Live Strong for Bob Youngs

Blog Update

2010-05-21T08:55:00.000-07:00

Since it appears no one is following this very closely. I'm going to just post on my blog at Elite Fitness Systems. It can be found here:

http://asp.elitefts.com/qa/training-logs.asp?tid=61&__N=Bob Youngs

Is anyone out there????

2010-05-18T07:02:00.000-07:00

Hi All,
Quick question. Is anyone still following this blog? If not, I'll stop posting. If people are, I will update it once per week or so with how things are going. Please let me know.

Thanks,
Bob

Into the final weeks....

2010-05-16T06:06:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,
I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who came out for the Cheese For Charity Night at the Melting Pot. We all had a great time. We are into the last three weeks of the "Woman Of The Year" campaign. We are still looking for donations. No donation is too small or too big. To donate please go here:

http://pbf.mwoy.llsevent.org/mstanek

Thanks again,
Bob and Michele

Melting Pot Fundraiser

2010-05-10T17:04:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,
We just wanted to remind you all of the fundraiser dinner at the Melting Pot in Boca Raton this Wednesday. We are looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible. It's for a great cause and the LLS is really pitching in to make the event special.

See you there,
Bob and Michele

PS. I'm even going to shave my beard for it. Okay, so Michele is making me shave.

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-07T08:52:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone!

It's Bob again. Michele has been really busy raising money for the LLS Woman of the Year campaign. So, I volunteered to take over the blog and add some updates from time to time. In completely random order, here is what is going on:

*Michele has gotten most of her auction items for the LLS Grand Finale.

*Next Wednesday we will be having the fund raiser dinner at the Melting Pot in Boca. I'll bring a bunch of "Lift Strong" wrist bands for anyone who wants them.

*My sister and brother-in-law had their baby girl on May 1st. Welcome to the world Lilla Jaye McGrath!

*My book is almost done. I'm waiting on Dave Tate to write one of the Forwards and Michele to write the Afterward. Alwyn Cosgrove also wrote a forward for the book and his was awesome.

*My monthly follow up with my Oncologist was this past Monday. She was very impressed with my physical transformation. She's been out for a couple of months as she had her first baby girl and hasn't seen me in a while. My blood work was also perfect.

*I'm doing good overall. I get stronger everyday. I'm spending most of my time getting back into shape and hanging around with the family.

Join us May 12th for our Fonduerasier at the Boca Melting Pot!

2010-04-23T11:39:00.000-07:00

Family and Friends,

As most of you know I've been working hard at my Woman of the Year Campaign. I'm hoping that you can join us on May 12th at the Melting Pot in Boca Raton. Please see below.

Love and Thanks,
Michele

GOOD FOOD FOR A GREAT CAUSE

Dear friends of LLS,

In the month of May, come enjoy a special four course fondue at The Melting Pot of Boca Raton and 20% will be donated to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

The Four-Course LLS Fondue

Young Fonduer options available so bring the family!

PLEASE MENTION "FONDUE FOR LLS" WHEN MAKING YOUR RESERVATION

AND LADIES....

It's a Girl's Night Out for LLS!

Wednesday, May 12th

Includes....

Choice of any Cheese Fondue

Petite Combination Entree

Choice of any Chocolate Fondue

$6 theme drink specials

$5 Wine by the glass

Vendor reception

Raffle prizes

($4 per lady and 20% of all additional purchases will be donated)

$29 per lady

Meet The 2010 LLS Woman of the Year Michele Stanek

The Melting Pot of Boca Raton
5455 N. Federal Highway
(561) 997-7472

Thank you for not sharing and understanding that "Dip Certificates" or other discount offers or promotions cannot be accepted on event nights.

Reservations recommended

100 days of remission!

2010-04-16T05:20:00.001-07:00

Family and Friends,

Last night I took Bob out to dinner to celebrate his first 100 days of being Leukemia-free! I think we were both very excited to get out of the house and enjoy. I wanted the waiter to sing happy anniversary for Bob, but he would have no part of it. LOL

Things are going well, Bob's oncologist is on maternity leave and I'm a little disappointed with her replacement. I asked Bob to ask to have the head doctor as his oncologist, but Bob isn't that kind of guy so he got stuck with the new doctor right out of college. He's okay it's not like they are doing anything major right now except for checking Bob's blood once a month, but the new doc managed to screw that up so far. Now it's not the new guy's fault that the blood machine at the office was broken, but he took Bob's blood and mailed it away for testing and never bothered to call Bob back with the results. Bob takes this as meaning "No news is good news". I on the other hand see it as someone dropping the ball and I'm going to call just to make sure everything is okay.

On the Woman of the Year front, I'd like to thank everyone that has donated so far through the website, and Dave and Traci Tate of elitefts.com for creating the Lift Strong line of apparel for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I'd also like to thank Alywn Cosgrove, who always seems to motivate Bob right when he needs it and to everyone else for their support. I have a few other fundraisers planned for the next month. I'm hoping to partner with the Melting Pot in Boca for a "Cheese for Charity" event, and then do a PartyLite Candle fundraiser as well. If anyone else has any ideas, please please let me know. I'm not much of an event planner and so far the only ideas my friends have come up with involve strippers and gambling. (Don't' ask - all I can say is the name of the events were supposed to be called "Strip away Leukemia" and "Don't Gamble with your life")

Finally, Bob and I are taking Christopher this weekend to go camping down in Ft. Lauderdale with my parents. We will be at TY Park off Sheridan and 95. It should be fun! I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Love and Thanks,
Michele

I am writing an e-book

2010-04-12T09:37:00.000-07:00

So, I have had many people tell me I should write a book. I'm thinking about a couple of different ideas. I am hoping to get input on what you would be most likely to read. Here are the options:

Option 1: the book would have all of my previous Q&A posts, some new articles, all of my old articles, a small chemo rehab section, and comments from me on Michele's blog she kept during my treatment.

Option 2: just me making extensive comments on Michele's blog. A complete how was I feeling? What was I thinking? How did I feel?

Option 3: if Option 2 is popular I could later on do a Q&A posts, articles, and training book.

Please let me know your thoughts by either sending input into the Q&A to my attention or email me at bob@elitefts.com

Thanks,
Bob

Guest Blogger again

2010-04-08T10:10:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,
It's Bob again. Michele is still sick with the flu. She's feeling better, but she is still not 100%. She is a much better patient advocate than she is a patient. I had to put my foot down and make her lay down. She was mad, but understood.

So, you get me again. Things are good for me. Christopher had basketball practice last night. It was fun and the kids are getting better. I'm going to Goodwill today as I have a ton of clothes that are too big now. I've been dragging my feet about getting rid of them, but it is time.

I hope I don't steal Michele's thunder, but she is working on a great event as part of her "Woman of the Year" campaign. I won't let the details out, but it will be a big dinner in South Florida. She is looking at May as the time frame. She should have more details soon. But, please try and come out and join us. Michele is working on making this a real big event with and for the LLS. I'll also have "Lift Strong" bracelets for everyone who attends.

Happy Late April Fool's Day from Bob

2010-04-06T10:25:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Today you get Bob instead of Michele. No, it's not an April Fool's joke. I think this is the first time I have written in the blog. Kind of weird considering it's been going for 10 months now. I hope I don't mess it up. I'm waiting for a call from my Oncologist for the results of my monthly blood work. For anyone who has not been through it, this is the most anxiety inducing thing post cancer. I'm healthy, feel 100% healthy, and I can feel myself getting better everyday. But, I still dread waiting for the results. So, today I am anxious.

Michele is sick. She has some kind of cold or flu. She caught it on a cruise she went on with her parents last week. I am taking her to the doctor in an hour or so. She has no voice at all. This is also why you get the guest blogger today.

Last week was Spring Break for Christopher. I had him Tuesday-Saturday. With Michele gone it was a lot for me. But, we made it through just fine. We had a lot of fun. He is really is growing up so fast. He is also very smart and he doesn't forget a thing. So, if I say we are going to do something, you better believe we are going to do it. I think the highlight for both of us was our shopping trip to Gander Mountain. We both got some new "toys". We had lunch at the restaurant there and Chris was great and very patient. He said they made the best hamburger he has ever had.

Oh, Happy belated Easter to everyone. We were pretty low key and just had lunch with Michele's family and my brother-in-law Tony's family. We went to Saito's. It's one of those cook in front of you Japanese places. The food was good and it was nice to see everyone.

That's about it. I would just like to say thank you to everyone for all of your support over the last 10 months. I couldn't even begin to put into words how much it meant to me. Thank you for taking this very rough journey with me. Your support made it a much easier ride.

I'll try and be a guest more often if Michele will let me and you guys like it.

Oh, I almost forgot. My very close friend Alwyn Cosgrove has reminded me that I am almost at 100 days of being cancer free. I think I am at 92 today. My results came back on January 4th. It is so weird as it feels like that was forever ago. We will be having a small celebration on day 100. I just need to figure out when that is ;-).

Make it a good one-Bob

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society - Woman of the Year Kickoff - Today!!

2010-03-23T13:47:00.001-07:00

Family and Friends,

Today starts The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Woman of the Year Fundraising Kickoff which I am participating in. Please go to the website at :

http://pbf.mwoy.llsevent.org/mstanek

As many of you know, I have been given the opportunity of a lifetime to help the more than 912.000 Americans who are living with blood cancers. Each year The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Palm Beach Chapter launches its Man & Woman of the Year fundraising campaign. During this campaign from March 23 - June 3, our team goal is to raise $50,000 which will go directly to LLS in support of its long standing mission to find a cure for blood cancers and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

My decision to play a very active role in helping the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society raise funds for its research to cure these deadly forms of cancer was an intensely personal one for me.

I remember very clearly Father's Day 2009. That was the day I learned my fiancee, Bob Youngs was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. The exact same blood cancer that his mother had been diagnosed with a few years earlier.

That awful day was also the spark that got me involved in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society – which is the world’s leading private research organization dedicated to conquering these especially deadly forms of cancer.

Thankfully, on January 4th of this year, Bob was diagnosed as in full remission. Due to my execptional patient advocacy, Bob's oncologist nominated me as Woman of the Year for the Palm Beach Chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society .

As part of this effort, I have committed to raise $50,000 from my closest friends, family members and relatives, as well as our business associates by June 3rd – which is a few weeks from now.

Like many of you, I have witnessed first hand the debilitating effects that leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma can have on those who suffer from these blood diseases and on the friends and family who care for and nurture their loved ones. In fact, leukemia still causes more deaths among children than any other cancer.

With your support of a tax-deductible donation, LLS can continue funding critical research in the fight against blood cancers as well as provide outstanding patient services.

I want to thank each and every one of my friends and family for their generous support of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s misson. LLS is the leading non-profit organization committed to finding a cure and giving life to those who have, are and will fight the tough challenges of blood cancers.

I am hoping I can count on you to help me keep my promise to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Many thanks for your support for patients battling blood cancers and their families. Be sure to visit my Web site often to check on my progress and please ask your friends to support my efforts. Join me and help advance the mission of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

For more information about LLS, please visit www.lls.org.

Love and Thanks,
Michele

Christopher is sick, Bob goes to doctor...

2010-03-18T10:40:00.001-07:00

Family and Friends,

Christopher is sick today. Bob picked him up from school yesterday and he had a fever of 101. Bob and Chris are alike in the sense that neither one of them are ever cold. When Bob brought Chris over to the house and he wanted to be covered in 3 blankets I knew he was really bad. Apparently he threw up a few times during the night so Bob is over there taking care of him now. I just hope Bob doesn't catch what Chris has. That's the last thing he needs right now, especially since he's been making such progress in his recovery. He went to his pain management doctor today and the doc said everything is headed in the right direction. So things are looking up. Bob is very committed to his recovery and exercise. We get up first thing in the morning and do yoga, then we either go to the gym and do weights and cardio or he rides the recumbent bike here, and we do yoga in the afternoons. And he's living on muscle milk protein shakes for at least 2 of his meals. I'm not sure what remission dieting should be for leukemia patients but at least he's not eating junk food. He wants to lose a few pounds so it's less stress on his back.

As for me, I'm diligently looking for a job. I'm focused on that and getting ramped up for the upcoming Woman of the Year fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. If anyone is interested in buying a Lift Strong T-shirt, please go to this website and remember all proceeds go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

http://www.flexcart.com/members/elitefts/default.asp?cid=388

Love and Thanks,
Michele

We're back! Blog is up and running again!

2010-03-15T12:26:00.001-07:00

Family and Friends,

After much contemplation and complaints from everyone who really enjoyed reading the day to day issues that Bob has been dealing with on his road to recovery from Leukemia, I have decided to start the blog up again.

Since I last wrote a few important things have happened:

1) Bob and I had our engagement party (See photo)

2) Bob is beginning to get his ducks in a row to start his job search down the road.

3) I was nominated and will begin actively campaigning for Woman of the Year with the Palm Beach Chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. (Which I am very exicted about)

I will write more tommorow in depth, but I'm glad to be back!!

Love and Thanks,

Michele and Bob

Wed 1/13, Thurs 1/14, Fri 1/15 - By Bob

2010-01-19T13:48:00.000-08:00

I haven't been good with my log this week. Things have been chaotic. Michele and I have our engagement party this weekend and we have a lot of family coming into town. So, I'll also post what I am going to do tomorrow as I'm sure I won't post again until Monday or Tuesday. Overall, I'm doing okay. I still get really tired. I spend most of my time laying down and reading, especially at night. But, my energy level and strength get better everyday.

Here's my workout first thing in the morning on all three days:

Cat/Camel: 1x10

Birdog: 1x10

Seated leg over glute stretch: 30 seconds each leg

On knee hip flexor stretch: 30 seconds each leg

Standing hamstring stretch: 30 seconds

All three days: Pushups: 2 sets

Squats: 2 sets

Crunches: 1x20 I did 8 reps Wed, 9 reps Thur, and 10 reps Fri.

I have also been getting my walks in. I probably won't walk at all tomorrow or over the weekend. With every thing going on I'm sure I'll be tired as it is. Plus, I'm sure Christopher will run my around tomorrow after school. He is already planning a soccer games with all of his uncles, aunts, and cousins. So, I don't think I'll need a seperate walk. I'll talk to y'all soon.

Thanks,
Bob

Bob's recovery - by Michele

2010-01-12T05:55:00.000-08:00

Family and friends,

Things here are going pretty well. Bob and I are very excited for our upcoming engagement party happening this weekend. Hopefully it will warm up before Saturday since it's tropical themed. As for Bob, he's coming along slowly but surely. I've spoken to a lot of people and they are so happy that Bob is in remission and they think "Hey, he must be okay now- how come he's not back to work?" Unfortunately it's not that easy. Since Bob was in the coma and after 6 rounds of various chemotherapy his body is pretty much shot. You can read his workout blogs, they consist of a few situps and pushups, then he spends the rest of the day recovering. Many times, his workouts are playing with Christopher or walking the aisles at Walmart just to get out of the house. I don't know when Bob will be 100%, but it definately takes time. The fantastic news is that Bob is in good spirits and has a positive attitude. Christopher is a great motivator as well.

This week I have a conference call with the people from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society for the upcoming Woman of the Year I'll be participating in, and at the end of the month Bob and I are going to a meet and greet. I am looking forward to helping give back to such a great cause so that they can be one step closer to a cure.

