Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Fred had his blood work done yesterday. Here are the results:

White blood cell count: 8.4 (normal range)
Red blood cell count: 3.85 (low, but okay)
Hemoglobin: 13.4 (low, but okay)
Platelets: 143,000 (in normal range)
Lymph count: 0.8 (normal range)
Lymph percentage: 9.6 (low, but okay)

Mayo was pleased with the results and chemo is on for next week. Hopefully this will be the last chemo treatment. One day at a time.

Fred has been feeling pretty good.

Fred and I wish everyone a Happy, HEALTHY, New Year.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Our family would like to wish all of you a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY AND HEALTHY NEW YEAR.

Sorry I haven't posted for a while, but when the doctor put me on an antibiotic (because of Fred) I got sick. I am now on my second antibiotic.

Fred had blood work done yesterday and here are the results:

White blood cell count: 10.9 (normal 4.1 - 10.9)
Red blood cell count: 3.79 (low, normal 4.69-6.13)
Hemoglobin: 13.3 (low, normal 14.1 - 17.9)
Platelets: 174,000 (normal 140,000 - 440,000)

Dr. Solberg is more concerned with his lymph count which is 0.7 (normal is 0.6 - 4.1). Being at the low normal range he is more susceptible to infection. So we just have to watch that. Hence that is why I am now on a second antibiotic.

Fred has been feeling pretty good lately. He will go for more blood work next week.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Fred has still been running a low-grade fever and developed a cough. He talked to Marcia (Dr. Solberg's nurse) and she told us to go to the local doctor and have blood work done and see the doctor here.

Fred is now an additional antibiotic and medication for the cough. So between the two antibiotics hopefully he will knock the infection out of his system.

His blood work wasn't too bad. His white blood cell count is up, but that is due to the infection. Here are his results:

white blood cell count: 8.8 (normal range, but due to infection)
red blood cell count: 3.62 (low)
hemoglobin: 12.6 (low)
platelets: 133,000 (low)

Hopefully this will get out of his system soon and we can start getting him out of the house. I am going to the doctor to get something tomorrow so I don't catch something (got to kill the germs).

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Fred has been running a low-grade fever for the last two days. He sleeps on and off and of course is bored just staying in the house, but that is what the doctor means by isolation. He has to remember it is either isolation at home or he will end up in isolation in the hospital.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Okay here is the scoop: We went to Mayo today, had blood work done and saw Dr. Solberg. Believe it or not, Fred's white blood cell count went from 900 (or .9) yesterday to 2,200 (or 2.2) today.

His red blood cell count was 3.50 (low, but okay)
His platelets were 141,000 (yesterday they were 109,000)
His hemoglobin was 12.7 (low, but okay)
His absolute neutrophils were 6.4 (normal is 1.7-7.0) (Dr. Solberg watches this number very closely also.

We are now home. Dr. Solberg said the combination of the chemotherapy last week and the infection Fred had caused the low white blood cell count. He was pleased that it is going up on its own and did not feel a white blood cell booster injection would be necessary. Of course they are going to coninue to watch Fred's blood work next week very closely.

Fred just has to stay away from people, no stores (which he said he has a good excuse now not to do any Christmas shopping), and continue his antibiotic for another week. Basically stay home and drive me crazier!

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Fred and I are headed to Jacksonville tomorrow. His blood work today was not good and Dr. Solberg wants more blood work tomorrow and then we will see him. In a nutshell, Fred has no immune system right now.

Here are the results:
White blood cells: .9 (normal is 4.1-10.9)
Red blood cells: 3.68 (normal is 4.69-6.13)
Hemoglobin: 13.0 (normal is 14.1-17.9)
Platelets: 109,000 (normal is 140,000-440,000)

Fred's blood work is at noon and his appointment with Dr. Solberg is at 2:00 pm. I will keep you posted.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

The only change in Fred today is that he is feeling very tired. He has no energy.

