12:00 Noon Karen had a challenging night. They are giving her meds to reduce ammonia in her blood, and they are counteracting some of the other effects of liver failure. She’s asleep most of the time, but is lucid when awake, because of the meds for the ammonia. So, the meds are good and bad….
Month: April 2018
Cleveland Clinic Update 4-19
It’s pretty early in the morning, but it’s technically the 19th now. As before, I’ll add to this post throughout the day if I get any news, and Karen doesn’t need me. This is the third post since she was admitted to the hospital. If you haven’t read the others you may need to glance…
Cleveland Clinic Update 4-18
Karen’s stay at the Clinic will be for at least another few days, even if all goes well. For the next few days I’ll be creating a blog post for the day, and will update that blog a couple times a day. That means that blog posts may change through the day. I did this…
Things Seem Stable, but an Important Update
Karen started feeling ill Sunday evening and got worse Monday before we headed out to Chemo. We considered going to a local ER, but Karen felt better about being seen at the Clinic. She is bleeding internally, and the docs aren’t sure exactly where. It is likely from a couple places, but of varying degrees….
Topotecan Round 2 – Mid/Late Week Update
Karen received her second dose of Topotecan earlier this week, and spent several days recuperating. The Topotecan doesn’t knock her completely out, but makes her feel generally icky and sick. She’s been taking anti-nausea and pain meds around the clock for about a month, so that’s helped. Monday she had an infusion of two units…
Update for the Week, Topotecan Week 1
The Topotecan sickness hit Tuesday, and Karen had many of the same side effects as previous medications. There was the same queasiness, extreme fatigue, sleepiness, etc. Since she took some of the anti-nausea meds prophylactically there were fewer cookies being tossed. Another big change over the last week has been with pain management. She has…
Topotecan Round 1, Dose 1
Karen had her first dose of Topotecan yesterday, and is scheduled to receive another dose the next two Mondays. This will be followed by a one week break and then with round 2. Solid food isn’t agreeing with Karen right now. She’s tried a few meals over the last week, and hasn’t kept them down…