Thanks so much to all of you for the
outpouring of love and support. I feel those warm
arms wrapped around us.
Steve is now sequestered now in
Tower 7B-39 for the next four weeks. He is feeling poorly and really can't focus on much more than his headache, his stomachache, and his fever.
(Although he was ranting about FOX news yesterday.)
They are treating him
with antibiotics for his fevers and lots of anti-nausea medication. He is on a
7-day continuous IV infusion of one type of chemo, and a daily dose of an IV
push of another chemo for three days. He is on day 2 of this -- but who's
counting! He also is part of a clinical trial in which he'll receive another
chemo drug which has been in use for awhile treating other cancers.
The doctors say
everything he is experiencing is par for the course of leukemia. They think
after a few days of chemo he’ll be feeling better.
He has been diagnosed
with a type of Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) that has a good prognosis. The type
is T(8,21), a chromosomal abnormality type of AML where the 8th
chromosome has screwed up.
I can't bear to read about AML right now, but
emails I have received from those who have read about it say :
"From the little bit of
research I did it does seem that t8,21 has among the best prognosis and more so
for people who are in good shape - good thing you've been doing all that
biking. "
"I did my
research.
I'm gonna sleep better tonight. Clearly, it would be better to be deciding to extend the vacation and go for Barcelona, but this is the best news I've heard in 5 days.
I will not try to minimize the rollercoaster ride ahead, but the view from here is great."
I'm gonna sleep better tonight. Clearly, it would be better to be deciding to extend the vacation and go for Barcelona, but this is the best news I've heard in 5 days.
I will not try to minimize the rollercoaster ride ahead, but the view from here is great."
As for the
Coppens-Buchsbaum support team, there is always someone from our family and friends who live locally visiting each day. While some days Steve
has been up for visitors, sometimes he isn’t up to seeing anyone. We have to
take it day by day in terms of visiting.
But for the girls and me, it's great to have others to share a meal with and some good
laughs outside the hospital. These visits keep our minds from wandering and help
us stay positive. My heart is full of love and gratitude for these visits, (not
to mention the efficient laundry service!)
It's nice that Mia is
a few trolley stops away, and Emily will come this weekend.
I had thought I could respond to emails daily, but I have been unable to keep up, as many of you know. So the next best thing is a blog, in which I will write regular posts.
I will still try to respond to your emails, as I don't want you to be discouraged from writing to us. Reading your emails to Steve has become a daily ritual and an important way to keep connected with our friends and our lives.
I had thought I could respond to emails daily, but I have been unable to keep up, as many of you know. So the next best thing is a blog, in which I will write regular posts.
I will still try to respond to your emails, as I don't want you to be discouraged from writing to us. Reading your emails to Steve has become a daily ritual and an important way to keep connected with our friends and our lives.
I will also include
Mia and Emily's email in case you want to email them directly:
Emily: buchsbaume@gmail.com
Please stay positive and continue to send your warm,
healing energy. Give blood if you can; Steve surely will be making a dent in
the blood bank.
Here are a few photos:
One is Steve eating grapes from a vineyard while on
our bike trip – taken only two weeks ago.
Here is Mia cutting off the lovely locks last Sunday.
Steve awaiting a blood transfusion for anemia today.
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