Adrienne is back at CMC, not feeling great, but getting through each day. She's caught up in her work and her thesis is going well right now, so she seems happy, except for some low blood pressure. Ugh!
I spent an hour on the phone today with the cardiologist in Miami. It turns out he's a 3x Hodgkin's survivor, which explains his special interest in heart problems related to treatment in children. He was particularly interested in Adrienne and expressed his concern for her and us, so nice. The long and short of it is...he doesn't think she has the heart problem that she's been diagnosed with. That's not to say she doesn't have a heart problem, just a different one that explains her low BP, fast heart rate, shortness of breath, and overall fatigue. It also explains why she's been feeling worse on the meds than off. Short term, he recommended some blood tests prior to each treatment to see if there's any heart damage, and long term, we'll make a trip to Miami for a complete workup. Adrienne says that as long as she gets some vacation time, it's fine with her.
Just before talking with the cardiologist, Dr. O'Connor called (have I mentioned that I love him?). The plan now is for Adrienne to stop treatment, have a scan in about a month, and then start Belinostat after graduation. That gives us two weeks to get the trial started before she begins graduate school. Yes, you heard right. She starts classes at UNLV on June 1 toward her masters in education. She's planning to teach high school math, get great benefits, and have time off for treatment, after about 2.5 years of studying since she needs more math than she has, but she likes math and is good at it, so it shouldn't be too bad.
We've all been sad about Prince's death, as you can imagine. Thank you for all the emails, comments, and PMs. The other dogs are doing fine. Caesar was upset (sitting on my lap) while Prince was sick but seems back to himself now. Moe is, well, just a puppy, wanting to play at every opportunity. We just can't wait for adult teeth.
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5 comments:
A good update...you are so lucky to have such a great relationship with Adrienne's drs. ((HUGS))
Yay for grad school, and finding out answers.
Sending so much love to you both.
B
Wow - for a rare condition, Hodgkin's sure does turn up in a lot of places, doesn't it! It's great to hear that people who have had the disease are driven on to find more answers (just like W's oncologist).
Adrienne's plans for becoming a math teacher sound fantastic - she would be a great asset to the ed. system - all those brains being imparted to the youth!!! :0).......Hope she feels better again soon...........Vx
Congrats, Adrienne, on your upcoming graduation! You're AMAZING and an INSPIRATION to us. You must keep us all posted about grad school! I'm so PROUD of you. :) I know it hasn't been easy . . . to say the least.
Alison - ...and have I mentioned what an AMAZING woman Adrienne is?!?!? Her Masters? FABULOUS NEWS :)
Big hugs,
Stacy xoxo
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