It's strange to have a bit of normalcy and not have anything pressing to report. Andrew handled his last treatment with such ease and has continued to go to work each day and keep himself busy. We celebrated our 3rd anniversary on July 29th .... 3 years of bliss is what Andrew calls it. I hear a bit of sarcasm in his voice when he says it, but I choose to ignore it!!!
He also had 2 good doctors appointments last week and will have a final one this Friday to make sure that his counts have rebounded enough to begin the next inpatient 3-day treatment next Monday. And the vicious cycle repeats itself.
Linda, Pete, Adam and Nikki (Adam's lady friend) are planning a visit this weekend to help Andrew and I put in a new front and back door to our house. As long as Andrew feels good, we are keeping the home improvement projects on schedule. As most of you know, Pete has to have some sort of home improvement project to accomplish every time he visits or who knows what he will get himself in to. I joke and say that Andrew will go into the hospital and come home a week later and ask ... where does that door go to? ... and my response will be .... well we left Pete in the house alone for a week, so he added a whole new wing onto our townhouse and that's the door that will get you there!! I joke, but you all know it's true!!
Gwen and Steve will also be making an appearance some time next week to relieve Lynn and Pete before they head to Adam's house for a few more days of home improvement madness.
Andrew and I will also be traveling to Johns Hopkins on Aug 19th to meet with Dr. Kristy Weber to discuss some, if any, of his surgical options. We look forward to hearing more about what comes next!!!
But besides that we are just gearing up for the weekend of the fam visiting and hope to meet up with Gary and Lanhi while they are in the area this weekend. We are also getting ready for their wedding in the next few weeks. So life goes on ... maybe not just as planned ... my clipboard of fun didn't have this detour on it! ... but we're taking each day as it comes and just putting one foot in front of the other.
See you later alligator .....
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Andrew M. Waxman, Esquire
It's official, Andrew's law school diploma arrived in the mail on Saturday. It looks amazing in the frame and in his office at work. Yes that right, he was feeling so good today that we went out to lunch in Reston with Linda and Pete and then they came to his office with us so that we could hang up his new diploma and rearrange his office. And if you think that's amazing, he also went out to dinner with us on Saturday night and we went to Best Buy. It's been a great weekend for him.
What we have learned is that the 5-day treatment coupled with the Emend can be a manageable treatment for him. The 3-day intensive in patient treatment still remains a mystery as to how the Emend will react and how Andrew will feel but I guess we will know that soon enough. Only 2 more weeks and he starts the process all over again.
Thank you to everyone for the emails of encouragement, cards of hope and packages of sunshine. They have all made Andrew smile. And as you all know, his smile can light up a room and just for a minute make us forget his disease and live for the moment.
Cheerrio!!
What we have learned is that the 5-day treatment coupled with the Emend can be a manageable treatment for him. The 3-day intensive in patient treatment still remains a mystery as to how the Emend will react and how Andrew will feel but I guess we will know that soon enough. Only 2 more weeks and he starts the process all over again.
Thank you to everyone for the emails of encouragement, cards of hope and packages of sunshine. They have all made Andrew smile. And as you all know, his smile can light up a room and just for a minute make us forget his disease and live for the moment.
Cheerrio!!
Friday, July 24, 2009
Calling all friends and family for help ....
Dear Friends and Family,
As a precaution, we had Andrew's blood typed while he was in the hospital. He is O negative ( O-). The surprising part of that to us is that neither of his parents are O-. (I thought he was the mail mans kid.) But we have learned that parents that are O+ and A+ can produce an O- child. But much to our luck no one in the immediate family seems to be a match for him. The problem with O- blood is that you can give to anyone but can only receive O- blood in return. In lays the problem. So I am putting out a search to everyone to help us out.
Right now Andrew doesn't need a transfusion, but may in the future and since you can only donate ever 2 months or so and O- blood is so rare, I would like to start my search early. If you match Andrew and you are willing to do direct donation for Andrew, please let me know so that I can work with Reston and Johns Hopkins Hopitals and your local Red Cross to get the ball rolling.
http://www.givelife2.org/links.asp
Please feel free to email us at amyandandrewwaxman@hotmail.com if you can help.
