disappear. |
| 7/20 - No chemo today. The platelet count is
still too low. In fact, all the counts dropped from Monday's
testing. The White Cells were expected to return to a more normal
realm since the GCS-F shots were
discontinued on Tuesday. However, I think Dr. Murali
was really expecting the platelets to be at the right level to admit Jeri
today. I think he has a room reserved for her at the Bone
Marrow Transplant (BMT) Unit at TCH. Here are the counts:
| Category (see
link for definitions) |
Normal |
Adequate / Acceptable |
Jeri |
| Hemoglobin |
12 |
8 |
8.6 |
| Platelets |
250,000 |
100,000 |
34,000 |
| White Cells |
4, 000 - 10,000 |
4,000 |
1,900 |
|
| 7/21 - Jeri slept in today. Guess it's a summer
thing for a teenager. We were happy to let her sleep. Seems like
Jeri and Virginia were up early every day this past week to go to the clinic
for some kind of test. They only had to go to physical therapy this
afternoon and it's not far from our house. Oh yes, she also spent an
hour or two talking on the phone this evening. More teenager stuff.
OK, I don't know if she was talking or listening for that long. I
didn't think I would ever be glad to see the phone occupied for that length
of time but why not. It must mean that she's feeling pretty good. |
| 7/22 - No sleeping in today. Jeri was out of bed
around 8am. I think she had to go to the bathroom. It was mostly
hang around the house until the afternoon. Jeri felt so good that she
went upstairs on her crutches to get some time in her room. Her bed
has been in the living room ever since the surgery. There are
partitions to allow for a bit of privacy but it's just not the same.
Jeri and her friends Rene and Katie went to a movie late in the
afternoon. Jeri was really looking forward to getting out of the house
and spending some time with her friends....as in away from parents and other
adult types. Virg, Jeri, Daddy and I went to the Outback for
dinner. Sure hope those white counts are continuing to rise. |
| 7/23 - Nothing much to report today. Jeri slept
in and relaxed all day. She's going to the clinic for blood counts
tomorrow. She'll be admitted for the next chemo treatment if the
platelets are above 75,000. I hope they are so that the treatment can
begin as soon as possible. |
| 7/24 - Jeri's blood counts are still too low to be admitted for the next
round of chemo. She'll try again on Thursday. As a consolation
prize, Virg and Jeri decided to have lunch at Cafe Annie ($$$$$).
OUCH!!!!!! I sure hope she gets in on Thursday. No chart today
because the only number that we got was the platelet count (44,000).
Minimum requirement for admission is 75,000. |
| 7/25 - Physical therapy continues to go well.
Jeri can still straighten her leg to 0° and is now able to bend it to
116°. She's working in a deep whirlpool tank these days. The
water takes some of the strain off the leg so that she can do some movements
that she can't do outside. It's not quite deep enough to practice
standing. That's ok. She's doing just about everything but
that. A couple of notes of thanks. One of our friends sent a
card to Jeri today with $20 to add to the Retail Therapy Fund. Thanks
Sue. I can tell that you've been reading this tale. Can we talk
about the College Fund? We've also received some notes and receipts
about blood donations. Thanks to all who have done that as well.
We hope that Jeri will not need the donations. If not, they won't go
to waste. They will go to help save someone's life. That's
always a good thing. |
| 7/26 - Nothing much happening today. Physical
therapy was moved to today from Thursday. Jeri's clinic appointment is
in the afternoon instead of the usual morning. That meant that
physical therapy had to be moved. Tomorrow is one more blood test and
one more time hoping that Jeri's counts have here ready for the next stage
of chemo. The sooner the better because the sooner she can get past
them. Oh yes, she treated herself to a makeover today. Must be a
girl thing. She wants it known that she used her own money.
Dad's not that big a cheapskate but of course I couldn't buy just one....it
would be one for each girl! |
| 7/27 - The clinic appointment was late in the afternoon
so we all met at the Grotto
Ristorante for lunch. We were hoping this was a "last
meal" for Jeri before the next chemo treatment. It wasn't.
Jeri's blood counts were still too low for admittance. They are coming
up a but but still not enough. Dr. Murali
said he wouldn't be too concerned unless the treatment was delayed a
week. The clock is starting now. Here's the latest. The
white counts need to get to the normal range and the platelets need to reach
75,000. Next blood counts scheduled for Monday.
| Category (see
link for definitions) |
Normal |
Adequate / Acceptable |
Jeri |
| Hemoglobin |
12
|
8 |
8.2 |
| Platelets |
250,000 |
100,000 |
47,000 |
| White Cells |
4, 000 - 10,000 |
4,000 |
1,700 |
|
| 7/28 - Another slow day while we wait for the next
blood test. Dinner at home and then a few of the crew took Jeri to
Marble Slab for ice cream. That's about it for the day. |
| 7/29 - The waiting continues. Another day goes by
and Jeri's another day closer to the next treatment. It's hard to say
that she would like to have chemo but she does.....just to get it over
with. She slept late and spent the day watching TV and reading.
That's about it. Probably more of the same tomorrow. |
| 7/30 - Yep! It was more of the same. I
asked Jeri what I should include in today's diary. She said that it
was a lazy day and that "I'd do it again." Let's see if
tomorrow brings fulfillment or disappointment. |
| 7/31 - Well, Jeri was close on the counts today at
clinic but no cigar. The platelets are at an acceptable level but the white
count is still lagging. Brit is in Bartlesville for a few days
so Virg is handling the web update. Melanie and Larry Ellis were in
the clinic in this morning and we had a nice visit. Melanie is also on
the same program: wait a long time for blood work and then find out if
the counts are high enough to be admitted for chemo. The day was not a
total loss however. We stopped by Neiman Marcus to get some more of
those yummy chocolates that Jeri is addicted to. (Thanks to Kim and
Karen Hair for introducing them to her!) Jeri has strict orders to eat
them all and not to let her mom sneak any of them away! Counts for the
day: |
| Category (see
link for definitions) |
Normal |
Adequate / Acceptable |
Jeri |
| Hemoglobin |
12 |
8 |
9 |
| Platelets |
250,000 |
100,000 |
77,000 |
| White Cells |
4, 000 - 10,000 |
4,000 |
1,700 |
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Brit: brit@stickyshoe.com
Virg: virg@stickyshoe.com
This page last updated:
August 10, 2001
|
