Admitted today

[Sandy L]

Hi everyone,

We finally got admitted at 4:00pm today. We were told to call at 7:00 am and waited all day for a bed to become available. Dr Escelon is very nice and she actually intervened to make sure that we got in today. When we arrived at the room there was a changing of the guard so she actually put Mike on a gurney and walked him downstairs herself and waited till they did the echo cardiogram that she wanted.

They are preping him right now so that they can start the chemo tonight. I can not send or receive e-mails yet. Hopefully tomorrow I will find out what I have to do to achieve that.
Our phone number here is 305-355-4161.

Thank you Suzanne for sharing your experience. I hope Mike is as lucky as you. I read him your note and it gave him renewes strength.
Computer is going to cut out soon. (I can’t find an electrical outlet) I will check in again tonight if i can.

Sandy

Thanks for all your prayers and I look forward to everyone’s response.

[niol]

Sandy,

You let Mike know there are 1,000s any maybe more here that are thinking about him and praying for him.
He is not in this battle alone but has a silent army of us all behind him.

I think if they would allow us to build a grand stand right in his room that it would reach many many stories high. Everyone would be on their feet cheering Mike on. The cheering would be such that the walls would shake.

Since they won’t let us do that Mike should know that there are people in every state and many countries around the world who support him. We may be silent and not at his bed side but I think if he closes his eyes he can see us all out here. He is not alone as each of our spirts are with him.

Take care Sandy, stay strong and please remember we all care and are pulling for Mike.

Ed

[Bkwits]

Sandy,
I cannot express my support as elogquently as Ed did for all of us. I will be here in the frozen Northern Illinois, thinking of and praying for Mike and your family.

As Ed said we are everywhere on the planet sending positive thoughts to you and Mike.
God Bless,
Barb

[Jack_dup1]

Sandy,
Ed said it very well, there are hundreds of people that don’t post, but log in daily. We are all at your side and you and Mike are in our hearts and prayers.
Jack

[Caroline]

Sandy,

Check in when you can and keep us posted. In the meantime, our thoughts and prayers will include you and Mike.

Blessings,
Caroline

[Alice S]

Sandy & Mike
There is power in collective prayer, it has been proven, so know, as Ed and everyone here wrote, you are not alone. Close your eyes and feel the hundred arms hugging you with their light.
Keep us posted when you can.
Alice

[Terri]

Sandy we are all pulling for Mike and my prayers go out to you both,
Will look for your posts but your Most important thing is just to be there for Mike and support him, We are all hear for you when you need that Ear to listen, when you can’t be hear to post just remember we are all with you in spirit and prayer

[SandyB]

Good Evening Sandy,

My name is Sandy as well, and my husband is also Mike. My Mike went through Induction Chemo for AML back in May of this year.

Even though everyone handles the chemo differently, I though I would give you encouragement and a few experiences that Mike had.

First of all, Mike did absolutely fantastic through the whole Ara-C + Daunarubicin chemo. He absolutely amazed the Dr.s and nurses with his positive attitude and I think that was the key.

He was given medicine for nausea and fortunately he did not have to deal with it. Consistently we would not look any more ahead and stayed at the “one day at a time” pace.

He was in the hospital for 23 days, and I stayed with him.

We kept as active physically as much as possible. Mike had an exercise bike in the room and literally rode it every day at an easy pace, just to keep active. We walked the halls in the “Isolation Area.”

He had a problem with a sore throat and was given “Mary’s Magic” to deal with that.

There were fevers and spikes for about 2 weeks, but medication was given to control those when counts were very low.

I could give you many details, but I really would just like to instill the “One Day at a Time”, keeping active as you can, and maintain a positive attitude.

Pleas know that we wish you both the very best and will be there with any help you need, in navigating this treatment.

[Sandy L]

Thank you everyone for your prayers and good wishes. I ahve heard from several members that do not post but they e-mailed me seperately and it it has helped me so much. I am so glad that I have this forum and I am continually amazed by the goodness of so many people.

Sandy B – I would love to talk to you further … you seem to have much knowledge. I would have loved it if you were in my area and that the names of the doctors were people that we could see.

We checked in on Thurs about 4 PM. They woke him at 4 am to say that he need 2 pints of blood. HMG 7 – The gave him the blood very slowly and it finished at 9:30 AM . The doctor came in to say that they were going to send the “team” to insert a pic line in his arm since she had doubts that what they had in now would last. We waited and waited. Then they said that they were too back logged so that they might do it Sta or Monday. In the meantime they would start the chem at 3:30.
At 3 o’clock the gave him some anti-nausea iv drugs and tow marinols orally and then at 3:30 they started the drip. He has been sleeping a lot (but not in a deep sleep) and is very tired. They are giving him Idarubicun and Ara-C.
He is in a private room – but not isolation. When they come in they do not wear a mask but they do wash their hands. I do not find them to be very attentive but ….?

What’s Mary’s Magic? Please share.

We will take one day at a time but I am so anxious waiting for the ball to drop. Maybe I should be taking something too.

How come your Mike did not go for transplant? They are telling us that Mike has no other options. What is the Ara-C Maintenance? Every day? I wonder why the drug names are different. Dr Escalon told us that this was to standard drug therapy. Should I be concerned that the name is no the same?

My new e-mail is sandylutzker@yahoo.com . I welcome all responses.

My other e-mail odes not work in the hospital.

will write more soon

love

sandy
I can not get my e-mails

[SandyB]

Good Morning Sandy,

I hope this finds Mike and you doing well. Thanks for the confidence, but I am only knowledgable due to our experience.

Mary’s Magic was the medication given to Mike for Mucousitis. (inflammation of the mucous membranes, both in the mouth and intestine)
He fortunately only had it occur in his throat. Your hospital may use something different.

Mike has not really had a choice on the transplant since his siblings did not HLA Match and there are no donors at the Bone Marrow Transplant Bank that match either.

Right now, they had to stop the Maintenance Chemo because his counts dropped too low. They have been trying to come back up for the last month. The Dr. now thinks maybe Dysplasia is at fault.

It seems like a never-ending battle, but like everyone else here, battle we will.

[Kiwi Ken]

Hi Sandy
All the best from down south
Ken

[KWJ]

Hang in there Sandy and Mike. Prayers from Oregon coming your way.

[Author]

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