Wednesday, September 28, 2011
9/28/11 Wednesday
Whoooohoooooo Quintin's white blood count was 6.0 today!!! 4-11 is the normal range. He is coming home tomorrow!!! Everyone is so excited. Seems the transplant is working. Thanking God today for his many blessings!
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
9/27/11 Tuesday
It has been a rough last 7 days. His counts have been so low and all he did was sleep. On Friday he started running a temp and was admitted to the hospital. He had a rough couple of nights but is starting to feel better. Sunday his white blood count was .2 on Monday they were .7........today they are 2.4 PTL half way there. He has not had a fever in 24 hours. So he is hoping to come home by the weekend. We are praying that the rest of the week is full of good news. The kiddos miss him so much. Since he has been in the hospital I have been able to come home at night. Thanks again for your prayers!!! They are working!
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
9-20-11
Quintin is doing well. Just really tired. With his counts this low that is to be expected. We went back to the doctor yesterday for his check up. We go every other day now to check his blood levels and counts. His levels are dropping like they are supposed to. They will be completely bottomed out by today or tomorrow. He began taking Neupogen shots today. These will help boost his white blood cell count which is what has to be normal before we can go home.
The doctor told us yesterday that his hemoglobin level was good. This means he probably won't have to have a blood transfusion. PTL Just continue to pray that his levels rebound quickly so we can go home. We miss our babies and our bed! lol
Love,
Tammy and Quintin
The doctor told us yesterday that his hemoglobin level was good. This means he probably won't have to have a blood transfusion. PTL Just continue to pray that his levels rebound quickly so we can go home. We miss our babies and our bed! lol
Love,
Tammy and Quintin
Saturday, September 17, 2011
9/17/11
Transplant went well. Q stays nauseated and very tired which is to be expected. He came home with an IV bag connected to his chest cath that I change every 24 hours. It has meds for nausea and other fluids that he needs to keep him hydrated. We went back to the doctor on Friday to check his levels and they had not begun to drop yet. The doctor said he should bottom out over the weekend. Next week will be the hardest week for him. His white and red cells will be pretty much zilch. He will be extremely tired and weak. He is such a good paitent. He never complains. He is such a strong person.
The hardest part for us is being away from our kids. I knew it would be hard on us I just never realized how hard it was going to be on our kids. Even though they are with my mom who they adore and we skype with them at least 3-4 times a day....it is just not the same.
Praying for a speedy recovery so we can be at home with our babies.
The hardest part for us is being away from our kids. I knew it would be hard on us I just never realized how hard it was going to be on our kids. Even though they are with my mom who they adore and we skype with them at least 3-4 times a day....it is just not the same.
Praying for a speedy recovery so we can be at home with our babies.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Day 3 9-15-11
Quintin did not sleep too well last night. Just a little restless. Woke up very nauseated and throwing up. We go to MDA at 1 pm today to get the stem cells injected. This is about a 3 hour process. Please pray that all goes well and I will post more later, Thanks
Day 2 Wednesday 9-14-11
Day started off great. He actually felt like getting out for lunch and we ran a few errands. We got back to the room around 4 or so to disconnect his back pack and he started getting nauseated. BJ went by Chick-fila and brought him some chicken noodle soup. He felt much better afterwards. Still a little queasy.
Our good friend Bro. Chad Wilpitz helped me get my computer ready and we got to skype into GTPC for service! It was so awesome. We even got to talk to every one! Not the same as being there but definitely the next best thing.
Peyton woke up with a sore throat and fever so my mom took him to the doctor and he has strep...please remember him as well in your prayers!
Our good friend Bro. Chad Wilpitz helped me get my computer ready and we got to skype into GTPC for service! It was so awesome. We even got to talk to every one! Not the same as being there but definitely the next best thing.
Peyton woke up with a sore throat and fever so my mom took him to the doctor and he has strep...please remember him as well in your prayers!
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Transplant 9-12-11
Our day started bright and early with walking Halle to the bus stop, seeing her off and driving Peyton to school. Both kids seemed a little nervous and worried about Daddy because today was the big chemo day. Halle ended up coming home early from school due to upset tummy and vomiting. Which I really feel was just nerves. Please pray for our babies as it is very hard on them to be away from mommy and daddy and not really understanding what is going on.
Got checked in at MDA around noon and started the process for chemo. Which included lots of fluids and meds to help with side effect from the chemo. Because we serve a GREAT BIG GOD, he has not had any side effects from the chemo such as nausea, dizziness or fatigue. The nurse said he probably would not begin feeling tired until Sunday or Monday when his immune system will be at it's lowest. We are staying in an extended stay near the hospital in case he gets a temp or any major side effects from the chemo. We go back to MDA on Thursday for stem cell transplant which is about a 3 hour process. The nurse said it waws a painless process. He is currently hooked to a back pack that is connected to his chest cath which administers nausea meds and other fluids to keep him hydrated.
