Avi entered Princeton Hospital for the first of the 3 scheduled EPOCH chemos on Wednesday, August 15. EPOCH is an aggressive chemo regimen, designed to quickly reduce the fast growing cancer in the bone marrow, so that as few cells as possible remain before the stem-cell transplant.
Princeton Hospital is very new, with large well appointed private rooms and an incredible staff. The chemo drip itself started only the next day and was rather uneventful. Our oldest son arrived from Israel Thursday morning so he got to see the whole cycle. The drip is give over the course of 5 days - a new large bag of bright orange poisonous looking liquid was attached to Avi's port every day around 4pm, and he was allowed a very quick shower between the bags. Avi came in with a backache which he had for a couple of months, and the hospital bed made it quite worse, but despite that we managed to walk miles around the corridors - luckily the corridors are very long and wide, but it does get quite boring after the second round. We brought food and Avi had some visitors and somehow the time passed quite fast. He went home on Monday, August 20 and the plan was to come for the second round on September 5.
On Wednesday Avi saw the orthopedist who was very concerned about the amounts of prednisone (steroids) he has been taking and asked him to schedule an MRI and refrain from any exercise and much activity until the results came in.
On Monday the 26th Avi had a blood test which showed his hemoglobin and platelets were very low so we went to the hospital's out-patient transfusion unit for a platelets transfusion. A blood transfusion was scheduled for Wednesday.
By dinner time Avi started having chills and a sore throat, so when his temperature reached 100.4 (38C) we called (as instructed) the doctor who said that we have to go back to the emergency room as the danger of a blood infection with his suppressed immune system is very big.
We spent more than 24 hours in the ER as no beds were available. Avi was put in a private room due to his condition and given lots of antibiotics and fluids. (Our youngest son arrived during this period for 3 days.) Finally on Tuesday night we were sent back upstairs which was a great relief - at this point the oncology ward and its pleasant staff seemed almost like home...
Eventually it was determined that Avi had a virus, the antibiotics were stopped and he went home Saturday morning. And we also found out that the MRI showed a compression fracture in the L2 vertebra - nothing to do except take it easy.The problem is Avi has been on huge amounts of steroids during these last 2 years (to help his bone marrow generate blood cells), and that causes havoc with bones and muscles. Luckily we had just bought an ugly but very comfortable recliner!
Avi's hair started falling out in handfulls while he was in the hospital. So the first thing we did was finish the job.
The Tuesday blood test showed that the platelets were again dangerously low (and nothing else in his blood looked great...). So another bag of platelets was transfused and the next chemo was postponed to Monday, September 9th at the earliest. The final determination will be made after an early morning blood test on Monday. The postponement is necessary but very upsetting as this may delay the whole plan. Now that bone marrow transplant is a given, we would like to get to it as soon as possible.
Avi is very weak and tired and his back hurts more and more. But he is busy exercising his new passion - translating favorite songs from Hebrew to English - and he does an amazingly good job!
Princeton Hospital is very new, with large well appointed private rooms and an incredible staff. The chemo drip itself started only the next day and was rather uneventful. Our oldest son arrived from Israel Thursday morning so he got to see the whole cycle. The drip is give over the course of 5 days - a new large bag of bright orange poisonous looking liquid was attached to Avi's port every day around 4pm, and he was allowed a very quick shower between the bags. Avi came in with a backache which he had for a couple of months, and the hospital bed made it quite worse, but despite that we managed to walk miles around the corridors - luckily the corridors are very long and wide, but it does get quite boring after the second round. We brought food and Avi had some visitors and somehow the time passed quite fast. He went home on Monday, August 20 and the plan was to come for the second round on September 5.
On Wednesday Avi saw the orthopedist who was very concerned about the amounts of prednisone (steroids) he has been taking and asked him to schedule an MRI and refrain from any exercise and much activity until the results came in.
On Monday the 26th Avi had a blood test which showed his hemoglobin and platelets were very low so we went to the hospital's out-patient transfusion unit for a platelets transfusion. A blood transfusion was scheduled for Wednesday.
By dinner time Avi started having chills and a sore throat, so when his temperature reached 100.4 (38C) we called (as instructed) the doctor who said that we have to go back to the emergency room as the danger of a blood infection with his suppressed immune system is very big.