Love and Thanks,
Michele

1/6/2010 11:06:51 AM - Bob Youngs

2010-01-07T10:45:00.000-08:00

1/6 Day 3 of my remission workout

Started off the morning with:
Cat/Camel: 1x10
Birdog: 1x10
Static seated leg over glute stretch: 30 seconds each leg
Static hip flexor stretch: 30 seconds each leg
Static standing hamstring stretch: 3 seconds

I decided to do some static stretching to change it up from yesterday. I'm glad I did. My hamstrings are TIGHT! I used to be able to touch my toes with no problem. I'm not even close right now. I need to really work on getting back the limited flexability I did have. I then went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast. They ran out of biscuits. How can Cracker Barrel run out of biscuits??? I then went to the Super Walmart (Yes, it's better than the regular Walmart) to do my walking. I also needed to buy some cheap sweat pants as we have been having some really cold weather down here and none of my old clothes fit anymore. I walked for 25 minutes and got two pairs of sweat pants and one pair of Super Friends sleep pants (I'm still a kid at heart).When I got home I did:
Push Ups: 1x7
Squats:1x7
Crunches: 1x11

Now, I'm going to read my latest book "Kill Bin Laden" by Dalton Fury. It's very good for any of you military readers out there. Tonight I will do some foam rolling before family dinner. We have family dinner every week at my parents house on Wednesday. I am going to pick Chris up from school and then we'll do his homework together. Oh, very cool happening in my life tomorrow. My future sister-in-law works for Source One Distributors (http://www.buysourceone.com/) which is a military supply company. She told the owner about me and how my dad was a former Navy SEAL and he wanted to meet me. So, I am heading out there tomorrow afternoon to meet him. I'm really excited to see all the cool stuff they have. Also, my Dad and I are going to go shooting next week (My Christmas present to him). We found a place that has full auto M-4s. My Dad was part of the group that got the first AR-15s and he wants to see the new rifles. I told him I was all excited to fire the M-4 on full auto. He said, "You should only need to pull the trigger once son". Needless to say he is still a better shot than me.

Thanks,
Bob

1/4 celebration and 1/5 am stretching - by Bob

2010-01-05T06:35:00.000-08:00

I picked up Christopher yesterday and we went to Dave and Buster's to celebrate. We met Michele there for lunch. Chris had a great time and I think we were all just happy to know I was going to live for a while. On the ride home Christopher said, "Dad, I knew the whole time you were going to be okay". That night Michele was going to make crab legs, but she had a real long day at work. So, we went to Walmart and picked some stuff up and then had take out. Yeah, we're crazy people when it comes to partying. Now, It's time for me to get my butt in gear. So, I woke up and started what will become a daily stretching routine. I'll probably add to it as my energy levels increase. But, this morning I did:

Cat/Camel: 1x10
Birdog: 1x10
AIS Bent leg hamstring: 1x10 each leg
AIS Straight leg hamstring: 1x10 each leg
AIS glute stretch: 1x10 each leg

For those not familiar with AIS stretching just google it. It seems to work best for me. Okay, I'm off to Cracker Barrel for breakfast. I'll do my push ups, squats, crunches, and walking tonight.

Thanks,
Bob

BOB'S LEUKEMIA IS IN REMISSION!!!

2010-01-04T06:50:00.000-08:00

Family and Friends,

I just wanted to let you know that we received news from Bob's doctor this morning that his Leukemia is officially in full remission. Thank you to everyone for your kind thoughts and prayers during this ordeal, it has really meant a lot. He has a long road ahead wtih regard to rehabilitation and physical therapy, but it's all downhill. I can't think of a better way to start the new year!

Thank you again for keeping Bob in your thoughts and prayers- it has paid off!!

Love and thanks,

Michele

Update from 1/3 by Bob

2010-01-04T06:48:00.000-08:00

Sorry for not posting in a while. Life has been crazy with my son on Christmas Break. Well, I was supposed to start my rehab program last week, but had to push it back to starting tomorrow. There were a couple of reasons:
1-My feet were killing me and I couldn't do pushups without being in tremendous pain. I spent most of the week walking, doing toe raises, self massage on my feet, and just plain moving my toes as much as possible. I had been having trouble with the middle three toes on both feet since I got out of the hospital. I had reduced feeling and they hurt. The pushups were brutal. After talking to Michele, I think the reason is how I was positioned in the bed. Keep in mind I was in a coma for three weeks and couldn't move for a couple of weeks after that. Well, my feet would end up just wedged in the end of the bed. Anyway, my feet are feeling much better.
2-I had my bone marrow biopsy on last Monday. My hip was killing me for the majority of the week. For those who don't know what a bone marrow biopsy is they basically stick a really big needle (16 gauge into your hip and then scrape around until they get enough marrow to perform a sample. It really sucks.
3-I have had my son almost everyday for the past two weeks. I wouldn't trade that time for anything in the world and we had a great time. He is very understanding that Dad needs to stop and rest. But, even with the help of Michele and my parents, Christopher still wore me out pretty good. But, we had an absolute blast. I think we both needed all that time together. It had to be real hard on him when I was in the hospital. Especially when I was in a coma. But, he was mature well beyond his six years. He seemed to know all along everything was going to be okay.

I get the results from my bone marrow biopsy tomorrow. I'm really nervous. Everything points to the results being I am in remission from my blood work. But, I am still scared as hell. Not sure I will be able to sleep tonight. I'll let you know the results tomorrow.

Thanks,
Bob

Monday Dec 28, the first day of training - by Bob

2009-12-29T08:56:00.001-08:00

I had my final bone marrow biopsy this morning. It hurt like heck, but I am glad it's done. I get the results next Monday at 8:30. I spent the rest of today with Chris playing Wii Nerf and running around. We had a good day overall. We are going go to sleep over at Grandma and Pop's house tomorrow night. He is all excited.I did my first "workout" on my way back to being healthy again.I walked for 20 minutes at Walmart. I need to walk for 20, so I figured I would see if there were any post Christmas specials that caught my eye. I left with a machette, some underwear for me, and wife beaters for Chris. I'll try and get my 20 minute walk in everyday and I'll increase it 5 minutes per week over the next 4 weeks.Michele and I then did our lengthy strength training session of:Pushups: 1x5Body weight squats: 1x5I'll do this Monday thru Saturday and increase a rep each day. The next week the reps stay the same for the days but I add a set per week for four weeks. Thanks to Alwyn for sharing his rehab program with me. The pushups kicked my ass (as hard as that is for me to admit).

Thanks,
Bob

The Day Before the Day Before Christmas - by Bob

2009-12-23T13:40:00.001-08:00

Wednesday 12/23
I went grocery shopping for the first time in 7 months last night. It probably seems pretty small to all of you, but it was a big step for me. I am starting to feel stronger everyday. Today, I actually did a bunch of work around the house getting ready for Christmas. I'm a little tired, but overall I'm good. I pick up Chris in 2 hours and then we are going to Blockbuster to pick up some DVDs. Tonight we are just going to hang around the house. Tomorrow we have: breakfast at Cracker Barrell, going to see Alvin and the Chipmonks the Squequel, going to Michele's parents house, going to church, going back to Michele's parents for dinner, and then to my parents house for desert. I'll try and get an update in, but it might not ne until after Christmas.I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a very Happy Holiday Season

Bob

Blogs by Bob and a funny photo for Christmas

2009-12-22T06:55:00.000-08:00

Thought you might like to see a funny photo of Bob for once! This is what happens when you buy a six year old a NERF gun.

Here's Bob's logs from the past few days:

Monday 12/21

Spent the day with Christopher doing guy stuff. We wrestelled, shot at stuff, and ate well. Overall, I am feeling better. No real working out as I was spent after running around with a 6 year old for two days. I do have a funny story. I snuck out and went to General Practitioner today as I was long over due to my yearly physical. Mostly I just wanted to touch base and ensure he had received my records from my Oncologist so that we were ready to go next year. They wouldn't even schedule the appointment until they had received my records after I explained to the nurse what I had been through weeks ago. So, I know the Doc has my records. He is a great guy. But, he walks in and asks how has your health been? Are you f'ing kidding me??? I had to get you these records and he obviously didn't even look at them. I said great for someone who just went thru chemo and he might want to look thru my file. It ended up fine, but I was a bit upset at first.

Friday 12/18

Last night my freaking stomach was killing me. I don't know if it was chemo related or my stomach just hurt. I took some of my anti nausea meds and I felt a little better. I slept from 10 last night to 11:15 this morning. Michele was scared as I wasn't answering the phone and she was ready to send my dad over to check on me. But, I am okay and I was just really tired.I am going to pick up Christopher from school and gthen we'll workout together. Yesterday we did some push ups, sit ups, mountain climbers, racing, and wrestling. He kicked my butt on the mountain climbers which he does all the time in karate class. He is all excited as after the new year he is going to sign up for weapons class at his karate school. As if me getting punched and kicked wasn't enough. Not much planned for the weekend. But, I'll update the log on Saturday or Sunday.

Love and Thanks,

Michele & Bob

"Bob Youngs and the Restless" an article by Glenn Buechlein

2009-12-18T10:49:00.000-08:00

“We should give as we would receive, cheerfully, quickly, and without hesitation; for there is no grace in a benefit that sticks to the fingers.” —Seneca

I became acquainted with Bob Youngs well over a decade ago when the internet and lifting forums were still in their infancy. Like many aspiring lifters, Bob served as my guide when I was somewhat lost in the dark, weightlifting wilderness. He was my Virgil. In the Divine Comedy, Virgil escorts Dante on his pilgrimage through hell and purgatory. Bob accompanied me on my trip into powerlifting’s dark side, everything Westside Barbell. I only had the pleasure of meeting Bob in person a few times, but he always served as a steady source of knowledge whenever I sought it. Whether it was in the flesh or by way of the computer, Bob reminded me of a big ole Teddy bear, soft spoken, reserved, and gentle. It seems as though a reassuring smile was constantly etched on his massive mug.

Beginning in the mid to late 1990s, I picked Bob’s brain on anything to do with Westside Barbell. I was restless for knowledge and relentless in its pursuit. The master I sought wasn’t easily accessed, so Bob acted as a gatekeeper. He allowed hundreds if not thousands of lifters to gain a glimpse behind the curtain to see the great Oz. What was once mysterious and opaque was no more. Bob entertained each and every one of my queries, graciously sharing information regarding innovative lifts, percentages, technique, and programming. Thanks to Bob I became well versed in max efforts movements, dynamic day, and GPP. I became like a missionary myself, spreading the word and philosophy of this new program I had discovered. Quiet education.

I always possessed an inner thirst to know how I stacked up against the best of the best, and Bob again served as my source. I bombarded him with weekly inquiries regarding how much the top guns at Westside Barbell were hoisting on various lifts. I anxiously awaited Bob’s email replies. I had the inside scoop on how much Kenny Patterson floor pressed, George Halbert’s close grip record, and Chuck’s training weights on speed day. This was like heaven because it provided me with goals or benchmarks to shoot for. Plus, I knew the information was accurate, not embellished. Quiet motivation.

I generally shared all my workouts and training weights with Bob as I prepared for an upcoming bench meet. He would offer insight, but he never told me exactly what to do. He allowed me to learn from my mistakes. Instinctively, he knew that I alone had to discover my own personal style. I consistently underestimated my ability, and Bob would prop me up where he knew I should be. I was afraid of failure and was trying to be too safe. Bob’s experience allowed him to suggest my opener and what I should ultimately shoot for in the meet. More often than not, he was right. Quiet inspiration.

“Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. And today? Today is a gift. That’s why we call it the present.” —Babatunde Olatunji

This past summer I became reacquainted with Bob when I clicked on a blog detailing his diagnosis and ongoing struggle with leukemia. I awaited each update by his girlfriend in the same nervous fashion that I used to when awaiting Bob’s replies to my now seemingly insignificant questions about lifting. There was lots of pacing, fidgeting at my desk, and chomping at my fingernails.

This past summer I took a six-hour essay test so I could qualify and become a licensed school administrator. The scores wouldn’t be available for a month after the test. I spent a week obsessing and worrying about not passing and the embarrassment that would ensue. While I was sweating this relatively small life event that turned out be nothing, Bob was fighting for his life.
This past summer I dealt with an aching knee that caused me much discomfort, so much discomfort that I often had to spend time contemplating how to devise my workout around the pain. While I was worrying about a workout, Bob was fighting for his life.
This past summer I routinely took my four-year-old daughter to the park and then for some ice cream afterwards. Sometimes we worried about what park to go to because some didn’t have shade trees and we might get hot. While I worried about what park to go to with my little one, Bob was fighting for his life.

Bob continues to be my guide. He taught me many things this past summer. I now have an even deeper understanding of the struggles someone with cancer goes through. Education loud and clear. I now know that it’s easy to complain, but I remember just how good my life is and that I shouldn’t take it for granted. Motivation loud and clear. Lifters take pride in being hardcore. I now know what hardcore really is by reading about Bob’s daily challenges and how he takes them on with fortitude and perseverance. Inspiration loud and clear.

“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”—Lennon

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Glenn “Apollo” Buechlein is a teacher in Indiana with a 700-lb plus bench press at 242 lbs. Best known as “Power B,” Glenn’s gym is in Washington, Indiana. His gym is perfect—steel, chalk, dogs, and pure mayhem.

(Reprinted with permission by www.elitefts.com) Elite Fitness Systems strives to be a recognized leader in the strength training industry by providing the highest quality strength training products and services while providing the highest level of customer service in the industry. For the best training equipment, information, and accessories, visit us at www.EliteFTS.com.

Pain Management Doctor's Visit

2009-12-16T08:13:00.000-08:00

Family and Friends,

Bob was finally able to go to his old pain management doctor now that all the chemotherapy is over with. He will be switching from the dilaudid and fentanyl patches (which he was able to get off last month) and will be now taking Nucynta, Soma, Xodol and Lidocane patches. Bob has used this pain management doctor in the past and is very happy to make the switch so that he can eventually be able to get in shape soon.

Please continue to keep him in your thoughts and prayers and happy holidays!

Love and Thanks,

Michele

Tuesday December 15th- from Bob

2009-12-15T12:45:00.000-08:00

Tuesday 12/15
Well, I had planned on starting to do a little bike today, but my body still isn't ready. I'm hoping to get on the bike next Monday. I still get winded going up the stairs and my heart rate and blood pressure go through the roof. So, I am going to do some Wii fit stuff tonight with Michele. It isn't much, but I need to start somewhere.
Here are the issues I am having:
1-Resting heart rate is around 100. Need to get this down.
2-Blood pressure is good. Usually 120-125 over 75-80. The problem is the slightest bit of movement shoots it up. Basically I'm in terrible shape.
3-I am very weak. I need to start getting in some resistance training. I will most likely do that next week as well.
4-I still have some areas in my quads that don't have full feeling back. I need to start hitting those areas with the foam roller.
5-I have become more inflexible. I need to get some mobility and flexibilty work going in the near future as well.
6-My diet needs a little cleaning up, but overall it has not been too bad.

Thanks,
Bob

The weekend and today - from Bob

2009-12-14T13:43:00.000-08:00

Weekend of 12/12 & 12/13
It was a great weekend. Christopher slept over on Saturday night. Life felt normal again for a little while. Michele and I spent most of the afternoon finishing up Christmas shopping and buying my Mom a birthday present. I was really tired afterwards. The smallest bit of walking still wears me out. I'm going to start on the bike tomorrow and doing some light resistance training with thera bands. I'll outline my needs and goals tomorrow. After taking a couple of hour break, we picked up Chris and then headed to the Christmas light show with Michele's family. They had a small fair and we played some games, did some sand art, and he ate some cotton candy. The light show was okay, but really loud. My son doesn't like loud. He did okay and we made it thru most of the show before it was time to head out. On Sunday we woke up and Michele made us breakfast of pancakes and bacon. Chris LOVES bacon. We then watched some Ben 10. In the afternoon we went to my parents house to celebrate my Mom's birthday. Chris, my Dad, and I watched some football. It was a great weekend.

Monday 12/14
Had my Oncologist this morning at 8. I didn't get a copy of my blood work, but everything was improved. I do know my platelets were up to 44,000. So, hopefully no more transfusions for me. I go back again on Thursday and should get my Picc line out then. I do have to have my next bone marrow aspiration sometime next week. This should confirm that I am cancer free and can get back to leading a normal life after I get back in shape.I'm going to spend the rest of the day laying around reading and watching TV. I'll pick Chris up after school and then just relax after I drop him off.

Thanks,
Bob

More from Bob 12/9, 12/10, 12/11

2009-12-11T10:23:00.000-08:00

12/9-
Another lazy day of resting. We did have family dinner and that was fun. Other than that I pretty much just watched the idiot box.