As you may know, hair loss is a major side effect from this type of chemo. We decided that it would be a good idea to shave Q's head so the kids would not be shocked to see him with no hair. We made this fun for the kids by allowing them to participate in the shaving! We made a mohawk and several other funny hair do's for daddy. (I will post pics later) Even Papa Nick and Uncle Donny shaved their heads!!! I will post their pics as well! Both kids said they did not like daddy new do so he told them he would it grow back.
Thanks to our friend Dave Massey we are able to video chat with the kiddos every day! They love that!!! And so do we since being away from them seems to be the hardest part!
At the end of the day we are thanking God for His many blessing and His healing touch. Miss our family and church family more than you will ever know. Life really is all about your loved ones and the time you spend with them. Every day is another blessing!!!
Got checked in at MDA around noon and started the process for chemo. Which included lots of fluids and meds to help with side effect from the chemo. Because we serve a GREAT BIG GOD, he has not had any side effects from the chemo such as nausea, dizziness or fatigue. The nurse said he probably would not begin feeling tired until Sunday or Monday when his immune system will be at it's lowest. We are staying in an extended stay near the hospital in case he gets a temp or any major side effects from the chemo. We go back to MDA on Thursday for stem cell transplant which is about a 3 hour process. The nurse said it waws a painless process. He is currently hooked to a back pack that is connected to his chest cath which administers nausea meds and other fluids to keep him hydrated.
As you may know, hair loss is a major side effect from this type of chemo. We decided that it would be a good idea to shave Q's head so the kids would not be shocked to see him with no hair. We made this fun for the kids by allowing them to participate in the shaving! We made a mohawk and several other funny hair do's for daddy. (I will post pics later) Even Papa Nick and Uncle Donny shaved their heads!!! I will post their pics as well! Both kids said they did not like daddy new do so he told them he would it grow back.
Thanks to our friend Dave Massey we are able to video chat with the kiddos every day! They love that!!! And so do we since being away from them seems to be the hardest part!
At the end of the day we are thanking God for His many blessing and His healing touch. Miss our family and church family more than you will ever know. Life really is all about your loved ones and the time you spend with them. Every day is another blessing!!!
Friday, September 2, 2011
The Beginning....
I have created this blog to keep all our love ones and friends updated on Quintin's journey with cancer. I have had several people tell me that they hear all sorts of things but do not want to bother us for the true details. Jeanna, our cousin, suggested that I create a blog to let you know where Quintin is at and how he is doing. Thanks to all of you for your prayers and support. We are believing GOD for a complete healing.
In early February of this year (2011) Quintin was working out at the gym and felt a rib crack on his right side. Being a man, he just dealt with the pain. I tried to get him to go to a doctor to have it checked out and he just passed it off as pleurisy. Finally April 21, 2011 he made an appointment with a general practitioner. The doctor did blood work and an EKG and everything came back fine. As a matter of fact, the doctor stated he was in perfect shape for a 41 year old man. He gave him an anti-inflammatory and sent him on his way.
About 2 or 3 weeks later...the pain in his side was a little better but he noticed a lump right underneath his Adam's apple on his sternum. A little scary!!! He called Dr. Nguyen and made another appointment. On May 25, 2011 he had a CAT scan that showed a mass in his right rib and a mass on his sternum. So the doctor ordered a MRI and a bone scan for May 27. We went for the results on May 31....this was the worst day of our lives.... The doctor told us that the best he could tell, it looked like bone cancer. He had multiple lesions on his ribs and spine. He said he felt like it was stage 4 and there was nothing really he could do. WOW....it was a very dark day! The doctor was still confused because all of his blood work had come back normal. He was slightly anemic but not enough to worry about. So he ordered more detailed blood work and another CAT scan of the head.
Wednesday Dr. Nguyen called and ask for Quintin to come in. He went with out me this time since I was beside myself after Tuesday's news. He informed Quintin that he did not think it was bone cancer. He felt like it was a type of blood cancer called Multiple Myeloma. If it was...then there was hope. He told us it was a treatable cancer. He recommended that we get into MD Anderson ASAP.
So glad that we are blessed with so many friends. Quintin has a friend that got him into MD Anderson in record time. We were scheduled to see a Myeloma doctor in less than 2 weeks. On June 9th we were in!! All the test began and Quintin was officially diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma. The cancer forms lesions on the bones which eats away leaving little pin holes in the bone. Our new cancer doctor, Dr. Sheeba Thomas felt like he was in the first stages. There was one test that she needed to do to see if Quintin had any abnormal chromosomes. If he did...this would make the cancer a lot more aggressive. PTL he had no abnormal chromosomes! (one of many miracles)
Quintin's plan of treatment was to have 2 to 3 21 day rounds of chemo to get him ready for stem cell transplant. We started on June 17, 2011. We have had a total of 3 rounds. All his counts are down over 90%. Dr. Thomas was pleased that Quintin responded so well to the chemo. He had a bad day here and there but over all he and God have aced them all.
