Twisted Ankle

Loretta didn't have a fun night last night. She fell
asleep in the conference room next to her own room and
got up too quick. She twisted her ankle and fell.
Her ankle has swollen up now and she'll need help
getting out of bed for the next couple of days. They
gave her some platelets as a precaution, but don't
think this should affect her overall treatment other
than having a sore ankle.

She didn't sleep very well last night, so Doug called
to give us the update and suggested that Gail might
call later this afternoon to see how she's doing.

The report we got at the end of the week was that
Loretta's white blood cells are still low which means
she's very susceptible to infection. This is why her
doctors have asked to keep visitors to family members
only. We certainly do appreciate your thoughts,
prayers and cards, but please wait until Loretta is
stronger and her immune system is built back up to
visit.

On another note, we're off this morning to our third
"birth awareness" class to get a tour of the facility
and the birthing rooms they have. There are 29
available! That's a lot of babies in one place!

It sounds like they've got a pretty good handle on
security and matching parents with the right baby so
we don't have to worry about coming home with the
wrong kid. Remember when all you had to worry about
was keeping the kid from eating rat poison? Now
there's hospitals switching babies, people
masquerading as nurses to steal babies and all kinds
of crazy stuff. Our nurse has already instructed us
to be very skeptical of anyone trying to take the baby
out of the room for any reason. I'm sure we'll get
more details on this today.

Thanks again for all of your support.

FWD: Mom update

RE: Mom update

Just a quick update on mom -
Dad got to the hospital early enough today to actually see and talk to the
doctor (he's usually in around 7 am or earlier). The doctor said he was
VERY HAPPY with how mom is coming along. That she is doing really well
compared to how she was when they first admitted her. He's still happy she
has not had any fevers or infections - so that is good news. And he feels
her liver is doing good too - so hopefully that means the cancer never did
spread there or if it did - the chemo is working on that.

Her counts are still going up - they are waiting on the white blood cells to
go up - because those help fight off infections. They are half way there -
but the chemo does kill the good cells. he doesn't seemed to worried
because everything else is going well. It just means she'll be in the
hospital longer. but heck - if she avoids any infections there that is good
- they can handle it so quickly compared to coming home. If she came home -
we may not realize it soon enough and set her treatments back a few weeks.
Mom just wants to come home and be healthy - so she'll stay if as long as
she needs to get into remission!

her spirits were up after talking to the doctor and they are giving her
chemo sometime this morning. So that is good - hopefully she'll continue to
have little side effects.

Have a great holiday weekend everyone
Gail

Gail's Home

This was Gail's last big trip for work, so she's glad to be done. Hopefully we can make some big progress with the nursery this weekend. We only have about 2 months to go!

There's not much new to report on Loretta. She remains at the hospital and will be there until her white blood counts exceed 1500. Evidently things have been moving in that direction, so perhaps soon. She's going to have another dose of chemo tomorrow. Gail's not supposed to see her for 24 hours after chemo to limit any potential exposure to the baby, so we'll probably plan to see her on Sunday. Gail did get to talk to Loretta for about an hour yesterday, so she was able to catch up on things. Marcus stopped up to see her tonight, and Doug is there every day. Doug has had the benefit of many home cooked meals from neighbors and church families, but I know he'll be glad to have Loretta back home even if they just have soup and sandwiches.

Enjoy your holiday weekend, and I'm sure we'll have more to report over the next couple of days.

Gail's in Indiana!

Gail checked in with me to let me know that she spoke to Loretta for about 45 minutes this afternoon. She's doing very well, and her doctors are happy with her progress. She's not sure when she can come home yet because the one count that determines when she can go home hasn't reached the level the doctors are comfortable with.

The nurses said that the doctor could give her something to raise that count, but it may not fit into his overall plan. He has a plan for her chemo and the nurses recommend following this doctor's ideas because he's the best oncologist they have at the hospital. They went on to say that his plans usually work.

Loretta sends her love to everyone and appreciates all the thoughts and prayers headed her way. Gail and I are printing any messages left for Loretta on this site, so you can be sure she'll get them.

Sunday's Visit

Mom was doing pretty darn GREAT today! We (dad, Craig, Ron (Craig's dad) and I)spent about 3 hours over there. We even brought in lunch for her to eat with us all to celebrate dad's birthday. Marcus unfortunately was gone this weekend and wasn't back in time. But he's there a lot too.

My aunt Darlene, Uncle Jim and Grandma also stopped by for a visit.

Good news - mom's counts were MUCH higher today and the doctors were very happy. She had a lot more energy and strength for most of the day. She didn't get tired till the end of our visit - and then the nurses were going to give her more medicine. If her counts are up for a few days she'll be coming home and then doing chemo as an out patient. That will be 2 more Fridays of chemo. Then a week or so off and she'll come back for 5 intensive days of treatment. From there they will do the bone marrow test to see where she's at. The doctor told dad she'll probably be going through all the chemo and treatments for the next 6 months. PRobably with time off between and having new cycles of treatments and resting in between.

