Celeste had been doing well since starting the new chemotherapy last week. She had an especially good day yesterday - her family ward Bishop and former Young Women leader visited her, and she spent some time playing her new keyboard that one of her wonderful nurses brought her.
She woke up at 3 am today in tears from pain in her abdomen and excessive coughing. Pain medication helped her sleep again until about 8 am, but she spiked a fever and started coughing uncontrollably. After routine vitals were taken, her doctors decided to move her back to the ICU because her oxygen levels were too low.
As soon as Celeste was moved they did an ultrasound on her abdomen, liver and heart - no cause for concern from that. One of her transplant team doctors came to follow up - they have stopped her chemotherapy until after her breathing and oxygen levels are stable, and they have determined what caused the rapid decline. The ICU team is working hard to make sure she does not need to be on a ventilator or feeding tube again. They just finished doing another bronchoscopy, she is resting now.
Thank you for your love and prayers, Celeste says she can feel them.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Tumor Board Decision
Thank you all for your prayers! Celeste still has a long way to go, but this morning she was alert, not vomiting or feverish, and even went for a walk around her hospital floor. She is still struggling to get enough nutrition though, she has little appetite and doesn't like to eat.
Celeste was given chemotherapy all through last night, but her noon treatment today was postponed until the Tumor Board finished meeting. Update from doctors after discussing Celeste's case again today:
- She will continue to be treated with steroids that have helped in the past to control her symptoms.
- She will be given two new types of chemotherapy that are still in clinical trials, one starting today and the other later this week.
- Her transplant team is pursuing both a registry donor and umbilical cord blood, whichever lines up best/1st.
The Tumor Board determined that the two new types of chemotherapy they will treat her with is the best option for Celeste's cancer, considering how it has responded to previous treatments. Since her Lymphoma has never fit into any category for type and treatment, this is the best option we have available.
Cord blood had not previously been discussed as an option because her transplant team thought they had enough time to get a donor, but umbilical cord stem cells have not been coded to a host yet and can be transplanted successfully.
Celeste's doctors are monitoring her closely during the new treatments and working quickly to get her a transplant. Their goal is to get her Lymphoma at least in a downward trend with chemo before the transplant to give it a good chance of success. She has faith that she can get through this!
Celeste was given chemotherapy all through last night, but her noon treatment today was postponed until the Tumor Board finished meeting. Update from doctors after discussing Celeste's case again today:
- She will continue to be treated with steroids that have helped in the past to control her symptoms.
- She will be given two new types of chemotherapy that are still in clinical trials, one starting today and the other later this week.
- Her transplant team is pursuing both a registry donor and umbilical cord blood, whichever lines up best/1st.
The Tumor Board determined that the two new types of chemotherapy they will treat her with is the best option for Celeste's cancer, considering how it has responded to previous treatments. Since her Lymphoma has never fit into any category for type and treatment, this is the best option we have available.
Cord blood had not previously been discussed as an option because her transplant team thought they had enough time to get a donor, but umbilical cord stem cells have not been coded to a host yet and can be transplanted successfully.
Celeste's doctors are monitoring her closely during the new treatments and working quickly to get her a transplant. Their goal is to get her Lymphoma at least in a downward trend with chemo before the transplant to give it a good chance of success. She has faith that she can get through this!
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Prayers Tonight Please
Celeste had a CT scan yesterday that showed the lymphoma that was killed by the last treatment grew back. After spending most of yesterday in the LDS Hospital outpatient Blood/Marrow Clinic for testing, Celeste was sent home with portable oxygen and a home oxygen supplier was sent to the house. After being home for only a couple of hours, Celeste vomitted all her medication and spiked a fever, she returned to the hospital late last night.
At about 8:00 tonight, Celeste will be given another round of chemotherapy. Her doctors are concerned about her cancer cells being immune to treatment, especially when so much chemo has been admistered recently - they told us this has a small chance of success. Celeste has continued to feel that she needs to fight this cancer and move forward with her life - she feels that she will get through this, but she especially needs your prayers and faith tonight. Miracles do happen. Please pray that the chemotherapy treatment will work, and that her transplant team will be able to get one of her matched donors here quickly, it is taking too long.
Thank you for all of your love and support.
At about 8:00 tonight, Celeste will be given another round of chemotherapy. Her doctors are concerned about her cancer cells being immune to treatment, especially when so much chemo has been admistered recently - they told us this has a small chance of success. Celeste has continued to feel that she needs to fight this cancer and move forward with her life - she feels that she will get through this, but she especially needs your prayers and faith tonight. Miracles do happen. Please pray that the chemotherapy treatment will work, and that her transplant team will be able to get one of her matched donors here quickly, it is taking too long.
Thank you for all of your love and support.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Going Home!
"After much deliberation, the doctors finally decided to let me go home Saturday afternoon. I love being home with my family and cats - the only thing I miss from the hospital is eating a popsicle every morning lol. Just as I was leaving my room, several of my music therapy friends came to visit me after the Western Region Music Therapy Conference that was held in Salt Lake that day. It was so nice to see them, and I'm glad they caught me in time. The sang me a song, and sent me their love and everyone elses up at school. I hope to one day be able to sing as well as they do again. Now there's a good goal!"