He is having blood work tomorrow, so we will see where his numbers are at.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Fred is doing better today, still not great, but much better than he was this weekend.

He went for a short walk outside this evening. That is a huge step in the right direction.

Monday, December 8, 2008

Fred is feeling a little better today. His temperature has not been high today. He talked to Marcia (Dr. Solberg's nurse) today and she said to continue taking his antibiotic and let them know of any change.

So again, one day at a time.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Fred still does not feel well. The only change is he is not nauseous anymore. His temperature got up to 100.0, but luckily Tylenol got it down to 99.0 so far. He also is complaining about muscle pain in his legs.

Hopefully I will have better news tomorrow. We just take it one day at a time.

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Fred is not feeling well today at all. He aches, is nauseous and has pain when urinating, and running a low grade fever. I called the Mayo Clinic doctor on call for the weekend and he ordered an antibiotic for him. Hopefully this will take care of the problem. We have to keep them informed at Mayo.

If his fever ever gets to 100.4 I am to take him to the emergency room, so I figured we better do something now so we don't have to do that later. I am keeping my fingers crossed the antibiotic works.

On a much happier note our eldest daughter, Carrie, graduated today with her master's in business administration from Southeastern University. We are sorry we could not be there, but with the advances these days we were able to watch the ceremony on the internet. So we did get to see her get her diploma.

Friday, December 5, 2008

We are back in Vero Beach. Fred received his Neulasta injection this morning and then we headed home.

Fred is not feeling well today. He has been nauseous and very lethargic. Hopefully this will pass in a couple of days.

Thank you to everyone for their good wishes and prayers. They have helped us tremendously.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Cycle 5 of chemotherapy is over. The nurse gave Fred his Benadryl by IV today and it didn't take more than a minute and he was out. He barely moved through the whole process. He was a little off balance walking back to our hotel room so I just held on to him and guided him back. He is sound to sleep now, just mumbling now and then.

Tomorrow he gets his Neulasta injection and then we can head home.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Chemo is done for today. Fred is sleeping. He seems to be a little "loopier" (if that is a word) today. I think as the week goes on the combination of the Benadryl and the drugs accumulate in his system and make him "loopy".

Loopy and loopier are my words for the day. I think the whole thing is getting to my brain too.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Today's chemotherapy went fine. Fred received the fludarabine and cytoxan drugs. They lowered the Benadryl amount he received and he seemed to be less out of it this afternoon. Moody, yes, out of it, not so much.

Our youngest daughter, Amanda, came to chemo with us today. She gives me time to go for a walk and a coffee break. Thanks Amanda.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Dr. Solberg is very pleased with Fred's response to the FCR (fludarabine, cytoxan, and rituxan) "cocktail" treatment. The FISH test (more extensive blood tests) taken last month showed all abnormalities in the normal range now. GREAT NEWS!

His blood work today is as follows:
Hemoglobin: 14.2 (normal range)
Red blood cells: 3.93 (low, but no concern right now)
White blood cells: 7.3 (normal range)
Platelets: 109,000 (low, we just have to keep an eye on this)

It has been a long day of chemo today. Fred is sleeping now. He has slept through most of the treatment today. Like I said it was long and the Benadryl really knocks him out. Dr. Solberg is cutting back on the Benadryl for the next 3 days of treatment so hopefully he won't be so "out of it".

Dr. Solberg explained to us today that the bone marrow biopsy will not be done next month. The rituxan usually stays in the body for up to 2 months following treatment, so they will wait until March of so before this procedure is done again.

Fred's last chemo treatment is scheduled for the first week of January.

Sunday, November 30, 2008

We are in Jacksonville for our week of chemotherapy. Being the Sunday after Thanksgiving the traffic wasn't too bad, but the temperature dropped 20 degrees on our drive up. We ran into heavy rain just as we were getting to Jacksonville.