12/10-
More blood work:
WBC-3.5
Gran: 52.4
RBC: 3.00
HGB: 8.8
PLT: 16,000

Everything went up except my platelets. So, to be on the safe side my oncologist had me get a unit of platelets transfused. This took up most of my day waiting for them to arrive and then getting the infusion. Luckily I have nothing to do, so it's no biggie. When I was done I went home, had a snack, and then took a nap.

12/11-
Again not much going on. I'm going to pick up Christopher from school and then go to my parents house. I'm sure we'll end up watching iCarly and Scooby Doo.Tomorrow Michele and I are going to pick up Christopher and he is going to sleep over for the first time in over 6 months. So, it's a big day for all of us. We are going to go with Michele's family to see a laser light Christmas show. It's at the Jupiter Hammer Heads stadium (single A baseball). They also have a bunch of other kids activities. This will also be our first time going out to an event like this. It feels really good to be starting to get life headed back to normal.

Bob

From Bob 12/6, 12/7, 12/8

2009-12-09T06:15:00.000-08:00

12/6, 12/7, 12/8
I'm sure you are getting sick of me telling you I feel like crap and I'm tired. So, I won't. I'm going to show you my blood work. Basically chemotherapy is poison and it "re-starts" your bodies production of healthy blood. The problem is there is a lull until the re-start happens. This is a time where I am very immuno compromised and have little energy. Here are the normal ranges for a healthy persons blood work:

White Blood Cells (WBC): 4.1-10.9
Granulocytes (Gran): 37.0%-92.0%
Red Blood Cell (RBC): 4.20-6.30
Hemoglobin (HGB): 12.0-18.0
Platelet (PLT): 140-440

My Blood work on 12/7:
WBC: 1.3
Gran: 8.7%
RBC: 2.72
HGB: 8.0
PLT: 9.0

On this day I had to get 2 units of packed red blood and one unit of platelets transfused. So, I spent the day in the hospital getting blood.

Blood work on 12/8:
WBC: 1.0
Gran: 38.9%
RBC: 3.25
HGB: 9.3
PLT: 19.0

My blood work is starting to come around. My Oncologist thinks my body is starting to produce it's own healthy blood slowly now. So, I don't have to go to the doctor tomorrow. I go again on Thursday. I may even get my Picc Line taken out, which I have had for about four months now. I can't wait to get it out. You can Google Picc Line, but it's basically a central line that has three lines sticking out of my arm for IV attachment. I have to shower with my arm wrapped in plastic wrap until I get it out. I'll check in again tomorrow.

Bob

Today and this past weekend....

2009-12-07T08:02:00.000-08:00

Family and Friends,

Bob is back in the hospital for the day receiving 2 units of blood and one unit of platelets. He also needed additional nupogen injections because his white count was very low. Here are the counts as of this morning:

WBC- 1.3
RBC- 2.72
Hemoglobin- 8.0
Platelets- 9,000

Bob is in good spirits, but not too happy he has to spend the whole day in the hospital.

Here is Bob's blog from the last few days:

Friday 12/4
Still feeling tired. Went to my Oncologist to get my last Neupogen shot. The plateles from yesterday didn't do too much as my count were still very low. So, I needed 1 unit of platelets and one unit of packed red. I again had to wait around for the call from the hospital as I need those both to be irradiated. They got everything in at about 3, so I headed over. I got done about 6:15. I then ran to my parents house as we were taking Christopher to see some Christmas lights. One of the parks in the area puts up a cool light show that you drive thru. They even had special 3D glasses that Christopher thought was the coolest thing ever invented.

Saturday 12/5
I felt okay when I woke up. I got caught up on some laundry and other minor chores. In the afternoon we had to go to Toys'R'Us to get some of Christopher's presents. We also ran to Office Depot and the Post Office. For some reason this wiped me out. When we got home I was tremendously tired. I spent the rest of the day on the couch and went to bed early. Bama rolled over the Gators and Texas lucked into a win. Cograts to all of the Southside Barbell members who put up PRs at the Southern States. Great job!!!

Please continue to keep Bob in your thoughts and prayers.
Love and Thanks,
Michele

Bob's blogs from the past few days

2009-12-02T08:37:00.000-08:00

Family and friends,

Sorry I haven't written in the past few days. To make up for it, I'm attaching Bob's blog so that you can see exactly how he's feeling. Hope everyone is doing well.

Tuesday 12/1- Overall it has been an uneventful day. I received my Neupogen shot again. They hurt like heck going in. My joints are still killing me. Stairs are the worst for me. I did get outside and meander around a bit. The boredom of laying around is starting to get to me. I watched a couple of movies and read, but I cannot take much more of the captivity. The problem is my energy levels are still very low, so I cannot do much more than sit anyway. Oh well.

Monday 11/30- First of my follow ups with my oncologist this week. I have to go in everyday for Neupogen injectons all week. But, I'll meet with the doctor on Mon, Wed, and Thurs. The Neupogen hurts like hell and make your joints even more sore if possible. I was going to start working out a bit today too, but after my office visit decided to wait until next week. The plan is to monitor my blood all week. My counts usually start to near the bottom around Thursday. So, we're thinking I'll need a blood transfusion on Thursday or Friday. Then, my counts should begin to climb next week and I can start doing some light working out. I'll keep you filled in on my progress through the week.

Sunday 11/29- I had a great weekend. I was still pretty tired all the time, but it was awesome. Chris and I slept over my parents house Saturday as Michele was out of town at a wedding. We watching GI Joe the movie and a bunch of other cartoons, we ate like pigs, and had a burping contest. It was a blast. We hung out Sunday at my parents for most of the day and then went to my aunt and uncle's house for my Thanksgiving dinner. It was just a great weekend. I needed to stop and take a break a couple of times, but overall I was okay.

Please continue to keep Bob in your thoughts and prayers. We are still awaiting the results of that specialized blood test. When Bob goes to see the oncologist we are hoping she'll have the results. So far no news is good news.

Love and thanks,
Michele

Bob out of hospital, hopefully for good!

2009-11-29T05:16:00.001-08:00

Family and friends,
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and long weekend. I'm happy to report that Bob is finally out of the hospital as of 9:30am yesterday morning. He got home, took a shower, and spent the afternoon with his parents. Last night he picked up Christopher and they watched GI Joe and had a sleepover at grandma's house. Both of them really enjoyed themselves.
Today we are going over to Bob's aunt and uncle's house to re-create Thanksgiving dinner for him.

Finally, Bob should get the results of his specialized blood test tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed and please continue to keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

Love and thanks,
Michele

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T14:26:00.001-08:00

Family and friends,
We are so thankful to have family and friends like all of you. Thank you for all the love and support you have given Bob and I. I have attached a photo of Bob's Thanksgiving surprise from his son. Bob has been extremely tired and sore all day. He doesn't want me to bring him turkey until 7pm since he's still sleeping.

Here's his blog from today:
I was going to put this up last night, but felt like crap and was very tired. I watched the UConn vs LSU basketball game. Then, I got really nauseous. It sucked. I had my forth bag of chemo at 4:00am, so I didn't get much sleep. I was already tired to begin with and now I am exhausted. I'm going to spend the day napping and watching football. I did get my three walks in, but it wasn't easy. My knees were really sore. I'll report on today later.

Please continue to keep Bob in your thoughts and prayers.
Love and thanks,
Michele

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Day 2 of last round of chemo

2009-11-25T20:00:00.001-08:00

Family and friends,

Today was a super busy day for me. After work I brought Bob and Christopher McDonalds at the hospital. Did you know a double cheeseburger has 1,150mg of sodium? I'm sure that can't be good for Bob. I read that on the side of the happy meal box. That's scary. Anyway, Bob is sore and tired. He's excited to see what surprise his son has in store for him tomorrow. I'm sleeping at my parents' house tonight in order to help with prep early tomorrow. With Bob and my brother-in-laws family we will be about 25 people. That's alot of turkey!

Here's Bob's blog:
Day 2 went without event. No nausea yet. Not much too good on TV. I am starting to feel more tired than usual. I did do my three laps around the floor again. My joints are still killing me, especially my knees. My son, Christopher, came over for a visit. He made the Honor Roll at school and had a really good report card. I was very proud of him. We played on the computer for a while and thumb wrestled. We finalized our plans for Saturday. We are going to sleep over my parents house. Michele will be out of town at her cousin's wedding. So, I figured I should stay at my parents to make sure I'm doing okay after a week of chemo. We are planning on watching GI Joe the movie. Christopher is VERY excited to see it. Talk to yopu tomorrow.

PS. I'm really looking forward to Sons of Anarchy tonight. It's one of the few TV shows I watch on a weekly basis.

Please continue to keep Bob in your thoughts and prayers and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Love and thanks,
Michele

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Day 1 of last round of Chemo

2009-11-24T08:26:00.000-08:00

Family and friends,
I'm going to let you read from Bob's blog first and then I'll tell you what the doctor said regarding the blood abnormalities...

From Bob's Blog:

Day One of chemo...
I arrived today at the Bethesda Memorial at 9:30. I was in my room by 10:30, not bad by hospital standards. They did the usual panel of blood work. I received my first IV bag of chemo at 2:00pm. I'll get the next one at 2:00am. so, not much sleep tonight. How consolidation chemo works is you get chemo twice on days 1, 3, and 5. You are off on days 2 and 4. If all goes well, I should be released sometime Saturday morning.My Oncologist told me they found some abnormalities in my blood cells while doing their review. She thinks it is due to some of the drugs she has me taking to aid in white blood cell formation. She's not too worried, but she is going to do further testing to verify that he cancer is not back. I should get the results in 3 days. I have gotten semi used to stuff like this and just try and roll with it. But, it's always in the back of your mind that you could be sick again.The chemo doesn't really make me feel worse for a couple of days. I feel fine right now. Well, fine for being on round 5 of chemo. I'm still tired most of the time and my joints are killing me. For exercise I took three walks around the whole floor. I would guess the distance to be 1/8th of a mile. I don't have much stamina right now. I'm hoping to improve that once I get this last round of chemo done.

Michele- Okay, Bob is in good spirits today. Bob's doctor called me yesterday and wanted to fill me in on the blood abnormalities. She first wanted to start off by saying that she was very happy that Bob's counts had recovered so quickly. His hemoglobin was at 11.1, platelets at 244,000 and white cells within normal ranges. The problem was that when they did the initial blood test they found that Bob had 1% blasts in his blood. The definition of "Blasts" is the following:

Blasts: Immature blood cells. Leukemic blasts do not grow and age normally; they proliferate wildly and fail to mature.

Bob's oncologist said first that everyone has blasts in their body, but that most likely Bob's could be due to the fact that because his counts recovered so quickly the blood cells didn't have time to mature, or because of the Nupogen injections this could possibly cause the increase in blast cells. She is sending his blood off for full spectrum testing but that it could take as long as week to get the results back (although she has expedited them). She had originally thought to ask Bob if he wanted to go back home and wait for the results because in the off chance that it comes back positive for the Leukemia (which she does not think is the case) Bob would unfortunately need to have re induction chemo again and it would be time to consider a stem cell transplant. Bob is very positive and knows that this is just an anomaly and wants to continue with his last round of consolidation chemotherapy so that he can finally be done. I cannot blame him. 6 months of this is tiring for me, I cannot even begin to think how hard it must be for Bob.

So now we just sit and wait for the results. Both the doctor, Bob and myself feel that it is not the Leukemia coming back.

Please continue to keep Bob in your thoughts and prayers and I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving.

Love and thanks,
Michele

Bob is back at Elitefts.com and answering questions...

2009-11-23T08:31:00.000-08:00

Family and friends,

Bob made his first public apperance yesterday at my neice's 1st birthday party. His white blood counts were high enough that he could fight off infection of 25 germy 2-5 year olds. Everyone was thrilled to see him and alot of people didn't recognize him with hair and long sideburns. (The picture I'm posting does not do him justice).

Bob is back in the hospital this morning for his last round of chemotherapy. He was very anxious to get there just to be over and done with it all. (I can't blame him). 6 months of this fiasco and I'd be anxious to get it over too! Anyway, as most of you know Bob is very active in the powerlifting community and for the last 7 years or so has been a fixture on the Q&A and logs at elitefts.com. Bob is finally strong enough to reintroduce his log. Here is a brief exerpt:

"Hi Everyone!For those who don't know I was diagnosed with leukemia in June of this year. I have been under going chemotherapy for the previous 5 months. During that time there have been some complications. To the point where I was read my last rights and my family was told twice I wouldn't make it through the night. My fiance, Michele, has been keeping a blog from the start of this and it can be found at:Bob Youngs - Cancer Blog The reason I am doing a log now is in an effort to promote the Lift Strong line of clothing Elite Fitness Systems is offering. I am going to chronicle my last week of chemo and then my rehab. I am hoping to bring more awerness to the EFS community."

If you are interested in either reading Bob's blog or asking him a question on the Q&A you can do so by going to http://asp.elitefts.com/qa/training-logs.asp?tid=61&__N=Bob%20Youngs

Bob will be missing Thanksgiving this year because he will be in the hospital but everyone is going to come and visit him and he's expecting an extra special dinner prepared by his son Christopher. Please continue to keep Bob in your thoughts and prayers.

Love and thanks,

Michele

Bob has kicked the cold and is in good spirits...

2009-11-16T07:05:00.001-08:00

Family and Friends,

Thankfully Bob has kicked his cold with minimal issues, the ZPac worked! In addition he's been in good spirits and we spent some time with Christopher over the weekend. He and Bob played Star Wars and Bob's voice is coming back. His voice has improved by leaps and bounds and he's letting his hair grow out. I swear I think he gained hair during the chemotherapy!! He's got sideburns that are funny as heck. I'll try to post a photo later. Bob goes back into the hospital for his final round of chemotherapy on Monday November 23rd (during the week of Thanksgiving) and then he's done. He is very anxious to get it all over with and I can't blame him.

Thanks for keeping him in your thoughts and prayers.
Love and thanks,
Michele

Bob has a cold... and blog reflections

2009-11-12T07:01:00.000-08:00

Family and Friends,

Bob got out of the hospital late Tuesday but yesterday started showing signs of coming down with a cold. I was very worried last night because Bob's immune system is so weakened that any little thing can progress very quickly into something large and life threatening. So we went to the doctor this morning and his oncologist prescribed him a ZPac and either Sudafed or Mucinex and said as long as he doesn't get a fever he should be okay. The good thing is that Bob's levels are starting to slowly go up on their own. His hemoglobin this morning was 9.9 and platelets at 29,000 so he won't need any transfusions today. We just have to monitor him closely for any signs of fever, but so far he hasn't had any.

That being said, I'd like to stop for a minute and say something about this blog. I write this blog for all of our family and friends to keep everyone up to date regarding Bob's progress. I know at times I can be a little harsh about what's going on, but because I have an iPhone I have the ability to write from anywhere and usually right as everything is happening. So the majority of my posts are uncensored and mostly stream of conciousness, and I usually don't take time to sit down and reflect before writing them. I know at times I can be hard on both the doctor's and the nurses that are providing care for Bob, but I feel it's my obligation to be thorough because Bob's life is at stake. That being said, I would like to say that for the most part I have been very impressed with the care that Bob has received at Bethesda as well as with his oncologist. She is a good doctor and I would not hesitate to recommend her to anyone. I realize that everyone is human and sometimes things just slip through the cracks, but I am confident that she has Bob's best interests in mind. She has gone out of her way to be there for both Bob and myself throughout this process, and has been patient and has answered all of our questions. I realize that sometimes I should stop and say a few good things in this blog as well and going forward I will do more of this.

Finally, I met with the people from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society yesterday morning regarding "Woman of the Year" fundraising event for next April that Bob's doctor recommended me for. I have decided that I will participate and try to give back to a cause that has deeply affected Bob's family. I will post more about this at a later date.

Thanks for all the recent emails and phone calls about Bob. I read all the comments posted on this blog as well and even though I may not respond to all of them, they are all very much appreciated. Please continue to keep Bob in your thoughts and prayers.
Love and thanks,
Michele

Veteran's Day and Bob out of hospital...