"I'm doing much better. I can walk on my own now, and I'm not attached to an IV pole, which is very nice. I still struggle a little bit with eating, but I like to believe that I'm getting better in that area daily also. I am much more alert and talkative than I was when I was in the ICU and immediately after. I'm sleeping more, which my nurse said is a good thing, because my body is healing."
"I will be returning to the hospital this weekend for one more round of chemotherapy before my transplant. Hopefully I will only be there for less than a week this time, since I am getting stronger and have no infections to set me back. The bone marrow team is still looking for an exact donor, but I have more than 90 options, so I am well off. Thank you all for your continued love, support and prayers, they mean a lot to me."
"Here are some pictures of me with my Music Therapy friends on my way out to the car to go home."
"I'm doing much better. I can walk on my own now, and I'm not attached to an IV pole, which is very nice. I still struggle a little bit with eating, but I like to believe that I'm getting better in that area daily also. I am much more alert and talkative than I was when I was in the ICU and immediately after. I'm sleeping more, which my nurse said is a good thing, because my body is healing."
"I will be returning to the hospital this weekend for one more round of chemotherapy before my transplant. Hopefully I will only be there for less than a week this time, since I am getting stronger and have no infections to set me back. The bone marrow team is still looking for an exact donor, but I have more than 90 options, so I am well off. Thank you all for your continued love, support and prayers, they mean a lot to me."
"Here are some pictures of me with my Music Therapy friends on my way out to the car to go home."
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Bone Marrow Unit
Celeste has now been in the bone marrow unit for a week. She is doing better every day, she's even down to only two IVs on her pole and no more oxygen! She goes on walks daily around the unit with a physical therapist, and yesterday started doing some strengthening exercises as well. Her voice is stronger, she can speak longer and with more volume, she sang along with Mulan today. She's also getting ready to start her next big cross stitching project.
Her focus right now is to eat. We've been coaxing her with favorite foods, and her doctors have started adjusting how much nutrition she gets through her feeding tube to help her have an appetite. Once they determine she is able to maintain adequate nutrition without the feeding tube, she will probably be able to go home until the next chemo treatment.
Here are some fun pictures from her walk today and physical therapy. We are enjoying seeing her smile again! She wants everyone to know that she is doing better every day, and will make it through this.
"Racing" past the vending machine on her walk.
Balancing exercises with a beatiful window view.
Fake punching the physical therapist :)
Her focus right now is to eat. We've been coaxing her with favorite foods, and her doctors have started adjusting how much nutrition she gets through her feeding tube to help her have an appetite. Once they determine she is able to maintain adequate nutrition without the feeding tube, she will probably be able to go home until the next chemo treatment.
Here are some fun pictures from her walk today and physical therapy. We are enjoying seeing her smile again! She wants everyone to know that she is doing better every day, and will make it through this.
Friday, March 16, 2012
No More ICU!
From Celeste:
"I'm out of the ICU now, back on the 8th floor/bone marrow transplant unit. The worse part of the ICU was the breathing tube. The best part was the nurses! They might be able to let me drink soon. I really want grape juice and some flat cherry coke. My cough is better. My chest xray was good this morning. I love not having fevers!!! I hope I get well enough to do the transplant without complications."
Celeste has been in the bone marrow transplant unit since Thursday afternoon. She is still struggling with nausea, but it's lessening each day, and her caugh is getting much better. She has been able to keep her white blood cell count up, and her doctors are pleased with how the chemo levels in her blood have been dropping since she finished this round.
Today we got test results from having Celeste's siblings tested to be her bone marrow transplant donor - sadly, none of them match. But, we were told that there are over 90 matches on the donor registry. Celeste's doctors will continue to monitor her blood to determine what, if any other chemo treatments are needed before her final chemo just before the transplant. Celeste and her family have been so blessed during this trying time by all of your prayers and support, thank you everyone.
She'll make it!
Moving out of the ICU, yay!
"I'm out of the ICU now, back on the 8th floor/bone marrow transplant unit. The worse part of the ICU was the breathing tube. The best part was the nurses! They might be able to let me drink soon. I really want grape juice and some flat cherry coke. My cough is better. My chest xray was good this morning. I love not having fevers!!! I hope I get well enough to do the transplant without complications."
Celeste has been in the bone marrow transplant unit since Thursday afternoon. She is still struggling with nausea, but it's lessening each day, and her caugh is getting much better. She has been able to keep her white blood cell count up, and her doctors are pleased with how the chemo levels in her blood have been dropping since she finished this round.
Today we got test results from having Celeste's siblings tested to be her bone marrow transplant donor - sadly, none of them match. But, we were told that there are over 90 matches on the donor registry. Celeste's doctors will continue to monitor her blood to determine what, if any other chemo treatments are needed before her final chemo just before the transplant. Celeste and her family have been so blessed during this trying time by all of your prayers and support, thank you everyone.
She'll make it!
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