Unwelcome News

On Wednesday, Nonnie and Papa went to the clinic to get her blood "type matched" in order to get a blood transfusion. They also took blood and did a preliminary test and found that her white counts have doubled in just one day to 22,000. Just last week, her white counts were as low as 3,000 and have been on the rise ever since.

Yesterday, she spent all day receiving 3 units of blood, which definitely gave her a little more energy and she felt less short of breath. Based on the symptoms Nonnie has had over the last several weeks and the preliminary blood tests, Dr. Paquette believes that the leukemia has returned.

Next Wednesday, she will return to UCLA and begin another chemotherapy treatment. Until then, she is taking an oral chemotherapy medication to stop the white counts from getting any higher. She will be getting a blood test this morning and on Monday to make sure the platelets do not get dangerously low.

The goal of this treatment is to put her back into remission, so she can get a bone marrow transplant. Dr. Paquette has been searching for any studies that Nonnie may be eligible for, but she does not meet the criteria for any of them at this time.

Resume Building

The fevers have been an ongoing problem for Nonnie this past week. Dr. Paquette told her this morning that as long as they are controlled with Tylenol, he is not overly concerned. She got a blood test this morning and is authorized for a bone marrow biopsy. The staff at the UCLA clinic is working to get her scheduled for that over the next couple of days.

In the meanwhile, Papa continues building his resume for "Husband and Papa" of the year! He is doing such an incredible job with Nonnie and the kids, let alone all of the other things on his plate dealing with the probate and selling the Asam house.

We need tons of prayers!

Blood Transfusions

Nonnie got her blood tests back, and her levels have continued to drop over the last several weeks. This explains why she is feeling so weak and short of breath. She was at a blood bank all day yesterday waiting to find a type match for a transfusion. She received 1 unit of blood last night and is scheduled to get another unit this morning. It takes 2 hours to get each unit! The next thing that will be scheduled is a bone marrow biopsy to further check her levels.

Adding On

It has been a few weeks since Nonnie has been home from the hospital. She is still having a hard time getting her energy back to where it was before she got the viral pneumonia. Papa took her to the doctor today to get a blood draw to send up to Dr. Paquette for review.

In the meantime, the kids are back at their normal activities.....Kylie is playing softball and Blaine is playing soccer. Papa has been staying busy overseeing a remodel that will provide 2 new rooms for the kids. This last year has been so crazy for all of us, so we booked a vacation to Maui for Spring Break!