Author: Charlie

It was another week of low platelet counts, so they couldn’t administer the chemo again last week. Chemotherapy interferes with the body’s ability to create platelets, and Karen’s body wasn’t very happy with the new chemo medications. The doc is still hoping to lower the dosages to find the best level. Karen has a history…

The weekend seemed to get away from us without me making a blog post, and I’m not quite sure how that happened, but it did. Where does all the time go? Karen was too fatigued to have chemo last week. Her platelets were too low and the doctor thought it best to hold off and…

This week was a bit better than last, but Karen is still getting tired rather easily. Her last round of blood tests show that her platelets are low, so her body didn’t hold up quite as well during the last round of chemo. She’s having more tests to day to see if the chemo needs…

This week Karen had the chemo medication Gemzar without any other medications. This was the first time she’s had that one without the Carboplatin, so we weren’t really sure what to expect. The Carboplatin/Gemzar mix last week rolled over her like a steam roller, and it took days before she was able to be up…

The first week of the chemo cycle is always the hardest for Karen. Some of the chemo medications are administered weekly, while others on some type of interval. No matter the interval, the first infusion has all the medications, and the side effects are at their maximum in the period following. When considering side effects, anticipation…

Karen’s chemo starts at the Cleveland Clinic next Tuesday, May 16th. Her surgeon sees patients at a Medina branch, so we’re going there, as it’s about 40 minutes closer for us. There’s not much excitement about starting a new cycle of chemo. It’s no fun at all. She’ll be starting the Carboplatin again, but adding…

Most of my last few posts have been related to the surgery and how well Karen is recovering. She’s doing great! But I’d like to share a few more details about the surgery itself, including what we hoped, and what we ultimately got. The objective of the surgery last Friday was to remove the visible…

Wednesday update. Karen is recovering nicely. She’s still in some pain, but is mostly relying on Advil now. She is eating normal meals, but smaller portions. I’ve not been at my computer to update in more detail, but should by the weekend.

I’ll post recovery updates here… 8:00PM we’re home! I’ll update tomorrow. For now, it’s rest in our own bed. <3 Monday update. Going home! Karen has done well and they’re sending us home. I’ll update in a day or so with more details about the surgery, and what’s to come.  5:45PM Easter Sunday. Solid food!…

I’ll update this periodically today 4/14. 9:10 — Resting soundly in her room.  6:07 — She’s still sleeping, but she always takes a while to come out of anastesia.  4:00 — She’s all closed up and in recovery. They couldn’t remove all of the cancer, but they did get a good handle on the situation. That…