Thanks for the prayers and comments you've posted - mom loves them and her cards! IF we can keep things going the way they are - its a good sign!

May 21st - Dad's Birthday - Friday update

Happy Birthday to dad!!!!! May not be the perfect Birthday - but just think what next year will bring!

Anyhow - mom had the 2nd dose of chemo this morning - wasn't feel too hot before hand, feeling sick. Sounds like she got through it just fine. She was up and walking around this afternoon! So that was good. Pretty tired still - so she may not answer the phone. Melissa set up an answering machine in her room - so please leave a message if you call and know she will get your message. HOwever, she is not able to make out going calls at this time.

Also - post comments to our messsages and we can ensure she will get them.

Now we wait for the next chemo treatment next Friday. POssibly after that, she will be coming home for a few days. If not - it is stil good for her to be at the hospital to avoid any infections.

Posting a comment

Hi there -
this is what Craig and I think is the way to post a comment - (also see his comment from the 5/20/04 post from Craig).

1 - click on the comments link below our comment (it will show the number of comments posted)
2 - scoll to bottom of the post and click on Post a Comment
3 - Type your comment and use either anonymous or log on with your own password.
4 - if you put your name or put a note to mom - we will ensure that she gets your comments and thoughts as soon as possible.

Mom enjoys notes and cards - so I'm sure she'll get a kick out of all of this. A diary of her hospital stay from our point of view.

Chemo Tomorrow

Gail stopped by to visit Loretta tonight. Loretta had some odd spell last night where her heart rate went up and her blood pressue went down. They weren't real sure what was happening, but figured there was too much fluid around her heart. They gave her a diuretic and she expelled a lot of fluid and her status was better by morning.

Her various blood counts were better today, but she had a bout of nausea and was very tired. She's got another round of chemo tomorrow. Gail's doctor recommended she stay away for the first 24 hours after chemo, so we'll head over on Sunday to visit and celebrate Doug's birthday.

I cooked dinner for Gail and I tonight, and Gail thought I did a pretty good job, so I might have KP duty more often! I guess I didn't play those cards right. I should have went for tomato soup and PB&Js!

May 19th Update

Ok - its being posted this morning - but here is yesterday's update. Melissa is here visiting mom and the family - we are so greatful for her company. She's been helping dad with a few things at the house and giving us all support and love. Both Melissa and dad were able to get out of bed early Wednesday to be at the hospital to see mom's doctor in the morning. AT this time, he says that she has 3 more chemo treatments - one each Friday. He is not ready to let her go home this weekend as all the nurses and assistant were telling mom earlier this week. Maybe after next weeks chemo. As much as we want mom to come home - we are all afraid for her to have any set backs what so ever and catch an infection. The doctor seems to feel the same. After the next 3 weeks - she may have 1 week off and then an intense chemo treatment - 5 days of treatment. Just not sure if tehre is a week off in between. Somewhere around the same time they will also take another bone marrow sample to see where we are at with the cancer.

Please continue to keep mom in your prayers and thoughts. The medicine she gets each day really knocks her out. She enjoys phone calls, but please do not get hurt if she doesn't answer the phone. Leave a message - she will know you called. HOwever, she can not make outgoing calls.

Also - when she comes home in the next week or so - the visits will again need to be VERY limited to family only. We need to be extra careful at home to eliminate any infections. FAmily - if you plan to visit mom on the weekend, please give dad a call to see how she's doing first. We don't want to overload her with too many visitors in one day. I know we all plan on being up there one day to have take out dinner with her and to celebrate dad's birthday with her.

Monday update

Mom was doing pretty darn good tonight. She seemed to have very little side effects from Sunday's chemo treatments and her spirts were high. The doctors plan to do more chemo on Thursday and if her blood counts are good, she may get to come home this weekend. The doctor will still give us restrictions - Family visits ONLY and to a minimum. They want to eliminate mom's exposer to infection while on treatments. The last thing she needs is to have something else go wrong.

MOm is also being upgraded to a new room! A larger room with a private shower in the bathroom! She is moving late tonight. Please do not call the phone number you had - as it will be going to another cancer patient.

Sunday May 16th

Good afternoon.
Just found out mom started her chemotherapy just in the last hour or so! So this is good news. She's pretty out of it and drugged up on some other medicines as well today - but as long as they are treating the cancer we'll take it. She's determined to beat the cancer - so we'll deal with the side effects as they come.

On Saturday - the Britt's and Wilcox's continued with the big family Baby shower for Baby B! It was wonderful - difficult with out my mom there - but still a great event. This child will not be short on love of friends or family - or toys and clothes! It was nice to spend time with everyone.

Craig was wonderful to video the event for mom. We were able to visit with her for a few hours that evening and she saw bits and pieces of the day. Unfortunately, the family room area was packed with some other families but Craig set it up so she could watch most of the fun on the camera itself. He also taped it all off onto a video which I'll bring to my next visit. We know she will enjoy every minute of it! Many thnaks to everyone - from all of us! Having you there meant a ton not only to Craig and I, but also mom and dad! MOm loved just looking at everyone having a good time.