Fred is taking a nap now and I am settling us into the hotel room. I will keep you posted on the progress this week.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Here are today's blood test results:

White blood cell count: 10.6 (high but within normal range)
Red blood cell count: 4.02 (low, but ok)
Hemoglobin: 14.3 (within low normal range)
Platelets: 106,000 (low, normal range is 140,000-440,000)
Hemocrits: 41.5 (low, normal range is 43.5-53.7)

The results were faxed to Dr. Solberg this afternoon so we will hear from him tomorrow about what next week will bring.

Fred has been tired lately and his blood pressure has been low, so we are just taking it easy right now.

I will let you know what he says when he calls.

Friday, November 14, 2008

I know it has been a while since I posted, but no news is usually good is. Yes I said usually. Dr. Solberg's nurse called today from Mayo Clinic regarding this weeks blood work. Fred's white blood cell count is up to 11,400. It has not been this high since before he started chemotherapy so we are a little surprised. The doctor wants follow up blood work on Tuesday.

His red blood cell count is 3.95 (low but ok)
Hemoglobin: 14.6 (good)
Platelets: 173,000 (good)
His neutrophils are high
His lymphocytes are low
His eosinophils are 0 (low, normal 15-500)

Let's hope next weeks numbers are better.

Fred has been feeling good, but is tired today.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

We went for blood work today. Here are the results:

white blood cells: 4.2 (normal)
red blood cells: 3.96 (low, but not bad)
Hemoglobin: 14.2 (low normal, good)
platelets: 160,000 (normal)

Dr. Solberg was pleased with the results. Fred has more blood work next Wednesday.

Fred is finally starting to feel better. Thank goodness.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Fred is slowly coming out of his "chemo brain". He has a long ways to go, but he is much better today. Yesterday was not a good day, but we take it one day at a time and today was better.

He is scheduled to have blood work done on Wednesday. I will keep you posted.

Friday, November 7, 2008

We are home. Fred received his Neulasta injection this morning. The ride home was interesting, Fred was dealing with bouts of nausea and moaning. Long 3 hour drive.

He has taken some Zofran (nauseau) medicine and still feels blah. Maybe a good nice rest in his own bed will help.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Chemotherapy is over. Fred is really out of it this week. He doesn't remember much that is going on. He babbles incoherently about crazy stuff and then falls back to sleep.

He did so well last time he had chemo, this time has been like the first 2 treatments where it hits him really hard.

Tomorrow he will get the Neulasta injection and then we can head home. His next chemotherapy is scheduled for the week of December 1st.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Today's chemotherapy is over. One more day of chemo to go. Fred is sleeping now, that Benadryl they give him works wonders.

Our youngest daughter Amanda came and stayed with us while Fred had his chemo today. It was nice to have someone there with us. Thank you Amanda.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Today's chemotherapy is done. It went uneventful, which we like. He received the fludarabine and cytoxan today. He is really tired and sleeping now. He is in his babbling, not making any sense phase, which being election day I wish I was so I wouldn't have to hear about all this stuff.

Monday, November 3, 2008

Today was a VERY long day. It started at 7 am this morning and we got done at 4:30 pm. First was the CT scan, then blood work and then the doctor and then the chemo.

The CT scan results were great. His chest CT scan showed his lymph nodes are now normal in size. His abdomen CT scan showed his spleen is at the upper limits of normal size. The pelvis CT scan showed his lymph nodes are now upper limits of normal size.

His blood work results are as follows:
His hemaglobin was 12.9 (low but coming up)
His red blood cell count is 3.54 (low but coming up)
His white blood cell count is 6.3 (good)
His platelets are 160,000 (good)
His glucose is normal range
His bilirubin is normal range

Fred slept through most of his chemotherapy today. After they give him Benadryl he is out for the count. He is resting now. Like I said it has been a long day.

They decided that since his CT scan showed everything is progressing well that he will not have his bone marrow biopsy until after his 6th chemotherapy treatment.

