At Home

I finally was released on Sunday and am very glad to be home, enjoying another beautiful view out my window, although I'm not sure how thrilled I am about the snow outside. But, with spring coming, I know it will be gone soon. I am amazed at how exhausted I am now that I am home. My goal is just to rest and recuperate to continue to build up my immune system. The more sleeping I do the quicker my white blood cells will come back. And, as always seems to be the case when I get home, my hair is starting to fall out. And just as all my hair had come back from my last treatment. Oh well! I'll be wearing my Cubs World Series cap now that baseball season is soon to begin. Go Cubs!!  And I will see the doctor in about 2 weeks to decide what the next steps will be in my treatment.

On the Rebound/Saturday

Just wanted to send a quick update. I hit rock bottom last Wednesday with my white blood cell count going to just about zero and my immune system wiped out. I felt light headed and extremely fatigued with lots of little issues generally making me feel crummy. I had been getting daily shots to help boost my white blood cells and on Thursday I received a blood transfusion. As a result, my white blood cell count improved significantly on Friday. My appetite has returned and I feel like doing things again. Enjoyed a couple Division 3 basketball games last night on YouTube since Hope College and Augustana College were in the playoffs. Augustana, Terri's alma mater, won and moves on. Hope, my school, was eliminated. 😟 It would have been nice to see them play off against each other.

In the meantime, I continue to enjoy watching the beautiful sunny weather and all the activity in the park and the harbor and on the streets below. I do hear from Terri and the nurses, however, that it is unusually cold for Chicago right now. Guess I don't have to worry about that!   😃

Hopefully, I'll be heading home early next week.

A view Saturday morning from the hospital

Day 11 Update

Keeping hydrated with my Batman water bottle from Drew and Zachary while enjoying photo cards  from Anna, Norah, and Greta as well as good wishes from so many. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Treatment is going as expected with counts dropping. I am feeling more fatigued as a result. Most of the treatment ends today so now it is just a waiting game while dealing with all of the little annoying side effects of any treatment in the hospital. I keep busy with reading, daily devotions, some TV, youTube videos of old sitcoms, word searches, and watching the world go by. Terri and I have relearned how to play gin rummy and solitaire which are great diversions.

Day 9 Waiting

Watching the ship cruise the harbor

Hooray! The chemo infusion finished up late on Tuesday after 4 days of being plugged in to the wall with a medical pole following me around. It is wonderful not to be hooked up 24/7. Now it's just time to wait and see how I respond to the treatment as my immune system rebuilds itself. The doctor wants to keep me in the hospital for at least another week to 10 days to monitor my condition. We'll see how that goes and how I feel. In the meantime, it is a beautiful day, if cold, with the sun shining so I can continue to enjoy the wonderful view from my room. Lake Michigan is fascinating with the change in colors as the sun goes in and out of the clouds. And I just saw the first luncheon cruise ship of the season come around Navy Pier. In March!!  Spring MUST be coming!

The View from My Room on the 14th Floor

The view from my room thanks to a wonderful nurse who moved me from the dungeon in back when this room opened up over the weekend. Full size windows on 2 sides with views of Lake Michigan, the Chicago Water Tower and Water Tower Place, and the Museum o Modern Art (respectively in the photos above). It certainly brightens my day to look out and see all that is going on. The weather is so nice I keep expecting some boats to come cruising through the harbor but no such luck. All in all, a wonderful place to be if I have to go through such a lengthy stay.

An Update for 2017

It has been awhile since I have blogged. Not sure exactly why. I'd  like to say that it has been because I have been living a life apart from being a cancer survivor as many of you know, but also, as many of you also know, I have been challenged by the multiple myeloma and required an ever changing series of treatments to keep it under control. Some required hospital stays with long recuperations followed by maintenance treatments that occurred weekly, bi-weekly, or, if lucky, monthly. Some of those days would require 10-12 hours in the clinic.
I am writing you now because my last series of treatments was not as effective as the doctor would have liked so I am now in the hospital again for a 96-hour (4 day) infusion of an 8 drug cocktail to see if we can knock it back. I am feeling fine now and have a beautiful room which overlooks both Lake Michigan and Michigan Avenue. The view today is gorgeous. Many thanks to my nurse who knew the room was opening up and moved me down here from my room with no view.
The infusion will end Tuesday, but then my counts will fall and the crash begins around the end of the week when fatigue and other side effects will set in. The doctor wants to keep me for at least another week and a half or so until my counts (and my immune system) come back up. That cycle is the most difficult time and I do not look forward to it.
Terri comes to visit everyday and Elizabeth stops by before/after her shifts as she is a transport nurse for Lurie Children's hospital just across the street. I enjoy those times together as well as calls from Andrew checking up on me. Both Andrew and Elizabeth, as well as Katie and Mike, share tales of our grandkids which I love.
I'll try to keep you posted as the days progress. In the meantime, please keep both Terri and me in your prayers and your thoughts. Feel free to share our story with others in your church or social groups. We know how miraculous prayers can be working together. I would love to hear from you via  email or text although I can't always assure you that I will respond especially as my strength fades. Know I will appreciate and enjoy them very much.
As always thanks for your care, love, and support for both of us. It means so much.

Bob and Terri

Pet Scan Results from July 1

I have gotten the results from the PET scans done last week and preliminary results are GOOD. They indicate that my current course of chemotherapy is controlling, and in some cases improving, the multiple myeloma. I'll know more when I meet with my doctor early in August. Thanks to all of you for your prayers and good wishes. If you are so inclined, please continue to pray that it be so . Praise be to God!

Latest News

I am still feeling okay. After a week in Michigan with my siblings and their families I realize how much further I need to go to build up my strength and stamina, but I am happy that I am able to do most things I would like to do if with a little less vigor than before. We had a wonderful time and the weather was perfect for being on the beach, regardless of age.

I had my monthly chemo treatment just before I came and I also had my semi-annual PET scans done at the same time.  Needless to say, it was a very long day so it was great I was taking off for Michigan the next day. The PET scans are the best indication of how I am doing with this current course of treatment so I am waiting to hear from Dr. Mehta for the results.

I am still dealing with low white blood cell counts so I fight different kinds of infections from time to time. Hopefully we can find the right combination of medications in the chemo treatment to bring my counts back to the normal range.Right now I am trying to clear up some skin infections.

In the meantime, Terri and I are enjoying the summer as much as we can. It is great for us to get away to our stuga in Michigan for a little rest, relaxation, and fun. Hoping that the weather continues to improve as we will have our whole family up here the last week in July. Time with the 5 little ones on the beach is lots of fun.

Please hope and pray that the results of my PET scans show that the multiple myeloma is contained and I can continue doing what I am doing. Thank you.