2009-11-11T06:52:00.001-08:00

Family and friends,

Bob was released from the hospital around 9:30pm last night. His hemoglobin was 8.5 and platelets at 25,000. These are still pretty low but he will go back to the oncologist Thursday and will more than likely need additional transfusions. Both myself and Christopher have the day off today so we are going to bake cupcakes with grandma and possibly go in the pool and have a cookout with Bob's aunt April and uncle Tom if the weather holds up. Please continue to keep Bob in your thoughts and prayers and have a great Veteran's Day.

Love and thanks,
Michele

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Bob still in hospital... Needs more blood still

2009-11-10T09:03:00.001-08:00

Family and friends,

Bob is still in the hospital. He received 2 units of platelets and 2 units of packed red blood cells yesterday. He also received an additional unit of blood this morning. Unfortunately his counts are still low- hemoglobin at 7.2 and platelets at 26,000 so he will remain in the hospital today and get two more units of blood, then they will reassess. I have attached a photo of Bob's foot to give you an idea of peticulae - what happens when you have low platelets. The peticulae itself is not life threatening. We hope Bob will be released from the hospital early tomorrow morning if all goes well. Please continue to keep him in your thoughts and prayers.
Love and thanks,
Michele

-- Posted from my iPhone

Emergency admit to hospital...

2009-11-09T07:20:00.000-08:00

Family and Friends,

I am beyond pissed off right now to the point of spitting nails. If you've been following the blog you know that last week I ranted about the fact that no one apparantly except for me feels it necessary about Bob's blood counts. On Friday Bob went to the doctor (and at that point should have gotten two units of blood). Well no one tested his blood counts on Friday because the doctor was moving her office. I was pissed. Fast forward to yesterday... Bob's face was broken out with peticlui (looks like measles). By this morning it had spread all over his body and when he woke up his tounge was twice it's normal size and fill with bloody postules. So needless to say we rush to the doctor, she says his low platelets are causing all of this and that he needs an emergency platelet transfusion. At this point it takes everything that I have to not start yelling because this whole damn thing could have been avoided if someone would have been proactive. So now here we sit, Bob and I at the hospital. It took an hour to get the blood results. His hemoglobin has dropped to 5.8 it's surprising to them he is still concious. Normal is between 12-16. His platelets are at 2. Seriously. They are supposed to be at 150,000-350,000. His white cells are non exisitant which means he has no immune system. I hope everyone can understand how frustrating this is because it all could have been prevented with some proactivity. So they are doing an emergency admittance into the hospital for Bob. I'll be here all day if you need me.
Please keep bob in your thoughts and prayers.
Love and thanks,
Michele

-- Posted from my iPhone

Surgery stitches removed, throat update...

2009-11-06T13:26:00.000-08:00

Family and Friends,

Bob went by himself to the ENT surgeon this morning. He said that the doctor told him the wound was healing perfectly and his voice seems to be making progress. The stitches were removed. Time will tell if he needs further surgery or if his vocal cord will repair itself. After that he went to the oncologist. Bob has been getting Nupogen shots to bring up his white blood cell count this week. They are still low and so are his hemoglobin and platlets. I was very disappointed that his oncologist was not more proactive and would just give him 2 units of red blood cells and one unit of platlets. He's going to get to her office Monday morning and probably need 3 units of blood and 2 units of platlets and without being typed or crossed at the hospital he'll be at Bethesda ALL DAY and most likely all day Tuesday. I just don't get why doctors are reactive and not proactive. I'm in no way a doctor, but I can see the trend in Bob's bloodwork. How you could let anyone walk around with 50% of the blood in their body and not be proactive about it is beyond me. What if something happens to Bob over the weekend? I'm just saying...

It's annoying.

So, it looks like Bob doesn't qualify for unemployment benefits because he is unable to look for a job and from what the lady said Bob couldn't work at his last job so he technally wasn't laid off due to a lack of available work. Whatever. It's ridiculous. I'm just glad I got the long term disability straightened out. I'd recommend to anyone getting this insurance if it's available.

Please keep Bob in your thoughts and prayers. He only has ONE MORE ROUND OF CHEMOTHERAPY LEFT!!! (Thanksgiving week)

Lots of Love and Thanks,

Michele

Bob out of hospital, doing well after surgery

2009-11-02T10:04:00.001-08:00

Family and Friends,

I hope everyone had a Happy Halloween. As I said in my last post, Bob's surgery went well. That Friday I really noticed a difference in Bob's voice. He was speaking much deeper and not whispering at all. But then Saturday (most likely due to the fact that the swelling went down) Bob was back speaking in a hoarse whisper. He is going back to the ENT surgeon Thursday or Friday this week to have the stitches removed and once it's healed they will begin vocal testing to see the extent of the damage to his vocal cords. I am hoping things will get better with time.

As expected, Bob got out of the hospital on Saturday afternoon. He was in good spirits and insisted that he walk out of the hospital rather than get wheeled out. (He was very stubborn about this). In addition, he also insisted that I get him a costume for Halloween so that he could trick or treat with Christopher, Bob's uncle Tom, and myself. I went out and bought us matching pirate costumes and Bob was a real trooper. He walked his butt off and let me tell you it was hot as heck. Like 85 degrees, so hot that we had to bring poor Christopher home to change out of his polyester costume and into a RedSox t-shirt and shorts. We all had a fanstastic time on Halloween. I will post photos later.

Bob and I went to his oncologist this morning so that he could get a check up and a Nupogen shot. His counts are actually pretty good today and he didn't need any blood. He'll be going back every day this week for more shots and follow up. I also got a call from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Palm Beach wanting me to participate in their Woman of the Year. I have to call them back today. Bob's doctor was the one that nominated me and I was very honored that she'd think of me.

I will keep everyone posted of Bob's progress throughout the week. Please continue to keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

Love and thanks,
Michele

Bob's surgery a success

2009-10-30T12:29:00.001-07:00

Family and friends,

Bob's surgeon just came out to see me and said everything went well. The hole in his trachea was covered by muscle and he has 5 stitches that will need to be removed next week. He also looked at Bobs vocal chord and said the left one is "bowed out". At this time there is nothing they can do about it but wait until the stitches heal. Overall a success. Bob is in recovery and I'm hoping his voice is better. Thanks to everyone for you support.
Please keep Bob in your thoughts and prayers. If recovery goes well he'll be out of here by noon tomorrow just in time to see Christopher dressed up for Halloween.
Love and thanks,
Michele

-- Posted from my iPhone

Surgery scheduled for Friday...

2009-10-28T13:39:00.000-07:00

Family and friends,

After calling the oncologist and explaining how it doesn't make sense for Bob to have a surgery scheduled for the same day that he is supposed to be discharged (Saturday), she spoke with the ENT and they have scheduled surgery for Friday - time TBD. I guess we'll take it and hope Bob recovers quickly before he is discharged. I also submitted the final paperwork for Bob's long term disaiblity claim. That was a nightmare. I am hoping finally that they will approve him and send him the last month's worth of checks. Other than that, everything is going pretty well with Bob. He is very tired, but spends his day watching NCIS, CSI Miami and playing on his iPhone. He wanted me to say hello to everyone for him.

Thanks to all who keep reading the blog. Please continue to keep Bob in your thoughts and prayers.
Love and thanks,
Michele

Bob saw ENT doc, going to have surgery...

2009-10-27T06:20:00.000-07:00

Family and Friends,

Thanks so much for all the encouraging words to myself and Bob regarding his neck and speech. I really think it did the trick because when I woke up this morning I got a text from Bob saying that the ENT doctor came by and Bob let him put the scope partially down his throat. I was very proud of him. Now for the not so good news. There is still a hole where Bob's tracheotomy site is and the doctor wants to close it. It would involve placing a flap of muscle over the hole in the trachea and sewing the skin together above that. Bob would not be fully knocked out, but in twilight. The doctor would then put the scope down Bob's nose and see what else is wrong. The doctor said Bob's left vocal cord is not fully functioning. The ENT doc is going to consult with Bob's oncologist to see about a timeline for surgery, but it sounded like he wanted to do it on Halloween morning (Saturday). Now I spoke with Bob's doctor last night and she said that if he had surgery she'd preferably like to do it as soon as possible because of the chemotherapy and the fact that all his blood counts go down exponentially day by day as well as his immune system and his ability to clot. Since I had to go to work today I told Bob to tell the oncologist that he wants to see if they can do the surgery tomorrow. Bob's response was "The doctors know best". I started laughing!!

So needless to say, I'm going to call the oncologist today and see what we can do about pushing this surgery up. It doesn't make any sense to do it on Saturday, the day he's supposed to be discharged. If they did it today, at least they could observe him for a few days - one would thing that would be the most logical thing. But as I have learned over the past few months, there is no rhyme or reason to the doctor's decisions.

I am still fighting with Bob's insurance company trying to get him long term disability. They won't release any checks yet. I did however get him unemployment. Did you know the max unemployment in the state of Florida is $275 a week? what the heck can you buy for that?? It's ridiculous. I've got to get this crap straightened out ASAP.

Please continue to keep Bob in your thoughts and prayers.

Love and thanks,

Michele

Bob back in hospital...

2009-10-26T08:21:00.001-07:00

Family and friends,
Bob is back in the hospital for his second to last round of chemotherapy. He's in good spirits (as you can see from the photo), but still very tired all the time. He's going into this round with high counts which is good, but still having issues with the tracheostomy site not healing. I actually think it's infected again. But... Bob is stubborn and does not want the ear nose and throat doc to look at it with a scope unless they knock him out. The doctor won't do that because of the chemo, so everyone is stuck looking at the wound from the outside only. I'm just hoping there is no permanent damage to his vocal chords. He's still speaking at a whisper and no one can understand him on the phone. That's about it. I'll be hopefully giving regular updates this week since he'll be in there until Saturday.
Please keep Bob in your thoughts and prayers.
Love and thanks,
Michele

Bob with hair? Not...
-- Posted from my iPhone

Bob doing well, going back in for next round on Monday...

2009-10-20T07:37:00.000-07:00

Family and Friends,

Sorry it's been 10 days since my last post. Things here have been hectic but good. The good news first - Bob has been doing fantastic on his blood counts - White blood and platlets are back in normal ranges and his hemoglobin is at 9.6 which is pretty high for him. Bob has been very tired and spends most days sleeping on the couch. We are working with his doctor on tweaking his pain medication which causes him to twitch -especially at night when he gets tired. They are trying to wean him off the pain patches first. Bob is still having issues with his tracheotomy site. At one point it looked like it was getting better, then we decided it would be a good idea put neosporin on it, and now it's getting worse. While Bob is in the hospital next Monday for his next round of chemo, they are going to have the surgeon look at it. I don't know how well that's going to go seeing as Bob won't let them look up his nose to get to his throat, but we'll see.

I'm still fighting for Bob to get long term disability. They have approved it finally after a month, but won't disperse until I get a letter from one of his doctors from 2008 stating he was receiving muscle relaxers for his back pain and not for cancer. It's just ridiculous. In addition, I received a phone call last week from Bob's work advising me that they laid off Bob. THANK GOD my company offers domestic partner medical and dental benefits, or Bob would be screwed. Cobra wanted almost $600 a month for medical alone. In addition, Bob has racked up over $1,000,000 in medical costs (yep, that's a Million with a capital M!) It's pretty screwed up- the insurance company tells you that you have a $5k co-pay, but then once you've reached that then they tell you they'll only pay 90%. So Bob's portion of the medical bills for the last 4 months is $100,000 out of pocket. Nice. I think we're better off living in Canada or Switzerland or something, but Bob won't have any of that. Sorry for the complaining, but it gets very frustrating fighting with these companies. At least Bob has Aetna now. I'm hoping they are much better.

Please continue to keep Bob in your thoughts and prayers. He'll be in the hospital Monday October 26 and get out on Halloween afternoon - just in time to watch Christopher trick or treat!!

Love and thanks,

Michele

PS. I'll make sure to post some pictures of Bob soon.

Bob hanging in there...

2009-10-10T09:33:00.001-07:00

Family and friends,

Bob is hanging in there. He's been napping alot. His blood counts unfortunately have been dropping steadily to the point where his platelets were at 6,000. Normal is between 150,000 and 350,000. He went in as an outpatient yesterday for two units of platelets. He's keeping busy today watching football and wanted to say hi to everyone.

Please continue to keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

Love and thanks,
Michele

Ps. Thanks to Powerhouse Gym for the t-shirt and get well card. That was so thoughtful!

-- Posted from my iPhone

Bob is home and happy

2009-10-06T07:31:00.001-07:00

Family and friends,

Sorry its been a few days since ive updated the blog. Bob is home now and doing pretty well. He's been trying to sleep as much as possible. I'm going with him to the doctor tomorrow so they can show me how to flush his picc lines. His counts are doing surprising well so far too.

Please continue to keep Bob in your thoughts and prayers.

Love and thanks,
Michele

-- Posted from my iPhone

Chemo a success so far, Bob coming home tomorrow...

2009-10-02T08:51:00.000-07:00

Family and Friends,

Bob is holding his own very well with regard to the chemotherapy. His blood counts are holding steady and so are his platlets. The doctor said that Bob will be going home tomorrow. Bob is looking forward to eating real food (as opposed to hospital food) and getting to have Christopher come over to our house to play video games. The only issue that I'm dealing with now is fighting with Bob's insurance company Guardian to get him long term disability. They are making prove that Bob's Leukemia isn't a pre-exisiting condition (which is ridiculous).

Please keep Bob in your thoughts and prayers. As soon as he gets out tomorrow, I'm going to take a picture of him and post it so you can see his progress. He's been mainly living off snickers bars and whatchamacalits so he's putting on a few pounds since the hospital food isn't the greatest.

Love and thanks,

Michele

Day 1 of Round 3 chemotherapy finished

2009-09-29T08:26:00.000-07:00

Family and Friends,

Day 1 of Bob's chemotherapy is finished and I must say that Bob is in good spirits. His counts before chemotherapy started were higher than they had ever been, 335,000 for platelets and hemoglobin at 11, his white count was in normal range as well. Bob has had no fevers in the past week, but has suffered from a screwed up internal temperature system. He's got the thermostat set at 65, and yet he's sweating through all his clothing. The doctor said it could be a side effect from the chemo, but as long as he's not showing a temperature everything is okay. They tested him again last night for MRSA in his neck area. I'm assuming it's going to come back positive again. Other than that, Bob's in good spirits and the doctor said as long as things go well, they can get him out of the hospital as early as Saturday which would be great!

Please continue to keep Bob in your thoughts and prayers.
Love and thanks,
Michele

Bob heading back for round 3 of 5

2009-09-27T13:26:00.001-07:00

Family and friends,

Bob is doing pretty good. He was happy to see his friends Mike and Ed yesterday who came from NYC and Ft. Meyers to see him. We had lunch and Bob got to do some catching up. This morning we went back to the hospital for antibiotic infusions and then over to my parents for lunch. Now we are hanging out with Christopher and hanging Halloween decorations.

Please keep Bob in your thoughts and prayers as he heads back in to the hospital.

Love and thanks,
Michele
Ps Bob wanted me to say hi to everyone for him

-- Posted from my iPhone

Bob coming home today

2009-09-22T13:03:00.000-07:00

Family and friends,

They kept Bob an extra day yesterday because they wanted to load him up with blood, magnesium, and potassium IVs so he wouldn't have to get any more this week. They are saving his IV lines for the antibiotics for the MRSA. I changed the dressing on his tracheostomy site last night and it's still infected. I'm hoping once he gets home it will get better.

As most of you know I bought Bob a blackberry so that he could keep up with his emails while he was in the hospital. He didn't like the way the internet connection was (so he said, I think he was jealous that both Dave and I had iPhones) and now he wants one. So I bought him an iPhone today. He won't get it until I get off work, but I think he's going to be happy with it.

Please keep Bob in your thoughts and prayers. He goes back into the hospital on September 31 for the 2nd round of consolidation chemotherapy.

Love and thanks,
Michele

Bob might be going home Monday!

