09.11.2017 update

Maggie and I came to Jackson for a clinic appointment and possible admission this morning. She brought enough platelets with her this time and was cleared for chemo and admission. She’s still getting the Folfiri regimen, but this time we’re switching to...

09.07.2017 update

No admission today. Maggie’s platelets did not meet the 100,000 threshold for a chemo infusion. Her level was 92,000. This suppression is caused by one or two of her chemo drugs. Her body needs a little more time to recover, so we are home for the weekend....

09.06.2017 update

Maggie and I will be leaving early for an 8:00 am appointment at the CCC. If her counts look good, she will be admitted for her next round of chemo. If all goes according to plan, we’ll stay through Saturday afternoon. I’ll update as quickly as I can to...

08.28.2017 update

Quick between round update: Maggie is feeling tired but good. She was able to drive to church Sunday – first time she’s been behind the wheel in several months. She (and her parents) wanted to make sure she was tolerating all her meds well and over the...

08.22.2017 updat

As promised, I’m adding an update to first let you know Maggie’s counts were solid – platelets were up – so we are infusing. We were admitted yesterday afternoon, about eclipse time. She is tolerating chemo extremely well with the main side...

08.20.2017 update

Our vacation drew to a magical close today and we are turning our focus back to treatment. But before we do, I’ll mention our trip briefly with the promise of a complete post later in the week. Maggie chose the location, fittingly, and you can guess where we...

08.14.2017 update

Maggie, Phil and I were in the Children’s Cancer Clinic first thing this morning to hear results from the PET scan from Friday afternoon. When Dr. Herrington (filling in for a traveling Dr. Collier) said the words, “Your scans are stable,” you could...

08.10.2017 update

After a few days of rest following her last chemo admission, Maggie has surprised us with her strength and appetite. She was even able to attend church Sunday for the first time in several months. She is sleeping better than she has in recent memory and is able to...

08.02.2017 update

Wednesday night update from Batson: Maggie was able to get chemo starting in the clinic Monday morning and was moved to the floor mid-infusion that afternoon. Monday was a pretty rough day – she had mild anaphylaxis again with chemo #2, Iranotecan, requiring a...

07.30.2017 update

We’ve had a blessedly uneventful week. Maggie has rested at home – no complications to propel us back to Batson. She has recovered nicely from the C-Diff and seems to be getting stronger. We’re working with Dr. Rippel, her pediatric GI doctor, on an...

07.22.2017 update

Maggie is much better tonight. The number of trips to the bathroom has dropped exponentially – Praise the Lord. She’s still tired and will need more time to recover, but, if all goes well, we’ll leave for home in the morning. She was given two units...

07.20.2017 update

Some of you know most of the following from our Facebook update but I will repeat for those who aren’t on FB and add new information (I temporarily lost use of this website yesterday. Thus, the delay in a full update): Maggie was admitted through the ER...

07.16.2017 update

Quick update from Sandstone: Maggie and I will make the trip to the clinic in the morning for blood counts. She has been resting, eating a fair amount, and working word search puzzles. Her pain is completely controlled – we may try cutting back a bit on the the...

07.11.2017 update

Maggie finished chemo this afternoon but was too nauseated at the time to think about a 90 mile drive. She’s staying another night at Batson. I returned to Hattiesburg early today for a dentist appointment (to get that chipped tooth fixed). Phil is with Maggie...

07.10.2017 update

Quick update from Batson: Maggie was able to start chemo yesterday morning, so it appears we are in the home stretch of this admission. Her chemo infusion will be finished tomorrow afternoon, and we anticipate immediate discharge barring any changes. Infection seems...

07.08.2017 update

The annoying fever edition: So, despite coverage for three full days of IV antibiotics (four if you count ER meds), Maggie spiked the 6 o’clock fever again last night. Vancomycin has been added to the IV pole and we’re going to delay starting chemo until...

07.06.2017

Another day at Batson: Maggie continues to fight off the UTI – slowly. With fever spikes last night and this evening, her team decided to switch to a different antibiotic – from Rocephin to Levaquin. We’re hoping this one does the trick. It’s...

07.05.2017 update

From Batson: Yesterday (Tuesday) evening, Maggie started spiking a higher fever (she seems to have a low grade most of the time) of 102. We decided at 10:30 last night to make the trip to the UMMC ER. Her heart rate was 160. IV fluids helped to bring that down fairly...

07.03.2017 update

We had a productive time at the clinic today. Maggie had all standard blood work and her counts are solid. Her liver function panel is normal. Because Dr. Collier is still on vacation – we’ll see him next Monday prior to our chemo admission for a complete...

07.02.2017 update

Maggie has been spending a good portion of each day resting in bed. She was able to discontinue all pain medicine and has little to no back pain/discomfort. She still has little appetite and low energy, and she has upset stomach with most things she eats. These...