Sunday, November 2,2008

Sorry I haven't posted lately. After getting home from Chicago last Sunday at 10:30 pm and then leaving the house at 7:15 am the next morning for work, I have been rather busy.

Our trip to Chicago was great. It was wonderful to see our friends and family. Fred over did it, but he has recovered. He just needed to get some rest.

He had blood tests done on Tuesday and they were good. His red blood count was still low, but everything else was in the normal range.

We are in Jacksonville now. Tomorrow Fred has a CT scan of his chest, abdomen and pelvis at 7 am, blood work at 9 am, doctor at 11 am and then chemotherapy at noon. It is going to be a long day. I will keep you posted I promise. Since I won't be working I will have time to do the post.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Fred and I are actually in Orlando tonight. Fred got permission to travel for the moment so we are headed to a VERY chilly Chicago tomorrow morning. This will be our trial on travel. Fred is not happy about wearing his mask in the airport AND on the WHOLE plane flight, but he is willing in order to travel. He is going crazy being home all the time, and so am I.

We are just hoping everything goes well. COLD at least kills germs right?

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Fred's blood work was really good today.

white blood cell count: 7.2 (NORMAL)
red blood cell count: 3.55 (low, but not bad)
Platelets: 156,000 (NORMAL)
Hemoglobin: 13.5 (NORMAL)

Did you see (3) NORMALS? We are still waiting to hear about his retic count and his bilirubin (these tests take longer).

We are also waiting to hear from Mayo Clinic because I am sure they are waiting for all the tests before they tell us the next step.

NORMAL - something came back NORMAL!!!

Sunday, October 12, 2008

I guess Fred is having a delayed reaction to his chemo treatments. Yesterday he slept almost all day. He is somewhat "out of it" and he complained of a headache and his stomach felt funny. He did not want to take any nausea medicine and he ate well, so it must not have been too bad. His temperature was ok so I guess he just slept it out.

Today he has been sleeping a lot also. Rest is good for the body, so I am not complaining. If this is all he has we cannot complain.

We go for blood work (CBC, retic count and bilirubin)on Thursday to our local doctor. Keeping our fingers and toes crossed for good results.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Sorry I did not post yesterday, but by the time we got home I was too exhausted to even concentrate.

Fred received his Neulasta injection at 2:30 pm and then we headed home. When we left Jacksonville the sun was shining and we had good weather most of the way (however Friday afternoon drivers was something else). Anyways about an hour from home Fred makes this comment about how good the weather was and within 20 minutes from that I was driving in a downpour and then a sign posted an accident 8 miles ahead. We soon came to a complete stop. Inching bit by bit it took us an hour to go maybe 3 miles. A cement truck was overturned and we have no idea if a car was involved since the cement truck was twisted and on its side who knows what was underneath the mess. So it took us 4 hours to get home.

Fred is doing surprising well. No nausea and feel well. Strange, but good. He is however still driving me crazy. I couldn't wait to get home to have room (not a hotel room) to do things, watch my TV in the other room, etc. I have had enough of the stock market. That is too depressing and there is nothing you can do about it, so watch something funny already!

Now that I have vented I need to clean and do laundry while Fred watches his sports on TV.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

This cycle of chemo is done. We just have to wait 24 hours before Fred gets his Neulasta injection before we can head home.

Surprising to both of us this cycle has not been as bad. We don't know if his body is just getting used to the chemo or what. He hasn't felt very sick at all and does not seem to be "out of it" as long as before. I guess we will see what the next few days bring.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Day 3 was a repeat of Day 2. Again, Fred is sleeping. He felt good this morning though, which is different from the other cycles of treatment. Even Fred has commented on how good he feels in the morning. Hopefully this will continue.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Day 2 of cycle 3 of chemotherapy is over for the day. They are pumping the drugs through Fred at a faster rate than the last two cycles.

He had 50 mg of fludarabine and 500 mg of cytoxan today. He is sleeping now. It takes a lot out of him.

Two days down, two to go!