2009-09-20T15:34:00.000-07:00

Family and friends,

After a couple of days with no fever and increasing white cell counts (thanks to nuprogen injections) the oncologist said that as long as Bob would be willing to go home with a picc line and get IV antibiotics everyday for the MRSA they might let him go home tomorrow. Needless to say he was very happy to hear the news. Christopher stopped by to see him which made him happy too. Although Bob is tired he is in good spirits. Please continue to keep him in your prayers and thoughts.

Love and thanks,
Michele

-- Posted from my iPhone

Bob feeling better...

2009-09-19T09:21:00.000-07:00

Family and friends

Happy to report that bob is feeling much better today. No nausea, vomiting, or fevers! Also the doctor decided to put Bob's blood on standby (genious idea) and when he needed blood yesterday, he got it in 15 minutes. It's funny how effective a squeeky wheel is!

Bob is much happier being back on dilaudid, rather than morphine. The doctor also said bob has MRSA in his neck and backside. They had him on vancomycin, but had to change it due to him having hearing issues. Bobs appetite is back, so I know he's getting better and he's checking his emails too.

Lots of love and thanks,
Michele

-- Posted from my iPhone

Infection at tracheostomy site in neck

2009-09-18T07:43:00.000-07:00

Family and friends,

Tonight was a rough night for Bob. He spent the night neaseous and throwing up every hour (even though he didn't eat anything all day). We think it might be from switching from the dilaudid to morphine. The nurse had to give him ambien just so he could get some sleep.

When we woke up this morning the nurse came in and hung a precaution sign on Bobs door saying everyone who comes in has to wear mask, gloves, and blue gown. She said he has some type of infection at the wound site in his neck. It takes 3 days or so to figure out exactly what he has because they grow it in a pietri dish so we are still waiting. Bob is tired sore and miserable. He is NOT checking his email or texts or phone calls.

Please keep Bob in your thoughts and prayers.

Love and thanks,
Michele

-- Posted from my iPhone

24 hrs later, we got platlets. No blood yet

2009-09-17T09:09:00.001-07:00

Family and friends,

After writing the blog last night I went out and spoke to the charge nurse about getting Bob some ice packs. She was nasty to me and told me to sit in the room and wait for the nurse. I was so mad I was beside myself. I called the nursing supervisor over the whole hospital and complained. 2 minutes later my ice packs magically arrived. 10 minutes after that, so did the cooling blanket. The dumb nurse set the blanket on 45 degrees and after 10 minutes bob had enough. He said he'd rather die than freeze like that. I tried to explain that I could increase the temp to 98.6 like they did in the ICU but it was too late. There was no convincing him. I just had to take it off. He used ice the rest of the night. Although Bob had a fever throughout the night the nurse didn't bother to give him Tylenol until 7am. I had to call down to the bloodbank to give them hell at 6 to find out where the blood was. It was here but no one seemed to be in a rush to bring it up. Bob got the platlets at 10. And were now waiting on the red blood. Bobs temp is still at 102. He's packed in ice, he is neaseus and refuses to eat. I talked him into one jello and a Gatorade. The infectious disease doc came in and we told him about the MRI debacle and he said they'd do a CT instead. When Bob realized he had to drink contrast dye, he refused. That's been our day thus far.

Please keep Bob in your thoughts and prayers.

Love and thanks,
Michele
Ps. They put Bob on a morphine PCA pump not dilaudid. And he's getting 1mg every 8 minutes.

Fourteen hours later and NO BLOOD STILL

2009-09-16T19:56:00.001-07:00

Family and friends

It's almost 11pm and to say today has been frustrating would be a severe understatement. Bobs oncologist came in around 8:30am and ordered blood and platlets for Bob. We are still waiting on them. If you have been following this blog from the beginning you'd know this has been an issue before. Bethesda contracts with the big red bus which is community bloodcenters out of Orlando. They are waiting for blood to get here from there. Although my girlfriend is the director of the rival blood bank of south Florida and has previously told me whatever blood bob needed they would send it over in a matter of minutes, Bethesda hospital has refused. Time and time again have I asked. 11pm and still no blood. In addition Bob has now spiked a fever of 103. The nurse told me she ordered him a cooling blanket. That was an hour and a half ago. I have swiped some ice from the supply room and have stuffed rubber gloves with them and put them under Bob's arms to try to lower his fever. Tonight's nurse is USELESS.

Here's the icing on today's cake. They came to get Bob for an MRI. He wanted me to go with him. As the transporter wheeled Bob out of the room they were wheeling a person out of the room two doors down in a body bag down to the morgue. We had to wait next to the body bag while we took the elevator to the basement. I asked Bob if he was ok, he said yes, but it freaked me out. The MRI was one of the closed ones that's tight as a coffin with no room to breathe. As soon as they pushed Bob in he freaked out. He couldn't do it and I couldn't blame him after what he saw. Not to mention he had a fever, was in pain and was exhausted.

That was our day.

The only bright spot for Bob was that they gave him a pain pump that he could push every eight minutes and it would give him 1 mg of dilaudid. Now he was previously getting 2 mg if dilaudid every 2 hours. I'm no mathematician, but that's like 15 mg of dilaudid every two hours if he presses it every eight minutes which he's been doing. The nurse assured me when I pointed this out to her that the pain pump distributes the medication differently than an injection, but I think she's an idiot and I don't believe her. I'm exhausted and have had it up to here tonight. I'm going to raise some hell about getting Bob some proper ice packs.

Bob needs lots of prayers tonight, and I need a stiff drink...

Love and thanks,
Michele

-- Posted from my iPhone

Bob back on cancer wing, will be here awhile

2009-09-16T10:08:00.001-07:00

Family and friends

Last night they admitted Bob back to the cancer wing. They gave him blood, platlets, and antibiotics throughout the night. Unfortunately when the oncologist came to visit this morning none of his counts had come up. He still has a fever albeit a low grade one. We had a consult from the infectious disease doctor as well. He is taking cultures of his tracheostomy site as well as his bed sore site to see if they are infected and are getting him an MRI to see if the bed sore wound got deep enough to infect bone in his back. In addition they have to put a picc line in but his platlets are still too low so they stuck poor Bob a million times for IVs and blood. He neausous, tired, and in lots of pain.

Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

Love and thanks,
Michele

-- Posted from my iPhone

Bob taken to emergency room

2009-09-15T18:09:00.001-07:00

Family and friends,

When I got home from work today I went to pick Bob up from his parents house. When I got there he was complaining he was nauseous. We took his temperature and it was 101. I called his oncologist and she wanted us to immediately bring him into the ER. She said because he's on antibiotics he shouldn't be getting a fever and if he is that it can't be good. We are sitting in the ER room right now, they've done a million blood tests and so far his platlets are at 20,000 (normal is between 150k-450k) and his white count is at .3 we are awaiting the rest of the tests. In the meanwhile they have him a chest xray, IV fluids and gave him vancomycin. I'm very worried about Bob and will stay with him as long as it takes

until they get him stable. Please keep Bob in your thoughts and prayers tonight. He's going to need it.

Love and thanks,
Michele

-- Posted from my iPhone

Bob's blood dropping again

2009-09-14T14:56:00.001-07:00

Family and friends,

This morning Bob went to his oncologist. Over the weekend his platlets dropped to 8,000 and his hemoglobin to 6.5. The doctor gave Bob the option of being readmitted to the hospital or go in on an outpatient basis for transfusions today. Needless to say he chose outpatient and I dropped him off at Bethesda at 9am. It's 6pm now and he's still at it. They gave him 2 red blood transfusions, 2 platlets, and a magnesium IV. He is tired but in good spirits. The doctor said he will need chemo up until December so we won't be having our welcome home/engagement party until January it looks like.

Please keep Bob in your thoughts and prayers.

Love and thanks,
Michele

-- Posted from my iPhone

Bob's platelets dropped to 8,000 - transfusion needed

2009-09-10T11:57:00.000-07:00

Family and friends,

Bob has been out of the hospital for the last 4 days. He has been doing good at home and spending the afternoons at his parent's house. It gives him the opportunity to see Christopher and eat his Mom's famous "macaroni and tuna fish" that he eats by the truckloads! He went to see the oncologist today and they said his platelets have dropped dramatically to 8,000. He is back at Bethesda now having a platlet transfusion on an outpatient basis. I am very concerned that he may become neutropenic over the next few days and he will have to start wearing a mask so as to not get any infections.

He has 2 wounds still, the trachesotomy in his throat as well as the stage 3 bed sore wound that he is dealing with. I have gotten pretty good at taking care of these wounds but we have an appointment with a wound care center tomorrow so that I can get proper training in dressing them for him.

Bob wanted me to tell everyone thank you for all the help and support he has gotten. I will follow up tomorrow and let you know how he's doing.

Love and thanks,
Michele

The eagle has landed.... Bob is HOME!!!!!

2009-09-07T16:54:00.000-07:00

Family and friends,

It is with great joy that I can finally say that Bob is home!! He got home late last night, I made the couch up for him today and he is getting around with a cane in the house. Christopher stopped by to visit today for about an hour and he and I played while Bob watched. The smile that came across Bob's face was priceless. It is a time for happiness and celebration today.

Bob's counts are still low and according to the doctor may be dropping still so he may have to go into the hospital on an outpatient basis for a blood transfusion every couple of days. Tomorrow I am going to go back to work and Bob is going to spend the day with his parents.

I cannot even begin to thank everyone for all the love and support you have provided Bob and I over the past 70 something days. Bob still has 2 more rounds of Chemotherapy to go over the next two months. I will be still keeping up this blog daily as his progress continues, so please keep reading!! He still has a long road to recovery.

Love and thanks,
Michele

Bob possibly coming home MONDAY!!!

2009-09-04T10:44:00.000-07:00

Family and friends,

I don't want to jinx it, but the doctor said that if Bob can show that he's not actively bleeding and it's safe for him, she's going to let him go home on Monday!! His counts dropped a little bit today, but that was to be expected. He's having a lot of joint pain and has his last day of chemo today. Please wish him well!

Bob's friend Dave left us today to go back to Ohio. He was such a help to me during this week, watching Bob while I worked. I cannot thank him enough!

Please keep Bob in your thoughts and prayers and I'll update his progress over the weekend. Have a fun and safe Labor day!!

Love and thanks,
Michele

Spinal Tap today... not the movie either...

2009-09-03T06:06:00.000-07:00

Family and friends,

Bob has finished his second day of chemotherapy and has one more day to go. This morning the Chief of Surgery came into his room and wanted to put a scope up his nose and down into his throat to see the reason that Bob hasn't been able to speak as well as he should. (He still sounds very hoarse and like Darth Vader) Bob refused the scope and I chased after the surgeon and asked if he could come back next week. He said he would try.

I think Bob was just a bit overloaded this morning because his oncologist told him she wanted to do a spinal tap on him today to see if the Leukemia has gotten into his spinal cord and brain. I've seen this procedure done on TV and it look like it hurts like hell. I'll give an update once this happens.

Bob's friend Dave who has been staying with Bob this week has started a "Lift Strong" line of apparel and merchandise which just launched on his website September 1. All proceeds from the sale of this gear go towards the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Bob is not the only person who has been affected by this disease in the powerlifting community and it is amazing when a group of committed individuals get together for a common goal the things they can accomplish. If you are interested in any of the merchandise or reading about other cancer survivors affected by this, I encourage you to check out Dave's posts at http://www.elitefts.com/documents/liftstrong09.htm
the link for the apparel is : www.Elitefts.com/liftstrong

Thanks again to everyone for their prayers and words of encouragement for Bob. He really appreciates it.

Love and thanks,
Michele

Day 1 of Chemotherapy has started

2009-09-01T06:52:00.000-07:00

Family and friends,

Bob's doctor started him on chemotherapy last night at 6pm. He receives it via IV and it takes a few hours to get through. He got his second bag of chemo this morning at 6am. He is a bit nauseous but doing okay. He will get his next round at 6pm on Wednesday night. He seems very mobile and is trying to keep his weight up. Yesterday they weighed him and he was 198. (that's up about 15 pounds from a few weeks ago). Dave is here and is taking great care of him during the day.

I'd like to especially thank Traci Tate today. With her kids starting school and running two businesses, the fact that she can sacrifice her husband for a week to take care of Bob while I work is incredible. I am truly grateful and appreciative.

Please keep Bob in your thoughts and prayers.
Love and thanks,
Michele

Bob to STAY in Boynton Beach...

2009-08-31T10:20:00.000-07:00

Family and Friends,

After days of fighting with U of Miami/Jackson about trying to find a bed at their hospital so that Bob can receive his chemotherapy that is 55 days overdue, they finally called this morning to tell me that they had a bed for him. Upon further investigation however, they decided that Bob was going to share a room. I reminded them that Bob needed chemo, that he would be neutropenic soon, and that he had MRSA. They basically told me "too bad" and said it's double room or nothing. In addition, I wouldn't be able to spend the night with him either. I asked about the special air mattress that Bob had been using because of his bed sore wound, and they blew me off on that too. After relaying this to Bob, he'd had about enough. He decided that he was going to stay at Bethesda. Although the doctors may not round 24/7, and they are not on the cutting edge of technology, they do know him as a person and treat him like he matters. Because he's been there for 2 months all the nurses know him, they have a vested interest in keeping him alive. They kept him alive the first time when his liver, kidneys and lungs shut down and he was bleeding internally. I'm satisfied that they can do it a second time with the lesser chemotherapy too. The only way we would transfer him is if he needed a transplant, and he's not at that stage right now.

I spoke with Bob's oncologist and they are starting the chemo today at 6pm. Please say a prayer or wish him luck.

Love and thanks,
Michele

Still waiting on transfer...

2009-08-29T05:33:00.000-07:00

Dear family and friends,

I have been very frustrated with UM and Bob's transfer. We are still waiting on a bed for him at Jackson Memorial and they are not too friendly in the admitting department there. I really hope that we are making the right decision with regard to transferring him.

For the good news, Bob is getting around so much better! He is now able to walk with a cane and use the restroom on his own. It is definitely giant strides from 2 weeks ago where he could barely lift his hands. We are working on trying to put some weight on him now.

Also, I bought Bob a belated birthday gift. He got a blackberry, so he's able to read his email again (at least temporarily until the chemo starts) and he also has access to his facebook page.

Finally, I'd like to say a big thank you to Mike "paper" Stutchner. He participated in the IPA Power Station Pro-Am last weekend and wore a shirt that said "lift strong for Bob Youngs". I just one of them in the mail. He had all of Bob's powerlifting friends sign it. I am going to give it to him today and hang it on his wall in the hospital. I really think it is going to make him happy and lift his spirits.

I promise I'll write more when we get to Miami. Bob's friend Dave is coming on Sunday to help me and I know we'll have a lot to write about.

Love and thanks,

Michele

R.I.P. Renegade 1998-2009

2009-08-29T05:24:00.001-07:00

Family and Friends,

Yesterday was a very sad day for our family. My sister's dog Renegade had to be put to sleep. He was 11. Although he was my sister's dog, my whole family felt like he was all of ours. I remember when my brother-in-law Tony brought Ren home to my parents house for the first time. He was such a cute puppy! He tried to bite my toe, and when he ran, he would always fall over because his head was so darn big!! He reminded me alot of the movie "Marley and Me". He was a big dumb dog that did stupid things sometimes, but we all loved him nonetheless. He would never bite anyone, possibly lick you to death. My dad loved Renegade most of all. He'd go over to Lori and Tony's house with a pocket full of dog treats and Ren would drool all over the place. My dad would hide the treats throughout their house so Rene could find them. Renegade was 125 lbs and died do to complications from hip displaysia on his hind legs. Renegade was a great dog and we are all going to miss him.

I know this blog is about Bob's recovery, and I'll write about that next, but I needed to say this about Renegade. With everything that's been going on, the loss of him really affected me yesterday.

Love and thanks,
Michele

Bob to be transferred to University of Miami cancer center

2009-08-27T07:08:00.000-07:00

Family and Friends,

After speaking with Bob and his oncologist last night, Bob feels that it would be in his best interest if he was transferred to the University of Miami Slyvester Cancer Center. I have been making phone calls and hopefully we can get him transferred by tomorrow so that he can start chemotherapy. Everything else is going pretty well. Bob is in good spirits after learning his cancer hasn't come back.