Hugs and love,
Amy and Andrew (and Winnie)
As a precaution, we had Andrew's blood typed while he was in the hospital. He is O negative ( O-). The surprising part of that to us is that neither of his parents are O-. (I thought he was the mail mans kid.) But we have learned that parents that are O+ and A+ can produce an O- child. But much to our luck no one in the immediate family seems to be a match for him. The problem with O- blood is that you can give to anyone but can only receive O- blood in return. In lays the problem. So I am putting out a search to everyone to help us out.
Right now Andrew doesn't need a transfusion, but may in the future and since you can only donate ever 2 months or so and O- blood is so rare, I would like to start my search early. If you match Andrew and you are willing to do direct donation for Andrew, please let me know so that I can work with Reston and Johns Hopkins Hopitals and your local Red Cross to get the ball rolling.
http://www.givelife2.org/links.asp
Please feel free to email us at amyandandrewwaxman@hotmail.com if you can help.
Hugs and love,
Amy and Andrew (and Winnie)
Prison Break
Free at last ... Free at last .... thank god all mighty .... Andrew's free at last!!! On Thursday, Dr. Felice allowed Andrew to receive his chemo treatment and hydration and come home!!! He was such a happy camper. On the way home he even felt well enough to stop at the Verizon store and look at a new phone for himself. I am also very happy that Andrew still has a healthy appetite ... well sort of. Last night he asked for Mac and Cheese.... not the homemade stuff but the box stuff. And since I don't keep it in the house, he drove he and his mother to the market to buy some. What a big step to feel well enough to drive and to be out in public.
A recent staple for Andrew has become his chapeau. His hair has become very patchy and spotty in places and he has almost entirely lost all of his facial hair. For those of you who know Andrew well know that this is such a shock to him since he is such a furry Murry. It has also required even more cleaning of the house lately since he has been leaving his fur behind all over our house. I'm not sure who is worse at this point with the fur, Andrew or the dog. I mean they have always been very similar, short appendages; stocky; furry; wrinkly; and now bald. No paternity test needed there .. they are definitely related.
And as for today, so far, it has been a good day too. Gwen, Andrew and I are sitting in the beautiful redesigned infusion lab in Reston Hospital for the next 5 hours for him to receive his last day of chemo treatment. He is doing well and looking and feeling good. Today is also parent swap day. Linda and Pete, of course, left at like 5 am to get down here and should be in VA soon... you know Pete.... As a family we plan to have dinner tonight, Linda's homemade Lasagna and Meatballs, and then Gwen and Steve will depart for NJ. Pete has a few projects to do with Andrew this weekend, namely hanging the new TV on the wall in our bedroom for Andrew .....Thanks Uncle Al and Aunt Janet again for the gift. He is also going to clean out the grill and help Andrew to reorganize the shed. Linda and I have more pressing issues, I have to find the perfect dress for Lanhi and Gary's wedding in a few weeks. We will of course put our bargin hats on and hit the trail.
But it will soon be time for life to get back to normal. Andrew has 2 doctors appointments next week, Wednesday and Friday. We hope that his courts stay high and he stays strong this week.
TGIF and have a great weekend .......
A recent staple for Andrew has become his chapeau. His hair has become very patchy and spotty in places and he has almost entirely lost all of his facial hair. For those of you who know Andrew well know that this is such a shock to him since he is such a furry Murry. It has also required even more cleaning of the house lately since he has been leaving his fur behind all over our house. I'm not sure who is worse at this point with the fur, Andrew or the dog. I mean they have always been very similar, short appendages; stocky; furry; wrinkly; and now bald. No paternity test needed there .. they are definitely related.