Monday, October 6, 2008

Dr. Solberg was pleased with Fred's blood work today and so we started chemotherapy. Fred received 1,000 mg of Rituxan today. He is tired, but doing fine.

His bilirubin is back to normal and his blood work was:
white blood cell count: 4.0
red blood cell count: 3.43 (low but good)
hemoglobin: 12.7 (low but much better)
platelets: 158,000 (good)
glucose: 94 (good)

Tomorrow is the fludarabine and cytoxan. I will let you know how that goes.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Sorry I haven't posted, but Fred has been doing well on the Prednisone, which the doctor has slowly been reducing the dosage and his blood work has been good.

We are in Jacksonville and tomorrow Fred has blood work at 9 am and we see the Dr. Solberg at 11 am. Fred is scheduled for chemotherapy this week after we see the doctor.

I promise to keep you posted.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Today we went for blood work, the results are good according to the Mayo Clinic blood specialist.

red blood cell count: 3.17 low, but good
white blood cell count: 5.9 great
platelets: 238,000 great
hemoglobin: 11.9 low but rising which is good

We haven't gotten the results of the blood sugar, retic count or the bilirubin yet. We should have them tomorrow.

We go back for blood work Friday.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Today we went to Mayo Clinic to have blood tests done. Fred has developed a side effect called "Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia" (AIHA). Basically the chemotherapy and the anti-bodies in his blood are attacking the hemoglobin in his blood.

The good news is that with the overall good reaction to the first two cycles of chemotherapy, the next round of chemo can be delayed until they get the anti-bodies under control. Currently they have put Fred on Prednisone and we will continue to have additional blood tests for blood count, bilirubin, retic count and blood glucose.

Today's blood counts were:
red blood cell count: 2.76 (low, but going up)
white blood cell count: 9.8 (good)
platelets: 249,000 (good)
retic %: 8.5 (high)
Hemoglobin: 10.9 (low, but going up)
glucose: 105 (high)
bilirubin total: 1.9 (high)

We go for blood work Monday, September 22nd and we will see how his numbers are and where we go next. Just another adventure.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Sorry I did not post anything yesterday, but it was a long day. We received a call around 11 am from the hospital saying they had the correct blood for Fred. We arrived at the hospital around noon and we did not leave until 9:45 pm.

Fred received the two units of blood which were administered to him very slowly due to his "high risk factor" with the antibodies. His blood pressure, pulse and temperature were taken every 1/2 hour.

Fred felt well today. Dr. Solberg at Mayo Clinic wants us to come Tuesday to have blood work done and for Fred to see the blood specialist. So that will be our next adventure.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

The saga continues...this morning we saw the local hematologist to get the order for the blood transfusion. We went to the local hospital with the order to have Fred's blood typed and cross matched. The blood transfusion was scheduled to tomorrow.

We received a call later this afternoon from the local doctor saying that Fred's blood has some strange antibodies and they needed to do more blood work at the hospital. We went to the hospital and had 6 more vials taken to more closely type and cross match. Due to these antibodies the blood transfusion (2 units) will take longer than the 6 hours they originally told us. They also told us not to come at 8 am tomorrow as planned, but to wait for them to call once they find the correct blood with antibodies the Fred needs.

I'll keep you posted.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Fred's blood work today did not go as expected. Here are the numbers:

White blood cell count: 8.1 down from 8.4 on Thursday
Red blood cell count: 2.04 down from 2.16 on Thursday
Hemoglobin: 8.3 down from 8.5 on Thursday
Platelets: 226,000 (same as Thursday)

After consultation with Dr. Solberg at Mayo Clinic it was decided that Fred would need a blood transfusion. We go to the local hemotologist tomorrow morning for an order to go to the local hospital (either Wednesday afternoon or Thursday) to have a blood transfusion.

I will keep you informed on what happens next.

Saturday, September 6

I guess I forgot to post Fred's blood work on Thursday.