I will write later when I have more to report.

Love and thanks,

Michele

MIRACLES EXIST!! Bob still in remission!!

2009-08-26T11:59:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

I received a phone call from Bob's oncologist this afternoon. Bob had me on speaker when she got into his room to deliver the news. She said that she spoke to the pathologist this afternoon regarding Bob's prognosis and that miraculously Bob is still in complete remission. They classify remission as less than 5% blast cells in the body and initial reports indicate that Bob has less than 2%. The doctor was very surprised, as was I, because all indications in his blood work (the drop in hemoglobin, platelets, and white cells) are all indicative of the cancer coming back. She had no explanation for it. Bob will still need to receive 3 day consolidation chemotherapy which is still very risky due to his condition, but it will not require him to be transferred to Boston. He and I will be discussing whether or not he wants to remain at Bethesda for continued treatment or possibly go to UM Sylvester in Miami. Either way, they are going to want to start the chemotherapy this week.

In other news, Bob took a barium swallow test to see if he could stop drinking thick liquids and move back to regular liquids like water. He has to drink barium and they do xrays to see if the liquid passes to his stomach or if some gets aspirated into his lungs. He passed with flying colors! Good news abounds!

Finally, I'd like to thank everyone again for all the donations received, and special thank you to Mussa Mohkami, a powerlifter from Germany for writing Bob a letter today. Although Bob has never met Mussa, his letter was very inspirational and I read it to him this morning when he woke up. Here is an exerpt:

"I do belive in an higher power, a power that is bigger than man. The mind is a great tool - it can make the impossible, possible. I belive when you think positive and put all your energy and the energy of friends and family and loved ones fans and iron brothers all around the globe together there is nothing that you can´t do!"

I echo his sentiments exactly. Thank you to everyone who has been pulling for Bob. It means more than you'll ever know.

Love and thanks,
Michele

Tracheostomy removed, Bob needed blood again...

2009-08-25T10:40:00.000-07:00

Family and friends,

Yesterday Bob's blood results came back and they were low which was very concerning for the doctor, especially since Bob hasn't been bleeding. She said it may be an indication that his leukemia has come back. We won't know those results for sure until late Wednesday. Hopefully she's wrong. So in the meanwhile, she had to give Bob 2 units of packed red blood. His counts were in the 7s. In addition, Bob had his trachesotomy removed. He said that it didn't hurt a bit. The only thing is that his throat is very sore and he can't speak again temporarily because it hurts too much. He's got his swallow test later on this afternoon that he's looking forward to because if he passes he can drink clear liquids again.

Please say a prayer for Bob in hopes that his leukemia hasn't come back. If it has, he's going to have to be transferred to a specialty cancer hospital possibly out of state and he's going to have a long road to battle, worse than before (if that's possible).

Love and thanks,

Michele

Bone Marrow Aspriation Completed

2009-08-24T09:26:00.000-07:00

Family and friends,

I stayed at the hospital with Bob last night because the oncologist said she was going to perform the bone marrow aspiration at 6:45 this morning. She gave Bob Ativan and Demerol to help with the pain and anxiety. He did fantastically. We're now waiting for the pulmonologist to see if Bob's going to get the trach out. I'll let you know as soon as we hear something.

Love and thanks,

Michele

Sunday afternoon update

2009-08-23T09:55:00.000-07:00

Family and friends,

Bob is adjusting very well back at Bethesda. We've had tons of nurses come by to welcome him back both from the cancer wing as well as the ICU. (He's a very popular guy!) Bob is getting stronger every day, walking around the room with the help of the walker and setting daily goals. The oncologist confirmed that he is not bleeding in his stool which was fantastic and they feel that Bob is strong enough to have the trach out as early as tomorrow. They were unable to perform the bone marrow aspriation on Friday so Bob's doctor is going to do that first thing tomorrow morning. Bob is also eating like a horse which is great!! We'll know more what is going on by Wednesday as to whether he is going to stay here for treatment or go elsewhere.

I'll keep everyone posted.
Love and thanks,
Michele

Bob going back to Bethesda hospital today...

2009-08-21T09:16:00.001-07:00

Family and friends,

Lots of news since the last blog. After speaking with the GI doctors from the Cleveland Clinic, it is their belief that Bob is no longer bleeding from his small bowel. After reading the pathology slides from the surgery that happened, they determined that Bob had small bowel ischemia, where there is a loss of blood to the intestine. They felt the ulcer could have been caused by the leukemia or the overuse of NSAIDS. They did not feel at this time that a double balloon enteroscopy would be beneficial to Bob and would do more harm than good and felt comfortable that he could successfully undergo chemotherapy at this time.

That being said, we spoke to both oncologists at the Cleveland Clinic and at Bethesda. They both agreed since Dr. The at Bethesda had all of Bob's records and had completed the initial bone marrow aspirations, that it should be continued at Bethesda. When the results come in, we'll take it from there. If he's still in remission and only needs the 3 day consolidation therapy we'll see if he wants to stay at Bethesda or go to Moffett center in Tampa, or if he has relapsed (which is a possiblity since he has missed his 2nd scheduled chemo by 30 days) then we would definately not keep him at Bethesda and he would go directly to Tampa for treatment. (Bob has decided to stay in state and not be transferred at this time to Boston as we had originally intended).

As Bob's friend Dave reminded me, this week has not been a loss. Bob can now walk with the aid of a walker, he has full mobility of his hands to the point where he texted me this morning, he can speak now with the aid of a passy muir valve much more cleary than before, he can use the bathroom, and he is getting stronger. This will continue to be our focus this week as we prepare for the chemo treatments he has ahead of him.

Thanks to everyone for their continued thoughts, prayers and support.

Love and thanks,
Michele

Decision time

2009-08-20T11:50:00.000-07:00

Family and friends,

I spoke with the GI doctor this morning regarding the unsuccessfulness of the 3rd camera pill. They are going to be reviewing the pathology slides, the results from the 2nd camera pill that worked, and all of Bob's blood work over the past week to make a determination as to whether they want to proceed with the double balloon endoscopy or whether they believe Bob has stopped bleeding -if this is the case they will release Bob back to Bethesda tomorrow. At this point I told them whatever it is, they need to decide today because we've already lost a week that could have been used for giving him chemotherapy. The GI doc said he would call me back later today with a decision. In the meanwhile Bob continues to cough up blood although it is much less than yesterday. I will continue to follow up today with them until a decision has been made and let everyone know.

Love and thanks,

Michele

PS. Here is a photo of the team that hosted the "Pulling for Bob" powerlifting event last week. Again special thanks to both World Gym Power Performance team of Ft. Meyers and Southside Barbell. Thanks to all!

Very frustrated....

2009-08-19T12:48:00.000-07:00

Family and friends,

Bob is still in the ICU. I just got through speaking with the GI doctor regarding the camera pill and another snag happened. Apparantly the camera pill cut off right after the it went through the area where Bob had previously had his intestines reattached. (10 days ago we confirmed with the 2nd camera pill that Bob was not bleeding at that site). This pill reconfirmed what we already knew but was unable to address if Bob was still bleeding a few feet below the site. Which was the whole reason we came to the Cleveland Clinic. I expressed my frustration to the doctor and re-explained the importance of something happening with regard to the GI bleed so that Bob can have his 2nd round of chemotherapy. The doctor assured me that he was going to consult with the rest of the GI doctors and that they would make a decision today whether or not they would proceed with the double balloon enteroscopy or move to operate. In the meanwhile, Bob continues to cough up blood but far less than yesterday and they are monitoring the situation closely.

Please keep Bob in your thoughts and prayers.

Love and thanks,
Michele

Bob rushed to ICU. Coughing blood.

2009-08-18T20:17:00.001-07:00

Family and friends,

Bob had a big scare today after they inserted the camera pill. His blood pressure dropped to 70/35 and his heart rate skyrocketed. They think it could have been from the propophyl. The same drug that killed Michael Jackson. Then he started coughing up blood. They had to move him to the surgical icu unit. They won't let me stay with him so I'm at the hotel. When we left his blood pressure was stable at 118/64 and heartrate at 118. He is still coughing up lots of blood and they don't know the cause. They did 2 chest xrays and will do ct scan of stomach in a few hours. I'll update in the am.

Bob needs lots of prayers tonight.

Love and thanks,
Michele

-- Post From My iPhone

Camera pill postponed until today

2009-08-18T06:42:00.000-07:00

Family and friends,

I know you must be sick of me talking about all these camera pills. But they postponed this until today. The reason according to Dave was that Bob was actually going to have to swallow 2 of them and he was going to have to sit upright in a chair for 11 hours. Bob hadn't seen the wound care specialist yet and so they decided to wait until today. Wound care finally came at 7:30 last night. They put a duoderm patch to cover Bob's wound and determined that he has a "Stage 3 wound which means it's eaten through all the skin and has exposed fat. Trust me, my heart goes out to Bob. It looks like it hurts, I can only imagine how it feels. Also yesterday they took the cathedar out of Bob which is good, and both Dave and the physical therapists had him up and walking with the walker.

They are bringing Bob down to the endoscopy area around 3pm so I'll report once we hear more. Bob's parents are also coming down because Bob has requested his mom make him some spaghetti. At least his appetite is coming back!

As always thanks for keeping Bob in your thoughts and prayers.
Love and thanks,
Michele

My birthday wish...

2009-08-17T07:14:00.001-07:00

Family and friends,

As most of you know, today is my 35th birthday. (Thanks by the way for all the phone calls and emails!!) I spent yesterday with my family which was nice, and my mom and dad as well as Bob's parents came down to the Cleveland Clinic to see Bob. I think that made him very happy. Today they are doing the camera pill and it's really amazing to see how much he improves day by day. My biggest birthday present was Dave Tate, one of Bob's closest friends from elitefts.com he came down late last night and is going to watch over the nurses while I'm at work this week. That is going to be a huge help!

Bob's big PR yesterday was that he walked the length of the room without the nurses help and only the use of a walker. His physical therapy is getting better each time he does it - and now he's got Dave to work him out as well. We're still waiting on the wound care nurse to come and look at Bob's gaping wound on his backside. They promised me this morning they'd get on it. If they don't, they'll have Dave to contend with!!

I'll update more when I find out how the results of the camera pill went as well as the slides from pathology. Then we'll know how they're going to proceed with the bleed.

Love and thanks,
Michele

3rd camera pill Monday morning

2009-08-15T11:41:00.000-07:00

Family and Friends,

After speaking with the GI doctors this morning, they determined that while they are waiting for the slides to come from Bethesda to look at the pathology, to be on the safe side they were going to repeat the camera pill. They want to make sure Bob is still bleeding enough to warrant surgery. Bob and I were both happy that they were being so proactive. Today was a much better day with the nurses too. The nurse has been giving Bob his pain medication on every even hour without having to be reminded (this is a huge plus in Bob's book), we finally got his air mattress delivered today (I had to call the nursing supervisor and it was delivered in 1o minutes) and Bob started physical therapy here. The woman kicked his butt. Today was the first day that Bob stood up and did exercises (holding on to the back of a chair). One of them was squatting. Could only squat 3 inches from knees locked (so hardly at all) but it's a start. (it was very hard for me not to start yelling "Back, back, back.. up!"- but I thought he'd get mad)

Anyhow, now we are waiting for the wound care nurse. That's the last person who hasn't come yet. I hope she comes soon.

They have decided to take Bob off all antibiotics and antifungals today.

Please keep Bob in your prayers. Thanks again for all the kind words of support.
Love and thanks,
Michele

So long for now Bethesda, hello Cleveland Clinic

2009-08-14T17:02:00.000-07:00

Family and friends,

After waiting until 11pm last night to be transferred, Bob finally made it to the Cleveland Clinic in Weston. I followed behind the ambulance in my car. The EMT actually knew one of Bob's friends Charlie so it made for a smoother ride for Bob. After getting here I was amazed at how spacious the room was (it looks like Bob's staying in a hotel room) and how welcoming the night nurse was. She offered Bob some food and jello, gave me a bed to sleep on in his room, and we were seen by 2 of the internists last night. I gave them the run down of everything Bob had and they took blood and we slept until morning. I'd give our night nurse Laura a solid B+.

Then morning came and we got a new nurse. A guy named Patrick who seemed to be in training. Patrick got a "D" for Bob's care. I didn't want to come out with guns blasing today so that I'd get a reputation of being a pain, but everytime Bob needed something I had to ask 3 times. The internal medicine team rounded this morning, and I went over all of Bob's records again. My biggest concern was that Bob is getting NONE of the medicine he was getting at Bethesda. No protonics for ulcers, no blood pressure medicine, nothing. I told just about everyone who came in the room, and 12 hours later still nothing. I told them Bob needed a special air bed for the wound on his butt that has gone down to the fat layer, and even though the night nurse ordered it last night (It's 8pm now the next day) and Bob still hasn't received it. Patrick his nurse told us that beds are outsourced by a seperate company and that it could take up to 24 hours. Speaking of wound care, I told them yesterday he needed to be seen by a wound care specialist. No one came by, and I asked 3 times, so the nurses changed it. I harrassed them as much as I could but they said he'd have to wait until tomorrow. In addition, Bob had to have a CT scan done today of his abdomen. When he got back at 1pm he was starving. They didn't get him lunch. I had to ask Patrick 3 times to order it, and it took 2 hours. Although this is a very high tech hospital with really nice rooms, I don't see the personalized care that he had at Bethesda. I am hoping that I'm wrong since today is the first day, but we'll see.

In addition and more importantly the GI doctors stopped by. Bethesda didn't send over all the records so I had to spend the morning having to get them to fax pathology GI reports over here. Trust me, if I didn't do it, it wouldn't have gotten done until next week. The GI docs didn't want to make any decisions about how to proceed with Bob until they got them. So around 3pm they came by and we discussed. Unfortunately they said the pathology report was vague so they need to request the actual slides from Bethesda. This will probably take until Monday to get back, then their pathologist has to read it, then they have to decide how to proceed, so Bob will most likely not be having surgery until the middle of next week. For the good news the GI docs were really nice from the initial visit. They had their act together, they explained why they needed the pathology to make the best decision about Bob. That being said, they understood the need to stop the bleeding as quickly as possible in order for Bob to recieve the consoldation therapy as soon as we can. Speaking of chemo, the Oncologist came by and he was very nice. One strange thing he said was that this hospital doesn't have a dedicated oncology ward.

Bob's new night nurse just came in. Let's hope she's better than the day one. Hopefully she can get Bob his new bed. Keep your fingers crossed!

Love and thanks,
Michele

Both camera pills are out and Bob is moving today to Cleveland Clinic today

2009-08-13T06:38:00.000-07:00

Family and Friends,

I'm sorry I didn't have a chance to update the blog yesterday but I had to work and make a million phone calls to help set up Bob's move to the Cleveland Clinic. Basically we are on standby until we get a phone call from the Cleveland Clinic letting us know a bed has opened in their ICU. They said once the doctor's make their rounds this am they will probably downgrade someone and Bob will be able to go. He wants me to ride in the ambulance with him, so as soon as I get the call I'm going to leave work and head over to Bethesda.

As you can see from the picture, Bob has finally passed the 2 camera pills that were hanging out in his stomach for the past week. They had given him some stool softeners and milk of magnesia and they came out. The bad thing was that stuff, compiled with the fact that Bob has just started to eat regular food, has caused Bob to go from slowly oozing blood to bleeding again. His platlets dropped last night down to 77,000. (Remember 2 weeks ago they were at 350,000).

Now for some great news. Bob was able to see his son Christopher yesterday, sit right next to him and talk. He was with Bob for about 30 minutes according to his grandmother. I went over to her house and ate dinner with Chris and asked him about seeing his dad. He said "it was good. Dad looks the same just skinnier". So it was great that he wasn't afraid, and I think that was the best motivation to get better that Bob could have gotten.

Also last night I was able to speak to the new GI doctor that will be taking care of Bob's intestinal bleeding. He called me at about 6:45 last night and we spoke for about 30 mintues. He was very open minded and honest with me about Bob's condition and we talked about options for Bob. They hope to evaluate him today and possibly do the double balloon enteroscopy tomorrow or surgery.