Will keep you all posted on the treatments from today as we get information.

May 14th - evening update

Well mom was not able to start chemo today - but they do have her on some other treatments. There is some issues with her liver functions that caused the chemo delay. But mom and dad said that the other drugs are still killing and/or stopping the cancer cells from growing any futher. So that is all that matters - some sort of treatment.

They hope over the weekend to start chemo. From there she will do chemo once a week as an outpatient. So as soon as the first round is over, she'll be able to come home a few days afterwards pending no difficulties.

Please be aware that these medicines are really making her tired and out of it. Therefore, we have instructed her to take the phone off the hook when she is tired or just can't talk. If it keeps ringing with no answer - she's either walking around or off having tests done. Remember - rest is important for her strength - so we don't want to keep her on teh phone too long. You will definately be able to tell if she's tired and falling asleep on you or not.

Other than that - her spirits were high today - she seemed to be happy to just start something to get this step in her life started and over with.

Hearing the news about the baby and I this mornign - I think perked her spirits. She was very happy to know I am not having sugar problems. All my doctors said they expected to see some problems with dad and my suger/insulin issues. So that was good news.

Will continue to update - will visit with her tomorrow after the big baby shower and show her the video and pictures Craig will be taking.

Thanks for teh continued prayers.
I've had a few requests for their address- its
Loretta and Doug Wilcox
1274 S Alstott Dr.
Howell, MI 48843

The Wilcox/Backus Family

Gail's Doctor Appointment

Gail went to the doctor today and everything is going well. He checked the heartbeat and movement, and those are fine. Gail was concerned that her sugar might be an issue, but so far, it's not a problem. Her blood pressure and sugar are fine. We have a "birth awareness" class tomorrow which is the first of four. She also heard that she would be able to visit her mother this weekend and spend some time with her, so that's good.

E-mail update from Gail

Well finally after a week of her being in the hospital and not knowing what was going on this time - we FINALLY have an answer the doctors are treating her right now! If you didn't know - the doctors told mom and dad Monday night (yes the day after mothers day and before her birthday) that she had cancer. Most of the week they thought it was one type and yesterday determined it wasn't.



Anyhow - today they were finally able to say - and I may spell this incorrectly - but its "acute lymphocytic leukemia" also known as "acute lymphoblastic leukemia" = on the cancer sites its ALL. It sounds like she has a good chance of beating htis - at least into remission. The doctors are very positive at this time. Not exactly sure - but she may get to come home in the next 1-2 weeks and do chemo as an out patient. I think she's ready to come home right now!



Please keep her in your prayers and thoughts - if you go to church - please add her and keep her on any and all prayer lists you can think of. It would mean so much to us if you can do this for her and my family. Things so far are working out - Marcus is now working in Howell so he can be there more often to help out (and make sure dad is taking care of himself). I should find out the status of my company tomorrow - but HR told someone that they need to start looking for jobs immediately - they do not see my office open past the end of June. So this will give me time off before the baby's due date (July 24th) to spend with mom and help them out at home too. And after the baby is born - help out as needed.



Family - aunts and uncles especially - please see if you can get access to your bone marrow types - the doctor wants to see them soon so he can see if there is a match incase she needs bone marrow transplant. Anyone else - I know its a commitment but if you feel like you can do it (I know you have to make the decision) - please contact the local red cross and see if you can get on the bone marrow list - if you can't help my mom - you may be able to save another life!



Craig and I have set up a little website - http://backus.blogspot.com/< /a> that we will use as a diary to keep everyone updated on mom #1 - and baby #2. Please check back often - at this time I have not updated it until we knew what was going on. I'll try and start that this weekend.



Mom is very tired and just exhausted with the tests and treatment starting today - please no phone calls tonight. We asked her to take the phone off the hook (and she will do that from time to time)



Please - let dad rest at night - he can take some calls- but try and bring them to Marcus, Craig and I. You can call Craig and I at 313-541-2561 (voicemail will also list cell numbers) - also - I'm exhausted- NO calls after 8:45 pm please - at least during the week. I'm just exhausted. Use my cell phone in the day time - I can take calls at work.



Also - at this time only family is allowed to visit mom - ONLY if you are healthy - for example I have a sore throat and will not see mom until its gone. Her immune system is very low right now and will get worse with the treatments - she can catch something so easily and that will just hurt her treatment efforts. So please call and ask someone first - that is her and dad's request.



Thanks so much for the prayers, thoughts and support. We all need them right now. Mom keeps telling us all she has to live for - she has one grandchild on the way and she knows someday there will be a wedding and more grandkids - she's living for those events right now - even if some of them are unknown dates - its something to look forward to!



Love,

Gail, Craig, Marcus, dad and especially mom (incase you don't know - her name is Loretta Wilcox - for any prayer requests)

My First Post

This is my first post to this service to see what it's all about.