Monday, July 9, 2007
This was a tough weekend for Jay. We had been told that the side effects of the chemo would kick in on the tenth day and they did. He suffered from the fatigue that most cancer patients are familiar with, and then had it topped off with digestive issues and a headache that was a killer. Dianne came in on Saturday afternoon (she is spending every afternoon with him) and immediately went to the nurses' station to get some relief for him. It is really a good thing that she knows all of the nurses and patient care givers. By late Saturday afternoon, the headache and the digestive issues were solved. The fatigue will be on going until his immune system starts on its way up.
In the news from home, Cynthia did not make must progress on the woods, so you can hold off bringing your shovels to help. The oncologist has mandated that prior to bringing Jay home, the house has to be cleaned from top to bottom, all of the windows have to be washed, the carpet has to be cleaned and the pets have to leave. We are lining up the cleaning service (Le Fine Cleaning Service if you ever need an outstanding cleaning service) and have made the decision to re-carpet the living room and family room instead of cleaning it. The living room is being painted (painters Colleen, Sean and Melissa) so things are upside down at home. The kitties are going into foster care and will be able to return when Jay is better.
Please continue to pray for us -- The power of prayer has kept me alive for nine years so I know it works.
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Information about Jay's treatment
Really want to send flowers? Read me first!!
Because of the risk of infection, Jay cannot receive flowers or plants and asks that you consider donating blood in his name instead. It's easy, painless and you get free cookies!! If you're in the South Bend area contact the South Bend medical center. If you're anywhere else, contact your local Red Cross for dontation times and places.
Got Questions?
Send an email to:
sean.fitzpatrick@mail.wvu.edu
sean.fitzpatrick@mail.wvu.edu
The 411
Over the past few weeks Jay was noticing that he was short of breath, and he was having trouble working-out at his usual pace. After a trip to West Virginia to visit Sean, Jay read an article in “Parade Magazine” that listed 10 symptoms that require immediate doctor’s attention, one of which was shortness of breath. He went to his family physician that week, who ordered a chest x-ray and blood work since he thought it was pneumonia. A few days later the doctor called back with the blood work, and said that Jay needed to see a hematologist since he was anemic. Before picking up Dianne from her routine Thursday chemotherapy appointment, Jay made a meeting with the hematologist. The hematologist, Dr. Ansari, took more blood, ran blood marrow test, and ordered 2 units of blood. Dr. Ansari thought that Jay had a blood disease called MSD. He was also told to get a CAT-scan on Monday. The results of the marrow test came back Wednesday morning, at which time Jay was told to immediately go into the hospital because he had leukemia. Jay was in the hospital for three weeks. He spent the first 7 days receiving continuous chemotherapy and stayed for an additional two weeks since his risk of infection is so great. Over the next three months Jay will be going back to the hospital once a month for a five day stay for more chemotherapy. The oncology team will repeatedly raise his blood cells counts then knock them back down with chemotherapy in the hopes of strengthening his blood production.
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