If you want me to be detailed, here it is: our first option is the double balloon enteroscopy. It does not require Bob to be cut open. It involves a balloon that is inflated and pushes against the wall of the intestine as it slinks itself downward. The problem is that Bob just had the first surgery only 3 weeks ago and if the balloon passes through that part where they cut and sewed there is a chance that it's not completely healed and he could rupture the area with the balloon. They usually want to wait 6-8 weeks before they would do this. The other option is to do surgery. What is sounded like is that they would open him back up, cut him where they did before, stick the camera directly into the intestine, look all the way down to the bottom this time (unlike his last surgery) fix and cut whatever they need to and then sew him back up and he'd stop bleeding for good. A little bit about Bob's new doctor: Subsequent to his current appointment, he was Regional Chief of Gastroenterology at Kaiser Permanente Ohio. After receiving his Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery in 1990, he completed his residency at Cleveland Clinic. His research and clinical interests include general gastroenterology, capsule endoscopy, double balloon enteroscopy, obscure GI bleeding, diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy and diseases of the small bowel. He is the recipient of an array of academic awards, including the Dr. Sidney Garfield Physician of Excellence Award, a teaching award presented by the internal medicine residents at Case Western Reserve University Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, and an Outstanding Senior Medical Resident Award from Cleveland Clinic. So it sounds like Bob's in good hands.

Okay back to him being transferred. The only way Bob was willing to go to the Cleveland Clinic was if he could go back to Bethesda for chemo. He wanted to be close to home and I can understand that. So yesterday Bethesda signed a letter of reciprocity (which I made sure to get a copy of) stating that Bob is going to the Cleveland Clinic to be treated for GI issues only and that once he is stable Bethesda will have 48 hours to take him back provided they have a bed for him.

That's all the news that's fit to print right now. Just waiting.

If I could say thank you to anyone today, it would be to Bob's nurse Emily. I really don't know how both myself or Bob would have pulled through without her kindness. Let me tell you I had to pull some strings to have her put on Bob's case full time, but she has made all the difference. It's amazing how going the extra mile can change someone's life for the better. Saying thank you doesn't even begin to cover it.

Please keep Bob in your prayers and thanks to everyone for their opinions they've been posting. I read them all!!

Lots of love and thanks,

Michele

Tentative move to the Cleveland Clinic

2009-08-11T15:51:00.001-07:00

Family and friends,

Today was a very busy day for Bob. As I stayed home from work sick, Bob had his final swallow test that he did pretty well on. He Is now allowed to eat solid foods and drink thick liquids. He is not allowed water or gatorade unless it has a thickening agent in it. No ice cubes either. Bob had jello and a half of a hamburger as his first meal. He was glad they took the feeding tube out of his nose.

Now to the bigger picture stuff. The director of staff who was also Bobs surgeon, his oncologist and myself had a long talk. Bob is still bleeding according to the results of the pill endoscopy, and although the oncologist says it's imperative that we move to start the next round of chemo asap, she doesn't feel comfortable doing it until he stops bleeding. The surgeon said he didn't feel comfortable operating on Bob a second time and felt that Bob might best be served going to a facility that has a double balloon enteroscopy available because it is the least invasive next step. They gave me time to sit and talk it over with Bob and then I called his sister to discuss. We felt that the best choice right now was to keep him as close to home as possible, so the Cleveland Clinic in western ft lauderdale is the choice. It's our intention to transfer him there asap to have the procedure and as soon as he's stopped bleeding have him transferred back here to finish the chemo. Tomorrow we are going to start the ball rolling so that hopefully by thursday he can be moved. I pray that this is the right choice. I feel like it is.

Bob is very scared and rightfully so. He's got another battle to fight. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

Love and thanks,
Michele
Ps. They did an xray today on bobs stomach. Both camera pills are stuck so they had to give him milk of magnesia and stool softeners in order to move them along. Hopefully he'll pass them tonight.

-- Post From My iPhone

I told them so.....

2009-08-10T11:30:00.001-07:00

Family and friends,

I'm a lot a bit angry right now, so in order to calm myself down I'm going to talk about positive things first. Yesterday they removed the dialysis tube that was in Bob's neck. Basically the surgeon just yanked it out when Bob wasn't looking. No anesthesia or anything. Bob did really well. Secondly, the physical therapist came in today and got Bob to actually stand up and he's been sitting in a chair in his room for the last 4 hours. Finally, and Bob's most favorite, was that the speech therapist came back today and retested Bob on the swallowing of the green applesauce and water and he did great. No aspiration into the lungs. Tomorrow will be the final test where they do a video swallow exam where they follow the fluids (I guess on a CT or something) to ensure that they are not going into his lungs. Bob is very happy, excited, and optimistic today. Bob is obsessing with food right now, not the bigger picture - that's my obsession.

That being said, here's the part that I'm angry about. I had to stalk the GI doctor this morning. Called his office, called his nurse, called the nurse at the hospital, had him paged overhead etc... because he was supposed to read Bob's video capsule this morning. He FINALLY called me back at 1:30 and said "I've got some bad news, the capsule showed that Bob is still actively bleeding" (which I've been saying for the past 2 weeks!) and that the area that is bleeding is lower than the place where they had previously cut. (Remember how mad I was that they didn't look at the rest of the lower 15 feet of Bob's intestine?) Well, surprise surprise, that's where the bleed is coming from. Now I after I had the doctor admit 2 weeks ago that they didn't look at that part because they were sure that the part they cut out HAD to be the only spot, then they changed their story and said they couldn't go any farther because of risk of perforating the remaining 15 feet. So, if I believe their second story that they couldn't go any farther for risk of perforation, why would we let them try it again? The camera pill showed active bleeding, but couldn't determine if it was from a blood vessel, a tumor, or a ulcer. (I'm hoping ulcer since that's what he's been having). So now we have to make a decision. Do we let the original GI doc and surgeon cut him open again, or do we have him transferred to a hospital that is equipped to do a double balloon endoscopy (which has the ability to see the whole intestine all 30 feet). Now to make things worse, I spoke to Bob's oncologist for a long time today. Although Bob is in remission, the course of chemotherapy for Leukemia is 7 days initially (which he's already had), then 3 days of lesser chemotherapy on the 30th, 60th, 90th, and 120th day to ensure that all the Leukemia cells are killed. Now we've obviously missed the 30th day schedule. But the doctor is concerned that if we don't start the 3 day therapy soon, the leukemia could come back with a vengance and it would be much harder to get rid of the 2nd time around and he'd need to start back at the beginning with the stronger 7 day treatment. So it's imperative that we get the 3 day chemo started soon. No one wants to do the chemo though because he's actively bleeding. So we've got to fix the bleeding ASAP. That's why I'm so frustrated. Lots of big decisions to make and they have to be made quickly so we can get Bob not bleeding so he can start 3 day chemo. I encourage people to put comments below with their opinions.

One step forward, two steps back.

Please keep Bob in your prayers.
Love and thanks,
Michele

Green applesauce... the best Bob's ever had

2009-08-10T07:11:00.000-07:00

Family and friends,

As we patiently await the results of the camera pill test to finally hopefully find out where Bob is mysteriously bleeding from, I thought I'd share what happened on Saturday with Bob and the speech therapist. The speech therapist on Friday gave Bob a Passy Valve which we can put over his traech that gives him the ability to speak, very hoarsely, but speak nonetheless. So Saturday she comes back and tells Bob that she's going to give him a swallow test to see if food or water will go into his stomach or aspirate into his lungs. Bob's eyes lit up like a kid at Christmas, he's been begging for any type of water or ice since he's been awake due to the soreness of his throat having the tubes in for the last 3 weeks. So much so that he's stop anybody that's walking by and ask them for a piece of ice. He'll ask every 5 minutes for 6 hours straight, and I joked with him that he reminds me of a crack head. Anyway, his prayers were answered. The speech therapist walked in with a glass of water and some applesauce, mixed it with green dye so she could see if it came out his traech, and he went to town on it smiling from ear to ear. My big concern was that Bob still has a severe lung infection and he's coughing up phlegm so forcefully out of the traech that it's shot across the room and stuck to the far wall (gross but accurate). And the pulmonologists main concern was that if he did have sugar and it got into his lungs he could restart growing the fungus that was in there before. As my role of patient advocate I felt is was my responsibility to tell the speech therapist what the pulmonologist said, and Bob said I was stealing his pleasure of eating. Be that as it may, I'd rather see him alive without a lung infection, then have instant gratification of green applesauce. So she only let Bob have 2 bites, but he said the green applesauce was the best he ever had! As she expected, he did expectorate it into his lungs and he coughed it out through the traech tube. She said he needed to practice speaking for the rest of the weekend so that his lungs and throat get stronger and that today she'd come back and test him again. Needless to say, Bob's new question became, "is the speech therapist coming back soon?" I got that question 10 times yesterday!!

Bob is alert and got to have a video conference call with Christopher yesterday. It went very well and it was fantastic to see him smiling. Just to let everyone know, yesterday I started reading every one's emails to Bob. Although I might not have time to write you all back, please know that I am reading all the emails myself and also now reading all the old ones everyone sent to Bob. Thank you again for all the kind words.

I'll write again as soon as I hear back from the GI doc on the source of Bob's bleeding (cross your fingers). If they can't pinpoint it, I'm not really sure what to do next.

Love and thanks,
Michele

Here's a photo

2009-08-08T19:36:00.001-07:00

Family and friends,

I snuck out for a few hours while Bob was sleeping today to see a movie with my mom. We saw Julie and Julia. It got me thinking that this blog I'm writing, however helpful and descriptive, is missing something. Photos. Now Bob has been very clear that he doesn't want me taking photos of him and posting them and that he's not ready for visitors yet. But to make everyone happy I'm going to compromise. I won't post any photos of Bobs face, but I think most everything else is okay. So todays photo, although gross, is a picture of his foot. He's got severe adema which I've mentioned before but it's compounded by the worst dry skin I think I've ever seen. It doesn't help that he hasn't showered in 50 days or walked around. I try to lotion them up whenever I'm there. He also seems to like it because he thinks I'm giving him a foot rub. Whatever works. Let me know if you dig the photos or if they're TMI and I'll stop posting them.

Love and thanks,
Michele
Ps. Although Bob is getting better he still continues to bleed. Hopefully Monday we'll have some darn answers.

-- Post From My iPhone

Look who's talking!

2009-08-08T10:22:00.001-07:00

Family and friends

Lots of positive thongs have been happening in the last 24 hours. The camera pill was a success however we won't have the results until Monday. Also Bob got a new valve for his traech so he's finally able to talk! He sounds very weak and hoarse but it's something! He has also started physical therapy on his arms and even sat at the edge of the bed on his own. By next week he should hopefully be eating and moved out of the ICU.

Thanks for all the prayers and support.
Love and thanks
Michele

-- Post From My iPhone

The squeaky wheel gets a 2nd camera pill...

2009-08-07T07:14:00.000-07:00

Family and Friends,

I really think I've missed my calling, I should probably be a patient advocate or hospital adminstrator or something. After hounding all the doctors yesterday about the camera pill not working and them giving me a story about the GI doc being on vacation, somehow I got a hold of him and they set up a new pill for this morning. The doc said that the pill itself was a dud so I guess the sales rep for the pill gave them a free one. So the bottom line is the second pill got inserted this morning about 8:30 and all is well. Bob spent his first night last night off the ventilator and he did fantastic. His blood pressure and heart rate are good. He's just coughing up a heck of a lot of mucus from the yeast infection in his lungs. I'm not going to lie, it's pretty gross and I feel bad for him. But I can see that he's back to his old self finally. They are giving him atavan for the anxiety and they changed his antibiotics to see if that was affecting his platlet levels. He is watching ESPN, still can't talk, but is starting on day 2 of physical therapy. He's got a long road ahead of him, but it looks like he's made it over the hump.

Keep on praying for him.
Love and thanks,
Michele

Camera pill A BUST. no video taken

2009-08-06T13:13:00.000-07:00

Family and friends,

The darn camera pill was a bust. I just got a call from the GI doc's assistant who said that no video was taken. Then I said, "okay, just give him another one" but she said the doctor was on vacation. Just Bob's luck. Now I'm trying to get someone to get him another one of these camera pills, and I want to get a CT scan or an xray or something to make sure it isn't stuck inside of him. (he hasn't passed the pill yet). So needless to say it's been a pretty messed up day. They wanted to switch him from the IV fluids to feeding him from the tube in his nose, but they can't now until they get results letting them know Bob isn't bleeding anymore.

Please keep Bob in your thoughts and I will update when I know more.
Love and thanks,
Michele

No results from camera pill as of yet

2009-08-06T08:11:00.001-07:00

Family and friends,

So sorry I didn't have a chance to write yesterday, but things were very hectic. The good news was that Bob was the first person ever in the history of Bethesda hospital to get a pill endoscopy. Everything went well, and I am awaiting the results from the GI doctor sometime this morning to find out where the heck he's still slowly oozing blood from. Bob has significantly decreased the amount of bloody stool he is producing so they are going to take the tube out today. The bad news is that he is still somehow bleeding. His blood went down to 7.9 and they are giving him 2 more pints of blood today. He is very alert and aware which is a fantastic thing, however now he has lots of questions and and is getting very anxious. He still is battling lung issues which causes him to have a lot of mucus and when he is on the ventilator it is very hard for him to cough it up. They took him off the ventilator yesterday for 6 hours and he did really well. It helped him cough up a lot of stuff, but it also made his stomach and back sore from all the coughing. This morning while I was there he panicked on the ventilator because it felt like he was choking. The infectious disease doctor says he is getting better every day and took him off a few antibiotics. He also starts physical therapy today as well. I will blog again when I find out the results from the camera pill.

Thanks for keeping Bob in your thoughts and prayers.
Love and thanks,
Michele

Tuesday Afternoon, still no blood loss!

2009-08-04T10:12:00.000-07:00

Family and friends,

It's Tuesday afternoon and knock on wood, Bob still hasn't lost any blood. I spoke with the pulminologist this morning as well as the infectious disease doctor and they both said Bob was heading in the right direction. A few minutes ago I finally tracked down Bob's GI doc and we set up the camera pill for his intestines for Wednesday morning. It should take 12 hours to get through him and then they'll have video. Even if it doesn't show active bleeding, it can at least show them possible trouble spots for the next round of consolidation chemotherapy that he'll need in a month or so (he's still in remission but they do a short round of chemo as a precaution). As soon as the camera pill is done they'll start weening him from the ventilator and hopefully he'll be breathing on his own by Sunday. He'll still have the traech in for a month or so until he's fully healed. Finally, we are hoping that Bob and his son Christopher can be reunited soon. Christopher has been anxious to see his dad and I know seeing Chris would really lift Bob's spirits. Hopefully we can get that done this weekend too.

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has been sending me emails. I promise that I have read each and every one of them and unfortunately because I'm working full time and going back and forth from the hospital 3 times a day and keeping up with the blog I just don't have the time to write everyone back. But I am reading them all and I appreciate all the kind words and prayers everyone is sending!! THANK YOU AGAIN!!
Michele

Monday Morning miracle????

2009-08-03T04:04:00.000-07:00

Family and friends,

The last time I wrote was Saturday night. At that time Bob's blood count dropped into the high 6's range, his bp was in the 190's and they were going to start giving him new drugs for clotting and blood pressure. Apparantly all the stars aligned for Bob and everything seemed to work. During the night on Saturday they gave Bob 2 units of blood and 2 units of plasma and retook his blood counts Sunday morning. His blood counts jumped from 6.8 to 8.5. Although that was a big improvement, I was cautiously optomistic. They didn't give Bob any blood during the day yesterday and his counts remained at 8.5. I was still cautiously optomistic about the clotting drug Amacar. They didn't give Bob any blood last night, and his blood counts went up on their own to 8.8, platlets rose to 92,000 and white blood in the 8's as well. In addition, Bob's blood pressure returned to the 130's as of last night and when they did a chest xray, for the very first time in the last 3 weeks it's come out normal. It looked like his pnumonia is gone as well. Everything is looking up for Bob today! When we saw him yesterday he was very alert, wanted to know what the game plan was, and did lots of excercises trying to move his hands and feet. Don't get me wrong, Bob still has severe adema in his hands and feet and his range of motion is very minimal (he can't lift his hands and feet much, still can't hold a pencil) but he's trying and making a huge effort. If he continues on this path, he should be off the breathing machine within a week! Thanks to everyone for their prayers and well wishes for Bob, they seem to be working!