And as for today, so far, it has been a good day too. Gwen, Andrew and I are sitting in the beautiful redesigned infusion lab in Reston Hospital for the next 5 hours for him to receive his last day of chemo treatment. He is doing well and looking and feeling good. Today is also parent swap day. Linda and Pete, of course, left at like 5 am to get down here and should be in VA soon... you know Pete.... As a family we plan to have dinner tonight, Linda's homemade Lasagna and Meatballs, and then Gwen and Steve will depart for NJ. Pete has a few projects to do with Andrew this weekend, namely hanging the new TV on the wall in our bedroom for Andrew .....Thanks Uncle Al and Aunt Janet again for the gift. He is also going to clean out the grill and help Andrew to reorganize the shed. Linda and I have more pressing issues, I have to find the perfect dress for Lanhi and Gary's wedding in a few weeks. We will of course put our bargin hats on and hit the trail.
But it will soon be time for life to get back to normal. Andrew has 2 doctors appointments next week, Wednesday and Friday. We hope that his courts stay high and he stays strong this week.
TGIF and have a great weekend .......
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
What Happens in Reston (I mean Vegas) .......
The smile on Andrew's face tells the entire story of his stay in Reston Hospital this week. He has been responding well to the treatment, eating 3 square meals a day (at least), showering, checking emails, going on walks outside in the evening, driving all of us crazy and being a real PIA -- as usual. And we wouldn't have it any other way.
As a lively treat to our evening we were visited by Dr. Felice for what we thought was going to be routine checkup and idel chatter about his day. We were right about the checkup the rest was a pleasant treat for all. Though no money exchanged hands and no tickets were issued, Dr. Felice put on a personal magic show for Andrew, Gwen, Steve and I in Room 573 at Reston Hospital. We had the best seats in the house. The card pictured in this blog was from one of the tricks. The only thing that could have been better is if he would have been able to pull a rabbit out of Andrew's hat. Maybe next time!!!
We can never put a price on the overall care and personal attention that we have received at this hospital. Everyone knows us by name, greets us with a smile and has Andrew's overall wellbeing in mind at all times. Dr. Felice has gone above and beyond the call of duty to accomidate Andrew wants and needs .... and the Magic Show tonight was just one example of this.
If Andrew is doing as well tomorrow as he has today, he will be able to go home, sleep in his own bed and come back for outpatient chemo on Friday. Though it may not be Vegas .... you can feel the excitment in the air of the possibility of spending the night at home.
So for tonight, he .... stays in Reston (I mean Vegas!!!!)
Good night Piglet ... Good night Pooh ....
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Groundhogs Day!!!
Much to my surprise, Andrew did great yesterday and last night. He only needed to take his regular dose of Emend and a pill of Pheregan (for nausea) every 6 hours. They left him hooked up to a Saline drip all night just in case he got sick or dehydrated, but luckily it was only a precaution that was unnecessary in the end. Better safe than sorry!! So it has allowed him to be awake and alert through the entire process. He even took a shower this morning, ate all of his breakfast (bagel, cream cheese, hot tea and a chocolate chip cookie), and has been doing work on his computer all morning.
So compared to the last hospital visit and treatment, there really is no comparison. He is handling this treatment with more of an open mind and understanding of his own body. As I write this blog, Zhlia, his amazing nurse at Reston Hospital, is starting his chemo treatment for the day. Each day is the same, Lexapro, Zophran for Nausea, Etoposide and then Ifosfamide and Mesna (for the kidney's) together. The entire process takes about 4 hours to complete. It reminds me of the famous Chevy Chase movie, Groundhogs Day. Every day is the same. The only difference from the movie is the outcome of Andrew's result. All we can hope is that he continues to stay positive and his nausea remains under control.
Keep Andrew in your positive thoughts today ....
TA,TA ......