His white blood cells were 8.4 (great)
His red blood cells were 2.16 low, but up since Tuesday when they were 1.9 (normal 4.20-6.00)
His platelets were 8.5 (low) up from 8.1 Tuesday (normal 12.1-17.2)

Dr. Solberg did not feel a blood transfusion was needed yet due to the Aranesp injection he received on Tuesday showing his numbers came up since Tuesday.

Fred has blood work scheduled for this coming Tuesday, so we are hoping his numbers go up even more.

He is very tired due to the anemia, but he is learning to just do things slower and take those naps that are so important.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

No chemotherapy this week. Fred had blood work this morning at Mayo Clinic and his hemoglobin is down to 8.1. Dr. Solberg feels that having chemo will only deplete his hemoglobin more and then he would definitely need a blood transfusion. Fred received an Aranesp injection which works by helping the bone marrow in his body produce red blood cells and also regain energy lost to chemotherapy related anemia.

Three more extensive blood tests were done this afternoon and one of those will be sent to Rochester, MN, so we will wait for those results.

Blood work is scheduled for Thursday and Tuesday next week to make sure his hemoglobin is going up in the right direction or if he will need a blood transfusion.

His alkalines were normal today, so the doctor is not concerned about that at this point.

His bilirubin was up a little and will be watched.

So as of right now his chemotherapy (cycle 3) will be put off for two weeks.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Today we went for blood work and the results are as follows:
Red blood cells: 2.67 (low, normal 4.20-6.00
White blood cells: 9,100 (good, normal 4,500-10,000)
Platelets: 245,000 (good, normal 130,000-400,000
Hemoglobin: 9.8 (low, dropped from 10.3 last week, normal 12.1-17.2)

They are talking about a shot for his low hemoglobin, but we are waiting to hear from Mayo and their thoughts first since we go next week for chemo.

Fred also had a test done "alkaline phosphatase isoenzyme" test. His alkaline levels are really low and these results are being sent to Mayo also.

His triglycerides are also off the chart, so those are being watched also. Mayo should be getting a lot of test results and will have a great time next week trying to figure Fred out.

Thursday, August 21,2008

We spoke with Mayo Clinic today and Fred's blood work numbers are good. The reason for the elevation in his white blood cells from last week are due to the Neulasta injection he gets at the end of chemotherapy. It works two weeks later to protect him from infections.

We are always learning something new.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Hello from a very wet Florida.

Fred did not have blood work done yesterday due to Tropical Storm Fay. We went today and the results are as follows:
White blood cell count: 9,200 (rising, but within normal range)
Red blood cell count: 2.91 (low) (normal 4.20-6.00)
Hemoglobin: 10.3 (low) (normal 12.1-17.2)
Platelets: 240,000 (good within normal range)

We haven't heard from Mayo Clinic yet on what they think of the numbers, but the nurse here said it was good. We will take good.

The weather here doesn't do much for Fred's energy level, but he is doing well.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Fred is feeling better, however he is still a little groggy and tired at times.

We went to our local doctor's office today for his weekly blood work. His white blood cell count is great 5,500; his red blood cell count is low 2.97, but okay; his hemoglobin is 10.3 which is low, but still okay and his platelets were 201,000 which is great.

We will see what next weeks blood work brings. Keeping our fingers crossed for good numbers again.

Friday, August 8, 2008

Fred is done with his second round of chemotherapy. He is resting now.

Tomorrow he will get his Neulasta shot and we can head home.

Tuesday we go to the local doctor to have blood work done to see where his numbers stand after this treatment.

Shelby, here's a picture of Uncle Freddie...

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Fred is done with chemo for today. He is extremely tired and resting now.

I found out today why he is so out of it when he gets his treatment compared to others who get chemotherapy; since the drugs he gets are so strong the nurse gives him more pre-drugs and these are the ones that make him "out of it" and also causes short-term memory loss for the length of the treatment. So if you do talk to him on the phone, he won't remember. I have to watch him all the time cause he doesn't really know where he is at half the time or what he is doing.

