Sue Charen

One More Day at JHH

One more day at JHH, because Sue just missed the target for the chemo drug leaving her system. Almost definitely, tomorrow will be the day that Sue can go home. We will be packing tonight and trying to leave early, I think. And Sue is slowly improving, and actually had an appetite this morning for the first time in a couple of days or so. 

 

Feeling a Little Bit Better

Sue was feeling a bit better today. Despite some nausea, Sue seemed more awake and even smiled at my bad jokes. The numbers improved again and may be if tonight the chemo drug is mainly gone, we might be let go from the hospital. Of course we would have to come back pretty often. So, Sue is asleep and hoping for an even easier day tomorrow.

 

Almost 24 Hours...of Sleep

Due to a pretty high level of residual chemo drug, there was a lot of nausea. It won't take very long to clear it probably, but to keep Sue comfortable, the anti-nausea drugs were increased. This as expected and hoped for has made Sue very, very sleepy. She wakes up every couple of hours for a couple of minutes. By tomorrow, the chemo drug should be mostly gone and Sue should be feeling much better. We are guessing on a Tuesday release.

Almost 24 Hours

It has been almost 24 hours since the chemotherapy was administered to Sue. This is the second round and the nausea seems worse than before. But since it hadn't gone away completely from the first round, I guess it is somewhat compounded. Sue is on a lot more anti-nausea drugs which makes her very sleepy (she is sleeping as I type this). It is always better to not be awake during these bouts. Hoping tomorrow and the next few days will be easier as the chemo drug is pushed out of her system -- using lots and lots of hydration and an antidote. Otherwise Sue's "numbers" continue to be good.

Assuming it goes like last time we should be out of the hospital by Monday or Tuesday. My in-laws and I are staying at the hospital's patient and family pavillion that is across the street. It is very convenient and is very similar in design and decor to the hospital rooms (which are not to bad).

Some of my local family members came over, but Sue was not yet up for visitors and so they had to make due with just talking to me mainly (and my in-laws). I am hoping that once back in WV, that she will be soon be up for more visitors.

Friday

Sue will be going back in for a second round of chemo on Friday. This round will probably take the same amount of time as last, about 4-5 days.

It has been quiet at the house. Sue has still had nausea and been sleepy, perhaps due to the anti-nausea drugs. Hoping for an easier post-second round.

 

 

Major Reduction in Size

There is always anxiety in waiting to hear results from a medical test. Yesterday, Sue received her first scan--an MRI-- since the chemotherapy was given. Fortunately the results were very good, showing a major reduction in the size of the tumor. And since Sue's "numbers" have been very good as well showing that she endured the chemotherapy without any problems, the doctor has decided that a second round of chemotherapy should be done. 

So, we will be returning next week for the second round of the chemotherapy. Again a high dose of the chemotherapy will be given, and Sue will need to stay in the hospital until the chemo has be washed out of her system. This takes around 3-5 days. 

Sue was losing some hair from the chemo and decided to do the hair chop, rather than wait for all of it to fall out. 

We are relaxing out at the house and enjoying the July 4th weekend. Hope you all have a great fourth!

Baltimore Bound 2

Today was the first second out patient visit since being discharged from the hospital. Similar to yesterday Wednesday, Sue has been fighting nausea. The trip was brief and good, since Sue's "numbers" from the blood tests were either excellent or trending as expected in the right direction...again. Next hospital trip won't be till Saturday Tuesday. We are hoping the visits are spaced out, say only two or three visits a week. And we got a better sense of what those visits will be like. 

Right now Sue is spending time taking it easy with family. 

-----------------------

No, this is not deja vu, but almost identical improving results on the second trip. Still hoping the nausea goes away. During the numerous times Sue used to go to the out patient for chemo and bone marrow transplant followup, I remember the visits seeming to be very similar and blending together. It has also brought back a lot of memories.

Tomorrow, Sue's brother from PA will be arriving with his family. That makes three. 

Baltimore Bound

Today was the first out patient visit since being discharged from the hospital. Similar to yesterday, Sue has been fighting nausea. The trip was brief and good, since Sue's "numbers" from the blood tests were either excellent or trending as expected in the right direction. Next hospital trip won't be till Saturday. We are hoping the visits are spaced out, say only two or three visits a week. And we got a better sense of what those visits will be like. 

Right now Sue is spending time taking it easy with family. 

Birthday Blues

Today is the 4th anniversary of the wonderful bone marrow transplant and sort of rebirth. And we are still very happy about it. But the relapse has made the day this year not as celebratory. Sue was discharged from the hospital yesterday after the successful chemotherapy. We are back at the house and getting ready for the hospital visits every other day or so to check Sue's levels. Within a couple weeks the full effect of the chemo will show with lower blood counts and loss of hair. 

And today was a little tougher and Sue was not feeling great. But her brother from Chicago is here visiting and along with her folks here, it was nice to be together. Any day can be a challenge and today was one. 

Thanks for all of the calls and messages. Sue really appreciates them. And it was great seeing her SC brother and family and also my Baltimore cousins visiting in the hospital. 

Tomorrow will be the first of the hospital - out patient visits post chemo. 

Tough News

After over four years of remission and two years of a long, but good recovery, Sue started to have a headache that lasted more than a week. The doctors did head scans and discovered a mass in her head. Within a few days under observation and getting tests, the doctors have determined that Sue has had a relapse of the Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (Philadephia chromosome positive) in her central nervous system. This is tough news especially considering how far out from remission Sue was and that it is a tough fight ahead. 

Fortunately, at this point the treatments should be much easier on her compared to the two years of touch chemo and bone marrow transplant. And so far the cancer has not succeeded in getting into the rest of the body. The great drugs Sue was on do not reach the central nervous system (CNS), because of the "blood-brain barrier" (bbb). So Sue will try another drug that may be better at that. 

Sue is obviously upset about the news, but is concentrating on receiving treatments and getting better. She has been feeling ok here in the hospital and is looking foward to getting back to the house early next week. 

As always we want to thank family and friends who have helped us over the years with love, sympathy and support.

We will be keep this site up to date from now on.