So compared to the last hospital visit and treatment, there really is no comparison. He is handling this treatment with more of an open mind and understanding of his own body. As I write this blog, Zhlia, his amazing nurse at Reston Hospital, is starting his chemo treatment for the day. Each day is the same, Lexapro, Zophran for Nausea, Etoposide and then Ifosfamide and Mesna (for the kidney's) together. The entire process takes about 4 hours to complete. It reminds me of the famous Chevy Chase movie, Groundhogs Day. Every day is the same. The only difference from the movie is the outcome of Andrew's result. All we can hope is that he continues to stay positive and his nausea remains under control.
Keep Andrew in your positive thoughts today ....
TA,TA ......
Monday, July 20, 2009
Round 2 ... Ding Ding Ding
Today started out like every Maniac Monday.....up at 5:30, shower, breakfast, walk the dog, feed the dog, love the dog, clean up the kitchen, and out the door by 7 am. Most of you who know us as a couple, know that up at 5:30 and out by 7 am is not normal. This Maniac Monday is 21 days into Andrew's chemo treatment and the first 5-day treatment.
Andrew (Steve and I) checked into Reston Hospital at 7:30 am for his second round of chemo. This treatment is completely different from his first round of treatment. First off, the treatment is 5 days and only about 3-4 hours a day. Normally this treatment is an outpatient procedure but after Andrew's terrible experience with the first treatment, Dr. Felice and Dr. Thornton thought it would be better if he were under constant hospital care for Round 2... Ding Ding Ding. He will be receiving the chemo through the port in his chest instead of the pill form that would be given to him if he were able to do this as an outpatient. Andrew will be receiving Ifosfamide and Etoposide as his two chemo drugs and Mesna as his kidney/bladder rescue drug. He also started a new nausea medicine today, Emmend, which he will take once a day for 3 days. It is a time releasing medicine that will hopefully (please cross your fingers) help him to grin-and-bare this treatment with less nausea.
As a whole we are doing pretty well. Learning every day what Andrew can handle and what he can't. With his leg pain under control, we have been going on hour long walks every day to get him out of the house and active again. It's a nice time for us to just talk as well.
We also have house guests and help this week. Steve (Andrew's dad) arrived yesterday and Gwen (his mom) will arrive tomorrow evening. They will both be here until Friday helping out while Andrew is in the hospital and then my parents will come for the remainder of the weekend.
As the bell rings three times and he step into the ring again for the hard hitting blows that chemo tends to deal out, we want to thank everyone who reads this blog and thinks about Andrew every day. Our champ is working very hard to stay positive and healthy and is learning to take every experience and every day as it comes his way. The boxing gloves are on .......
TTLY........
Andrew (Steve and I) checked into Reston Hospital at 7:30 am for his second round of chemo. This treatment is completely different from his first round of treatment. First off, the treatment is 5 days and only about 3-4 hours a day. Normally this treatment is an outpatient procedure but after Andrew's terrible experience with the first treatment, Dr. Felice and Dr. Thornton thought it would be better if he were under constant hospital care for Round 2... Ding Ding Ding. He will be receiving the chemo through the port in his chest instead of the pill form that would be given to him if he were able to do this as an outpatient. Andrew will be receiving Ifosfamide and Etoposide as his two chemo drugs and Mesna as his kidney/bladder rescue drug. He also started a new nausea medicine today, Emmend, which he will take once a day for 3 days. It is a time releasing medicine that will hopefully (please cross your fingers) help him to grin-and-bare this treatment with less nausea.
As a whole we are doing pretty well. Learning every day what Andrew can handle and what he can't. With his leg pain under control, we have been going on hour long walks every day to get him out of the house and active again. It's a nice time for us to just talk as well.
We also have house guests and help this week. Steve (Andrew's dad) arrived yesterday and Gwen (his mom) will arrive tomorrow evening. They will both be here until Friday helping out while Andrew is in the hospital and then my parents will come for the remainder of the weekend.
As the bell rings three times and he step into the ring again for the hard hitting blows that chemo tends to deal out, we want to thank everyone who reads this blog and thinks about Andrew every day. Our champ is working very hard to stay positive and healthy and is learning to take every experience and every day as it comes his way. The boxing gloves are on .......
TTLY........
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