I will keep you posted as usual.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Fred is done for today with his second day of chemo. Today was 50 mg fludarabine and 500 mg cytoxan. We found out today that he has to have chemo on Friday also, so the schedule is Day 1: Rituxan; Days 2, 3 and 4: fludarabine and cytoxan; and Day 5: Neulasta injection.

Everything went well this morning. Fred is resting now. Chemotherapy really takes a lot out of him.

I will keep you posted.

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Fred got 750 mg of Rituxan today, which took about 5 1/2 hours. He did not have any reaction this time which is GREAT! He is very tired and resting now. So far he is doing fine.

Tomorrow and Thursday he will get the fludarabine and cytoxan only.

Keep your fingers crossed all goes well.

Monday, August 4, 2008

Chemotherapy is a "go" for tomorrow. Bloodwork was good; red blood cells 3.71 (low); platelets 167,000 (good); white blood cells 6,200 (great). Chemo is scheduled for 9:30 am tomorrow, Wednesday and Thursday. He will get 75% of the Rituxan (the drug that he had a reaction to last time) and the Fludarabine and Cytoxan. Friday Fred will get the Neulasta shot if all goes well.

Please pray that all goes well this week with his chemotherapy. I will keep you posted.

Monday, July 28, 2008

Well we are home AGAIN! Fred's blood work was good. His red blood cells are low 3.91 (normal 4.32-5.72), but not bad; his platelets are 168,000 which is good; his white blood cells are 5,800 which is GREAT.

The problem this time is his rash that he had all over his body has moved to his extremities (from his knees to his toes and from his elbows to his fingers) which is causing swollen ankles and hands. Dr. Solberg decided to run more extensive blood tests and we have to wait for the results. They are checking for a possible unlying viral infection which could be fatal (which Dr. Solberg mentioned 3 times) if he had chemotherapy today. Fred said he only needed to hear that once.

So we are home waiting for the test results and we will keep you posted.

Monday, July 21, 2008

The doctors are finding out something I have known for years which is Fred does nothing the normal way.

Saturday morning around 10 am Fred broke out in a full body rash, except for his face, neck and hands. He did not run a fever and did not itch so we were not too concerned since we knew we were going to Jacksonville the next day. Sunday evening Fred started getting itchy.

This morning Fred had blood work done and then we went to see the doctor. His blood work is much better. His white blood cell count is 5,300 (great), his red blood cells are 4.12 which are low, normal is 4.32 to 5.72)but not too bad, and his platelets are 197,000 (great) normal is 150,000 to 450,000. That was the good news. Then Fred showed the rash and it was like "wow". They got us into the dermatologist this afternoon and it is a reaction to one of his prescription drugs that he has been taking since the middle of May, which they said is not unusual to have happen after 8 weeks. They took him off the allopurinal and the Bactrim DS. He was given a prescription cream to put on twice a day and a prescription strength benadryl to take every six hours for itching. They told him the worse is yet to come, he will get really red (they told him he is only pink, but it looks really red to me) and he will start to peel like a sunburn.

Chemotherapy is now temporary set for next Monday, July 28th depending on how his rash is doing.

Flexibility is the key to this whole situation and we are doing are best to keep a positive attitude.

Monday, July 14, 2008

We went to Mayo Clinic today, had blood work done and saw the doctor. Dr. Solberg said Fred's response to treatment was excellent. Fred's white blood cells were 7,500 (great!) however his red blood cells and platelets were below normal so the decision was to wait another week before having chemotherapy in order for the red blood cells and platelets to regenerate themselves and hopefully get into the normal range before having chemo knock them even lower.

So we are now home and will go back next Monday for the chemotherapy.

Thank you for the prayers.