We are preparing for stem cell transplant on the 12th of Sept. We are hoping for total recovery. Our stem cell nurse told us that there is not a cure for this cancer but she has seen a lot of patients who have had stem cell transplants never produce the cancer cell again....This is what we are praying for.
God had performed more than one miracle since we began this journey. We caught it early! Our health insurance went into effect April 1, 2011. We signed up for a cancer policy that we didn't even know about. The test came back that he did not have any abnormal chromosomes! We got into MD Anderson within a week of finding out about the cancer. And other than the cancer, Quintin is in great health. THANK YOU JESUS.
So here we are. A little over a week away from transplant. They are using his own stem cells so he should tolerate the transplant with no problem. It will be a little rough...he will have a high dose of chemo that will pretty much kill everything in his body! Including bone marrow. He is gonna loose his hair. He is not real happy about that, plus we have to stay in an extended stay near the hospital for at least 3 weeks in case of fever or any other reactions he may have. This is gonna be the hardest. Having to be away from our babies for 3 weeks is going to be hard.
I will have a lot of time on my hands while staying in the hotel. So I will probably post a lot! Please remember us in your prayers....we love you all very much!
Q&T
In early February of this year (2011) Quintin was working out at the gym and felt a rib crack on his right side. Being a man, he just dealt with the pain. I tried to get him to go to a doctor to have it checked out and he just passed it off as pleurisy. Finally April 21, 2011 he made an appointment with a general practitioner. The doctor did blood work and an EKG and everything came back fine. As a matter of fact, the doctor stated he was in perfect shape for a 41 year old man. He gave him an anti-inflammatory and sent him on his way.
About 2 or 3 weeks later...the pain in his side was a little better but he noticed a lump right underneath his Adam's apple on his sternum. A little scary!!! He called Dr. Nguyen and made another appointment. On May 25, 2011 he had a CAT scan that showed a mass in his right rib and a mass on his sternum. So the doctor ordered a MRI and a bone scan for May 27. We went for the results on May 31....this was the worst day of our lives.... The doctor told us that the best he could tell, it looked like bone cancer. He had multiple lesions on his ribs and spine. He said he felt like it was stage 4 and there was nothing really he could do. WOW....it was a very dark day! The doctor was still confused because all of his blood work had come back normal. He was slightly anemic but not enough to worry about. So he ordered more detailed blood work and another CAT scan of the head.
Wednesday Dr. Nguyen called and ask for Quintin to come in. He went with out me this time since I was beside myself after Tuesday's news. He informed Quintin that he did not think it was bone cancer. He felt like it was a type of blood cancer called Multiple Myeloma. If it was...then there was hope. He told us it was a treatable cancer. He recommended that we get into MD Anderson ASAP.
So glad that we are blessed with so many friends. Quintin has a friend that got him into MD Anderson in record time. We were scheduled to see a Myeloma doctor in less than 2 weeks. On June 9th we were in!! All the test began and Quintin was officially diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma. The cancer forms lesions on the bones which eats away leaving little pin holes in the bone. Our new cancer doctor, Dr. Sheeba Thomas felt like he was in the first stages. There was one test that she needed to do to see if Quintin had any abnormal chromosomes. If he did...this would make the cancer a lot more aggressive. PTL he had no abnormal chromosomes! (one of many miracles)
Quintin's plan of treatment was to have 2 to 3 21 day rounds of chemo to get him ready for stem cell transplant. We started on June 17, 2011. We have had a total of 3 rounds. All his counts are down over 90%. Dr. Thomas was pleased that Quintin responded so well to the chemo. He had a bad day here and there but over all he and God have aced them all.
We are preparing for stem cell transplant on the 12th of Sept. We are hoping for total recovery. Our stem cell nurse told us that there is not a cure for this cancer but she has seen a lot of patients who have had stem cell transplants never produce the cancer cell again....This is what we are praying for.
God had performed more than one miracle since we began this journey. We caught it early! Our health insurance went into effect April 1, 2011. We signed up for a cancer policy that we didn't even know about. The test came back that he did not have any abnormal chromosomes! We got into MD Anderson within a week of finding out about the cancer. And other than the cancer, Quintin is in great health. THANK YOU JESUS.
So here we are. A little over a week away from transplant. They are using his own stem cells so he should tolerate the transplant with no problem. It will be a little rough...he will have a high dose of chemo that will pretty much kill everything in his body! Including bone marrow. He is gonna loose his hair. He is not real happy about that, plus we have to stay in an extended stay near the hospital for at least 3 weeks in case of fever or any other reactions he may have. This is gonna be the hardest. Having to be away from our babies for 3 weeks is going to be hard.
I will have a lot of time on my hands while staying in the hotel. So I will probably post a lot! Please remember us in your prayers....we love you all very much!
Q&T
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