Update on my Dad (not good & long)
Mom and Dad met with the hemotologist at Baptist after being asked to come in immediately. The diagnosis is Acute Myeloid Leukemia. He will start an extremely aggressive chemo plan on Monday - the doc wanted him to start today but he wanted a day to come visit with us and think about what they had just been told. He will be in the hospital for at least three weeks 24 hours a day. The first seven will be for non-stop chemo then one week of no treatment but lots of testing. The third week will be possibly another 7 days of chemo or just monitoring depending on how well the first round works.
This is going to be a long road with a lot of unknowns - especially in the beginning. There are various subtypes of AML that will determine the future treatment plans. They will have more information on Monday but the first step is hardcore chemo.
It's scary but all we can do is take one day at a time and hope the treatments work and that he finds himself in that 40% of patients that beat this. Going through the chemo will make him sick where right now he feels completely fine but without it he would only have a few months at most before the cancer would cause organ failure. It's a very aggressive cancer which is why they want to start treatment so quickly.
Mom and Dad are doing as well as can be expected given the news and without having a lot of answers to their questions yet. We all have a new label and not one we ever wanted - for dad, "I have cancer"; for mom, "My husband has cancer"; for me, "My dad has cancer"; for John, "My grandfather has cancer".
If anyone has any information they can share it is greatly appreciated! Of course Google has plenty of information but nothing beats sharing a real life personal story. There really are a number of outcomes to this at various levels of this process so I just ask for continued prayers for more wonderful doctors and a positive outlook in a horrible circumstance.
Thanks again ladies!
Re: Update on my Dad (not good & long)
***Baby #3: BFP Mother
at my last job. i was the nurse giving the chemo. we had lots of patients with AML. and yes, some patients amaze me with their strength and win the fight. some amaze me with their strength and go down fighting. like you said, many of those type patients would be there for weeks. if not getting chemo, then recovering from the after effects of chemo. then they'd be back again and again for subsequent rounds. likely he will get some type of central access device such as a port-a-cath that they will use to administer the chemo. these devices are wonderful and necessary. they will save him from multiple peripheral IV lines and blood draws. (they can draw blood right off the cath/central line).
a few things i would tell you are...be prepared for his appearance to change. whether it's him losing his hair or losing weight...this can happen quickly and dramatically. don't let that scare you. some people even gain weight from excess fluid for a short time. encourage him to eat while and when he can. he will likely get quite sick at some point. hopefully he will be vocal about his symptoms with his doctors & nurses. they're on his side! when he gets that first kick in the butt from the chemo....he may feel so crappy. as hard as it may be---remember to give him space. he may not feel like doing anything!
sounds like you all are getting prepared for the road ahead. i hope your dad will come through it a healthy man. thinking of you & your family.
I am so, so sorry. I will definitely be praying for you and your family.
As far as your labels, I have one, "My mom & my grandmother both had cancer (grandmother - stage 4 breast cancer with a terrible prognosis) and WON!!" I hope you all can tack that last part on to your labels in a few months. Lots of hugs & prayers for y'all.
Blog
Our Thanksgiving Day baby 11/22/07
Pregnant with #2 with LPD, uterine polyp/hysteroscopy, DOR (AMH = 0.17), 2 c/ps
Our early Christmas present 12/9/10
Oh SB I just caught up, Im so very sorry. I know there is nothing we can say to make it any better, but your dad is in good hands at WFUBMC. They are some of the best in the world.
I have a great uncle who is fighting a form of Luekemia and he is also in and out for aggressive chemo. Have they asked aobut donors? I know that my gpa tested as a match...so maybe there is something that can help in the way of a donor.
Please keep us updated, many hugs and prayers your way!
Your family is in my prayers. My Dad has been in Lymphoma remission for 2 years so I have walked in your shoes and know how you're feeling. CANCER SUCKS!
Catching up on sports news...
My Sweet Girls
I'm so sorry that your family is going through this. It's definitely tough on everyone involved. I'll be keeping your family in my prayers.
Life at Chunky Gal