We spent more than 24 hours in the ER as no beds were available. Avi was put in a private room due to his condition and given lots of antibiotics and fluids. (Our youngest son arrived during this period for 3 days.) Finally on Tuesday night we were sent back upstairs which was a great relief - at this point the oncology ward and its pleasant staff seemed almost like home...
Eventually it was determined that Avi had a virus, the antibiotics were stopped and he went home Saturday morning. And we also found out that the MRI showed a compression fracture in the L2 vertebra - nothing to do except take it easy.The problem is Avi has been on huge amounts of steroids during these last 2 years (to help his bone marrow generate blood cells), and that causes havoc with bones and muscles. Luckily we had just bought an ugly but very comfortable recliner!
Avi's hair started falling out in handfulls while he was in the hospital. So the first thing we did was finish the job.
The Tuesday blood test showed that the platelets were again dangerously low (and nothing else in his blood looked great...). So another bag of platelets was transfused and the next chemo was postponed to Monday, September 9th at the earliest. The final determination will be made after an early morning blood test on Monday. The postponement is necessary but very upsetting as this may delay the whole plan. Now that bone marrow transplant is a given, we would like to get to it as soon as possible.
Avi is very weak and tired and his back hurts more and more. But he is busy exercising his new passion - translating favorite songs from Hebrew to English - and he does an amazingly good job!
We love you Avi...hang in there! Great job with the blog Edna! J.a.c. oxoxox
ReplyDeleteBest wishes Avi and good luck with the chemo! Would love to hear those songs from you when you get better!
ReplyDeleteAll the very best, Avi! Wishing for a complete recovery and also looking forward to reading your translated works!
ReplyDelete-Arya
All the best Avi! Also looking forward for the translations (not surprised that they're good!)
ReplyDeleteDear Avi and Edna, you're in my thoughts! I'm sure the treatment will be a great success! With warmest wishes, Yoshi
ReplyDeleteDear Avi, we are so touched by and grateful for your loving-kindness, amazing achievements, extraordinary dedication to this community as well as the cultivation of young generations...hope you can have a good rest and take care more about yourself now. Our caring thoughts and best wishes are always with you! We earnest prayers pray together for your speed recovery, renewed strength and brighter times! _/|\_
ReplyDeletePlatelets are numbers, but Avi is Avi! We are all with you. Mario
ReplyDeleteDear Avi and Edna!
ReplyDeleteWe're all keeping our fingers crossed. Go get that transplant, and come out on top!
And Avi, I know that for you no occasion is too dire for a pun, so I'm sending you a song whose chorus is especially relevant for you, let's see you translate this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Lb7NJ2CI1U
Dear Avi, my best wishes for speedy and complete recovery. -Rafi
ReplyDeleteHear is wishing you the best possible result. If I can make it at age 70, so can you, but I found that the experience of such strong chemotherapy is scary. I was in the hospital twice for sudden infections and had two blood transfusions during the therapy. These were all in the Trenton Hospital because the Princeton Hospital was not yet built. Tiny rooms and a home for prisoners who became ill, but the staff was incredibly kind. I could have no visitors at home because of the worry about simple infections, but I got well!!! There are some aftermaths, however. I have a weaker heart, liver and kidneys so can no longer keep up with Scott. I don't have much feeling in my toes and they are all hunched up and crazy looking so I don't wear sandals. BUT, my hair came back and refuses to turn gray or white. I no longer have to shave my legs to look feminine and I now know that I adore reading and relished the time off work to be able to do so. Now I just take time off of work, both housework and Rutgers work!
ReplyDeleteAnd it isn't agent orange in your drip, but agent orange is a possible cause of your cancer. Or rather agent orange under its new name, round-up. The US should ban it. Let the weeds grow!
We will come and visit you since the hospital is walking distance from our house. Should we bring along masks?
Here is hoping all the best for you. Have you read ":the Emperor of all Maladies" about the history of cancer. If not, we will bring it by.
Best wishes to Avi!
ReplyDeleteAvi, I'm glad to hear that you've joined the ranks of translators, and I hope that you return to full strength soon. Christina sent me a scan of your book cover which I liked a lot. If I can help in any way, send up a flare.
ReplyDelete