In the last blog I wrote…. Yah, I know it was 5 days ago….. I said we would be going to Portland this week. Well that has changed. Our meeting today with Dr. Kovacsovics was full of information, some good and some not.
He informed us that Florence’s lungs have healed and the CT Scan was clear of infection. He also explained her blood counts continue to increase but the platelets were lower than he likes to see before Chemo.
The Abelcet drug used to heal Florence’s lungs was also tough on her kidneys. That is why she was pushed to Drink, Drink, Drink. As it worked out her kidneys weakened and now they too require time to heal before Chemo can resume. To help the healing I will again be hydrating her each evening through Monday when labs are drawn again. If her counts are not within normal limits I will continue these infusions.
As for treatment regiments, Dr. K explained that Leukemia could range from easy to difficult to cure with Florence’s specific Leukemia falling somewhere in the middle. With that, a transplant from a sibling gives the best odds to avoid relapse. Since none of Florence’s brothers or sister were a match, another source was needed. In this case, harvesting Florence’s own stem cells is the next best choice. Once stem cells are collected the treatment process will consist of 4 weeks for Chemo, transplant, and time for blood counts to rebuild. Then an additional 2 weeks in Portland to assure Florence is strong enough to return home; a total of 6 weeks away.
The most eye-opening information was the stats about the AML Florence has and the transplant outcomes. If you recall the AML she has would have been fatal in 2-3 months if left untreated. Her chance to gain remission was 60 – 80% and she did that on the first round of chemo.
Now, if she elects only to continue with her consolidation chemo she runs a 60% chance of relapse in the future which means starting treatment over again. If the transplant takes place the chance of relapse drops to a 40% chance. With each option there are risks and with the Doctor’s guidance Florence is trying to make the best decisions for her.
We will have another consult with Florence’s doctors next Thursday when they hope her kidneys are functioning well and treatment can be scheduled to resumed. So for now we are working on healing kidneys and building blood cell counts.
Time for bed……Larry
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5 comments:
Wishing we could visit but young kids are just magnets for "crud"!!!Continuing our prayers for both of you and DRINK Florence, DRINK!!!
LOL
The Martin Family
Summer colds had hit us too. Allison and Jacob seem well now so hopefully we can visit soon. We are praying for those kidneys to heal quickly and completely. Keep the faith Florence!!! Force the fluids and I will talk with you soon.
Keep positive thoughts close to your heart and mind.
We love you!!
The Bradner Family
* Jacob prays all the time for you to be better and not have to be in the hospital. He is so cute. :)
Florence Mergatroid Allen, you pound a glass a water for me right this instant. And then right after that, drink another! Have some asparagus too--it'll make the subsequent bathroom trips so much more interesting. :)
Audrey
Hey Flo, hope you are feeling better! Just wanted to say hi, been out of town so I'm getting caught up with your status on the blog. Miss ya!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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