Love and thanks,
Michele

Bob awake, but blood pressure too high

2009-08-01T20:10:00.001-07:00

Family and friends,

Today when I went to visit Bob he was significantly more awake and trying to mouth words to me. He is able to lift his hands if ever so briefly and wiggle his toes. I know that might not seem much, but it's a huge improvement. His mom was able to see him for the first time in a week because she's been battling a bout of bronchitis and with her previous leukemia and the fact that Bob still has c.diff infection they thought it wouldn't be safe before.

Here was the problem today. He was most likely still confused as to where he was and trying to deal with the pain of his stomach surgery, the bleeding, and the fact that he has a traech tube in his throat. He kept asking for water and powerade but the nurses feared any fluids could restart the fungus that was previously growing in his lungs, or the necrotizing pneumonia, or that he could aspirate so they only allowed him a few ice chips. He was frustrated and his blood pressure went skyrocketing. They tried to give him a labedlal drip for the blood pressure, but it didn't work too well, then they moved on to some patch that was supposed to help, but it was sporadic at best. Bob's blood pressure got to the point of 193/95 and Aunt April, Uncle Tom, and I decided it would be best to leave so he could get some rest. At that point they had to call a cardiologist because nothing was working. In addition, the weekend oncologist decided to give him a blood clotting medicine in hopes of trying to stop the bleeding, because the higher his blood pressure, the more he would bleed. The clotting medicine is called Amacar. It is used to treat excessive postoperative bleeding, however its side effects are mainly related to the gastrointestinal tract and include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Unfortunately it didn't seem to help much.

I was fortunate enough for the day nurses to let me help clean Bob after one of his bleeding episodes. Although it was hard to look at, I realized why they had to insert a tube into his colon. His backside looked like ground up meat, a combination of what looked like rotting open wounds and bed sores. It's probably the grossest thing I've ever seen and my heart broke for him. Although the nurses cover it with paste and tried to have him sit up today, I asked them if they could get a wound care person in there to treat it asap. The wound care person won't get there until Monday.

Dammit! I just got off the phone with the nurse like 2 seconds ago. Because of his high blood pressure his red blood hemoglobin plummeted to 6.8 and his white blood down to 5.9 (at least this is still in range). His platelets are low too at 91,000. The good news was the the cardiologist put him on a brevibloc drip just now and his blood pressure is in the 140's. I'm hoping this slows the bleeding during the night. They are giving him 2 more units of blood and will retest at 4am. I'll keep everyone updated. In the meanwhile please say a prayer for him. He's awake and he's fighting. He's trying to get his strength back. He mouthed that he loved me today and that made all the difference in the world to me. I have hope that he's going to pull through.

Love and thanks,
Michele

Eyes open and red tape

2009-07-31T10:29:00.001-07:00

Family and friends,

They have Bob off the Versed since yesterday (which is the medication they used to put Bob under). He has his eyes opened and making small progress like shaking his head yes and no. He can move his hands about an inch and will require extensive physical therapy. Bob's bleeding is still going on and his red count (hemoglobin) went from 9.3 to 7.9 during the night. I pushed the nurses and GI doc this morning to order the capsule endoscopy for Monday and it's been approved by the GI doc's office, Bob's insurance, but we are still waiting on approval from the hospital. His kidney function is getting better slowly by the day and he's off the dialysis. Other than that everything else is the same. I can't begin to thank everyone enough for all the kind words, emails and support.

Love and thanks,
Michele

Tracheotomy a success

2009-07-30T12:41:00.000-07:00

Family and friends,

Last night I brought a Christmas photo of Bob into his room and posted it up on the wall. When I called the night nurse this morning at 6am to find out when Bob's surgery was scheduled she said she had a surprise for me. When April and I got to the hospital we were surprised to find that she had shaved Bob's face and head for us! (He hadn't gotten a shave in 37 days and with the chemo his hair was patchy - now he looks like a skinnier version of the old Bob!) Bob had the tracheotomy surgery today at 7:30am. Although the doctor said he had to cauterize the majority of the area because Bob was bleeding more than average, overall the surgery was a success. Now they relocated the breathing tube that also sucks lung mucus, from his mouth into the traech in his throat; and they moved the stomach tube from his mouth to his nose. For the first time in 17 days he'll finally be able to close his mouth! Also they have decided since the traech is much less scary for him they are going to wake him up fully. They took him off the sedation medicine a few hours ago, and he has his eyes open now, but it may take a day or so until he fully comes around. Then the weening process can begin.

Now my mom and aunt April were there this morning when the surgery finished. We were all sitting around with Bob while he was recovering and the strangest thing happened. The GI doctor came into the room and said that he spoke with the surgeon and the other GI doctor and that if Bob continues to show signs of bleeding that they will give him a "camera pill" that he will swallow so they can find the source of the bleed non-surgically with video. (I suggested this last week, but they told me no, it can only be done as an outpatient procedure). Here' s the strange thing: The doctor told me that they were going to get the hospital to pick up the tab on the procedure... I'm not going to say no, but I also know there's no such thing as free. Maybe it's because I said I wanted to move Bob from the hospital to one that has more technology. That's what I'm hoping at least. Anyway, I'm hoping that the camera pill won't be necessary and that he stops bleeding on his own. We're going to have to wait and see. Keep your fingers crossed!

Love and thanks,
Michele

PS. I'd like to thank all the people in my office at Fannie Mae. They were nice enough to sign a card asking for a speedy recovery and send prayers and caring words for Bob among other things. It was very kind of them!!

Bob is still fighting!

2009-07-29T10:12:00.001-07:00

Family and friends,

I had the opportunity to speak with the GI doctor that did Bob's small intestine surgery on Saturday. I cornered him in the ICU and asked him to explain why he didn't go all the way to the bottom of his intestine. He gave me a song and dance and blamed the surgeon, but finally admitted that they did not look internally with the scope at 40% of Bob's small intestine and that there is a good possibility that Bob could have more ulcers there. Speaking of ulcers, I then spoke with the pulmonary doctor who proceeded to tell me that Bob has an ulcer on his trachea. She said that when Bob wakes up he may have to have this lasered in the future because it could lead to narrowing of the area. I didn't sleep that much last night and called the nurse at 2am to see how Bob was doing. She said that he needed a tube to be put into his colon to collect all the bleeding because it was so frequent. Even though he was given 4 pints of blood yesterday and 3 plasmas, his counts still went down. After hearing this news at 2am, I couldn't sleep the rest of the night. I was very angry at the GI doc for what I felt like was a half done job, and I looked online at the best GI hospitals in the country. Massachucetts General showed up ranked #4. I figured I'd get a quote to see how much it would cost to have Bob transferred there via ambulatory jet with ICU capabilities. The 2 quotes I received were $16,000 and $18,000. Needless to say I spoke with his sister and we're just going to keep him at Bethesda.

I went to the hospital this morning before work and saw Bob. He was asleep. I talked to him and tried to get some of the doctors on the phone. I insisted with the nurse that they perform a bleeding scan on him today. (they have it scheduled for 2pm) Then I spoke with the infectious disease doctor. He said Bob's C.Diff infection should last 2 weeks he's hoping. After I got to work I called to check on Bob and I was able to catch the pulmonologist again. She told me the results of the CT scan from last night came in and it showed that Bob has "necrotizing pnumonia" and that some of his lung tissue was dying. I asked her if Bob's blood counts were good enough for him to get the traecheotomy tomorrow and she said they were going to give him more blood, plasma and vitamin K and that yes she thought he could proceed tomorrow. She said surprisingly that Bob's breathing was doing pretty good and that she was going to lower the oxygen to 28%.

It amazes me that despite all the things that are being thrown at Bob that he is still kicking ass. Bob is a true fighter and is holding his own. I have to believe he's going to make it through!

Please continue to keep Bob in your thoughts and prayers.
Love and thanks,
Michele

Bob is STILL BLEEDING

2009-07-28T03:58:00.001-07:00

Family and Friends,

I am very discouraged today. Bob tested positive for a bowel infection called cdiff . "C. diff," is a bacterium that can cause symptoms ranging from diarrhea to life-threatening inflammation of the colon. Illness from C. difficile most commonly affects older adults in hospitals or in long term care facilities and typically occurs after use of antibiotic medications. In recent years, C. difficile infections have become more frequent, more severe and more difficult to treat. Because of this they had to take out the pic line in his arm, switch it to his other arm and now they have to take his blood pressure from his leg because his arms can't handle it.

To add insult to injury, I spoke with the docs yesterday regarding Bob's surgery and I found out the whole truth which made me very upset: When the GI doc and surgeon performed Bob's operation on Saturday they went down half way into Bob's intestine, found that huge ulcer and stopped. Come to find out there was still 15 feet of intestine that they didn't look at with a scope, all they did was inspect it on the outside. If Bob has ulcers in his stomach, and a huge ulcer in his intestine, I just don't understand why they didn't finish the job. When I asked them, they said it was too deep and they were worried that they might perferate the intestine. I did not however ask them why they just didn't the scope out of Bob's mouth and stick it right at the site where they were cutting and start there. They said they were confident that the spot where they cut was the culprit of all of Bob's problems.

I really hope that they are right, but I am a realist and I don't believe that is the case. It's been 2 1/2 days now since his surgery and he is bleeding both more frequently and with more volume. This concerns me. His platelets have dropped 100,000 to 220,000 and although they are giving him blood, 4 units a day with plasma the last 2 days, his red blood count has not risen. I asked the surgeon if he was concerned and he said he still believed Bob was bleeding out the remainder from his operation.

With regard to his traecheotomy, I was surprised when I spoke to the pulmonologist yesterday. I was expecting her to make me sign the waivers to immediately do the traech. She said however that Bob's blood gas was in the normal range and that he was only breathing with 20% oxygen so she wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt and wake him up and see if he could breathe on his own. She woke him up and the good news is that he's still with us. He can recognize faces and blink to communicate. However yesterday they did not believe he was strong enough to breathe on his own. The pulmo doc said that it would be the surgeon who would perform the traech operation. When I spoke to the surgeon however he wanted to do the traech on Thursday. He said he wanted Bob's bleeding issues to be handled first. I knew he was concerned about the bleeding, I guess he just didn't want to admit it. So in the meanwhile for the next two days, they are going to wake him up for an hour or so and see if possibly his breathing is getting stronger so that maybe he doesn't need the traech after all.

I'm very upset at this whole bleeding situation if you couldn't tell. But everyday I have to remind myself to be grateful for little things that Bob has accomplished. These are the things I am grateful for: that Bob can recoginze people. That shows us that after 15 days he's still there. I'm grateful that his blood gas is in the normal range, and I am grateful that Bob's kidneys are getting back to normal and that he hasn't needed dialysis in the last 3 days. I am grateful that Alywn Cosgrove called me yesterday and gave me a kick in the butt to keep me motivated, and most importantly I am grateful that no one including the doctors have given up hope. I appreciate all the kind words and support everyone is sending. To be honest, if I didn't have Bob's aunt and uncle here helping me get through this, I think I would have had a nervous breakdown by now. All the emails and words of encouragement have been wonderful as well. Thank you so much.

Bob has hit a rough patch and is still fighting like hell. Please continue to pray for him.
Love and thanks,
Michele

Monday morning - possible tracheotomy

2009-07-27T05:40:00.000-07:00

Family and Friends,

Yesterday Bob was recovering from his surgery. He was still bleeding alot but the doctors and nurses assured us that it is normal after surgery. He was also fighting a fever as well. By last night his fever had subsided and during the night he only had one episode of bleeding (which is better than 6 yesterday). The only thing is, I'm waiting to speak to Bob's pulmonologist about a possible tracheotomy. I'm not thrilled about them cutting into Bob's neck, but the respitory therapist told us yesterday that Bob's throat is irritated from the big tubes and the traech tubes are much smaller and will let him close his mouth. He's been under now for 15 days and they usually only like patients to be intebated for 14 before they either wake them up or do a traech. The nurse said that Bob should recover quicker with it. I'll speak to the doc this morning and chances are they'll do the procedure today. If Bob stops bleeding all together and stops having fevers they will consider waking him up. He opened his eyes yesterday for about 30 seconds and it breaks my heart because he looks confused and scared. I'll only to be able to exhale a sigh of relief when he's fully awake and able to breathe on his own.

Please keep Bob in your prayers.... he's almost there!
Love and thanks,
Michele

PS. I know people want to see Bob but he is still in intensive care and not concious. Both myself and the hospital are asking that only immediate family come visit him at this time until he wakes up. I know Bob wouldn't want anyone to see him like this. Thank you for your understanding.

Live Strong for Bob Youngs

Blog Update

Recent post on my one year anniversary

Is anyone out there????

Into the final weeks....

Melting Pot Fundraiser

Happy Mother's Day

Join us May 12th for our Fonduerasier at the Boca Melting Pot!

100 days of remission!

I am writing an e-book

Guest Blogger again

Happy Late April Fool's Day from Bob

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society - Woman of the Year Kickoff - Today!!

Christopher is sick, Bob goes to doctor...

We're back! Blog is up and running again!

Wed 1/13, Thurs 1/14, Fri 1/15 - By Bob

Bob's recovery - by Michele

1/6/2010 11:06:51 AM - Bob Youngs

1/4 celebration and 1/5 am stretching - by Bob

BOB'S LEUKEMIA IS IN REMISSION!!!

Update from 1/3 by Bob

Monday Dec 28, the first day of training - by Bob

The Day Before the Day Before Christmas - by Bob

Blogs by Bob and a funny photo for Christmas

"Bob Youngs and the Restless" an article by Glenn Buechlein

Pain Management Doctor's Visit

Tuesday December 15th- from Bob

The weekend and today - from Bob

More from Bob 12/9, 12/10, 12/11

From Bob 12/6, 12/7, 12/8

Today and this past weekend....

Bob's blogs from the past few days

Bob out of hospital, hopefully for good!

Happy Thanksgiving

Day 2 of last round of chemo

Day 1 of last round of Chemo

Bob is back at Elitefts.com and answering questions...

Bob has kicked the cold and is in good spirits...

Bob has a cold... and blog reflections

Veteran's Day and Bob out of hospital...

Bob still in hospital... Needs more blood still

Emergency admit to hospital...

Surgery stitches removed, throat update...

Bob out of hospital, doing well after surgery

Bob's surgery a success

Surgery scheduled for Friday...

Bob saw ENT doc, going to have surgery...

Bob back in hospital...

Bob doing well, going back in for next round on Monday...

Bob hanging in there...

Bob is home and happy

Chemo a success so far, Bob coming home tomorrow...

Day 1 of Round 3 chemotherapy finished

Bob heading back for round 3 of 5

Bob coming home today

Bob might be going home Monday!

Bob feeling better...

Infection at tracheostomy site in neck

24 hrs later, we got platlets. No blood yet

Fourteen hours later and NO BLOOD STILL

Bob back on cancer wing, will be here awhile

Bob taken to emergency room

Bob's blood dropping again

Bob's platelets dropped to 8,000 - transfusion needed

The eagle has landed.... Bob is HOME!!!!!

Bob possibly coming home MONDAY!!!

Spinal Tap today... not the movie either...

Day 1 of Chemotherapy has started

Bob to STAY in Boynton Beach...

Still waiting on transfer...

R.I.P. Renegade 1998-2009

Bob to be transferred to University of Miami cancer center

MIRACLES EXIST!! Bob still in remission!!

Tracheostomy removed, Bob needed blood again...

Bone Marrow Aspriation Completed

Sunday afternoon update

Bob going back to Bethesda hospital today...

Decision time

Very frustrated....

Bob rushed to ICU. Coughing blood.