Wenesday, July 9, 2008

Fred went for his weekly blood work today and his white blood cells are down to 10,700 which is still high but what we really have to watch is keeping his red blood cells and platelets up. They are dropping close to the low level. Chemotherapy attacks all blood cells (good and bad) so we have to watch very closely the red blood cells and the platelets that they do not drop too low. Mayo Clinic was pleased with the test results today.

We go to Mayo Clinic on Monday for more blood work and chemotherapy.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Good news! We went to our local hematologist today for weekly blood work and Fred's white blood cell count went from 56,600 last Thursday to 12,500 today. Normal range is 4,000 - 10,000. We are headed in the right direction, just hope it doesn't start going back up too quickly.

We go to the local hematologist next Wednesday for blood work again.

That is all for now. Fred and I wish you all a great 4th of July weekend.

Monday, June 30, 2008

We are now home and glad to be here. Fred got his white blood cell booster shot this morning and we then headed home.

Fred was tired this morning and this afternoon, but he is finally feeling more like himself now. He has been doing emails and talking on the phone. We hope this keeps up.

Thanks for all the well wishes. Fred and I appreciate them.

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Today we finished the first round of chemo. Fred had the fludarabine and cytoxan again. It is strange that the pre-meds he gets intravenously (benadryl and Zofran (nausea medicine) makes him light headed and nauseous. But once that passes through his system he feels better. Just tired.

Monday he gets the white blood cell booster shot and then we can head home to Vero Beach.

Thank you for the prayers. We appreciate every one of them.

June 27, 2008

Today Fred had another treatment of the fludarabine and cytoxan. So far so good. He doesn't like the tiredness he feels all the time, but that will pass. So far his appetite has been good.

Tomorrow is another treatment of the fludarabine and cytoxan. The doctor has decided not to try the Rituxan until his next visit for chemo.

Please keep the prayers going.

June 26, 2008

Today's chemotherapy went much better. They gave Fred fludarabine and Cytoxan. He was tired following the treatment but is feeling fine right now.

We will see what tomorrow's treatment brings.

Please keep him in your prayers.

June 25, 2008

Today did not go as well as planned. After a little more than 1/2 hour after starting a low dose of Rituxan Fred's head felt strange and he felt like he could not swallow. The nurse stopped the IV and flushed the Rituxan out of his system. The doctor came in and feels that since the lymph nodes in his neck are so enlarged and the Rituxan goes directly to these and kills off the cells right away that this is why he had the feeling of his throat closing up. It was decided to stop for the day and retry tomorrow morning.

We came back to the hotel and Fred slept for a while and is feeling better.

Please pray tomorrow everything goes better.

Monday, June 23, 2008

March 24th Fred was diagnosed with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL). The initial recommended course of treatment was to "wait and watch". We were not comfortable with that treatment plan and on May 2nd we went to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida for their opinion.

After a chest and pelvic CAT scan, several blood tests, a "fish" test (Chromosones) and a Bone Marrow Biopsy, Dr. Lawrence Solberg from the Mayo Clinic informed us that it was a more aggressive type of CLL and also Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma (SLL) with an 11q- anomaly and that it should be treated with chemotherapy in mid-June.

The question then became what drug regiment would be the best to put the leukemia in remission. Dr. Solberg set up an appointment for us at MD Anderson Leukemia Center in Houston, Texas. We went there on June 18th and after a B2M test, a course of treatment was recommended which followed the treatment recommended by Dr. Solberg at Mayo Clinic.

We have decided on treatment to be administered at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. Chemotherapy will begin Wednesday, June 25th after blood tests and chemotherapy education training. Chemotherapy will be six hours on Wednesday and eight hours on Thursday. Due to the aggressiveness of the leukemia it is necessary to treat it aggressively. This will be followed up on Friday with a white blood cell booster shot.

For the pharmacuetical people the drugs used in the triple-drug regimen will be Fludarabine, Cytoxan, and Rituxmab.

Please keep Fred in your prayers. This will be a tough battle, but we will come through with flying colors.