Welcome

Hi, Everyone.

I started this blog to let everyone know what is going on with Andrea. I will try and update it at least every other day.

For those of you who don't know, Andrea has terminal ovarian cancer. The cancer spread to such an extent that her intestines could no longer process food. Unfortunately, her body (mostly her blood) could not tolerate normal doses of chemotherapeutic drugs, mostly as a result of the stem cell procedure she underwent to beat breast cancer years ago. That procedure involved killing the bone marrow and rebuilding it. It worked, but because her marrow was once compromised, it never functioned as well again. Smaller doses of drugs were tried, but they were not sufficient to stop the tumor growth. We have a high degree of confidence in both the doctors Andrea was seeing (Cedars Sinai and UCLA), but there came a time when her condition was no longer treatable. We accepted that conclusion and are as comfortable with the ultimate outcome as we can be.

Andrea is now a hospice patient at home and receiving a variety of drugs to make her as comfortable as possible. She eats virtually nothing, drinks very little and is on an IV from 7 pm to 7 am. She's very weak and sleeps much of the day. Fighting nausea is a daily battle, which she often loses. We are trying different medications, but so far nothing we have found works well.

We've been getting 20 to 30 phone calls a day asking about Andrea, which is wonderful but overwhelming. Andrea doesn't have the energy to make many phone calls or see everyone she would like to. Some days she doesn't want to see anyone, she just wants to sleep. She doesn't eat, read, watch television or do much of anything except doze or talk with whoever is visiting. Even on good days (a relative term) Andrea only sips a small amount of juice or broth at a time. As a result, she is losing weight slowly.

Today, Friday the 6th, Andrea woke a few times but drifted back off to sleep and didn't get out of bed until close to noon. Harriet came by around 9:30 and a nurse came by around 10:30. Diane and Roberto are here from Idaho and visited with Andrea from late morning until 3pm---a good day. Niece Olivia stopped by to chat, as did friend Judy. I worked until almost 2 and then joined everyone in the living room (we have a hospital bed set up there). Steph stopped by around 2 and stayed until Andrea fell asleep around 3 or 3:30. A few hours later Andrea woke in some pain, she took some dilaudid, vomited a short while later, took some Ativan and has been sleeping ever since.

Tomorrow, Saturday the 7th, three visits are on tap (besides family), but I have advised people that Andrea may or may not be able to see them. It's hard to know how she'll be feeling ahead of time. There's a strong chance she'll be groggy.

I will add to this in time and try to update it often, but for now I'm just going to post what I've written. I know how many of you love Andrea, and you know she loves you, but she is often overwhelmed by the number of calls, emails and visits. Thus, this blog. I will try and answer any questions you have and keep you informed.

Jack and I are doing fine, though I don't think the enormity of the situation has sunk in for him. I will be talking with him from time to time to gauge where his level of understanding. For now, he is excited by all the visitors and the opportunities for play here and at friends houses. We have had numerous offers of help and support, but the truth is that we don't need much. I am working less, but often find the change of pace and place welcome. And thankfully, disability insurance payments make working optional. Hindsight being 20-20, I now wish Andrea had gone on disability sooner, but who knew? Let this be a reminder to enjoy life while you can.

Okay, that's it for my first post.

Good night.

Stan