Joe's continuing to hold steady as far as counts and whatnot are concerned. He's finished the latest round of chemo, so his counts should really start dropping anytime now. His last lumbar puncture produced clear liquid rather than cloudy, so that's a good sign.
Dad's sextuple bypass went well. The doctor says he has strong arteries and a strong heart with no enlargement, so the prognosis for a great recovery is good. He looked great after the surgery, not at all like he had been split stem to stern for the better part of the day! :)
The latest bad news has really been a serious blow to Joe. His cat Pixel is very sick. She has feline peritonitis (Google "FIP, dry form"). It's caused by a virus she could have picked up at any point in her life, and when she became stressed or sick, it developed into the FIP. She started showing signs shortly after Joe went into the hospital, so I'm guessing that was the stress that brought it on. It's not curable, and most cats who have the dry form live for about a year after they are diagnosed. (This is far better than the wet form, where the cats suffer horribly and usually only live for a month or two. Most people opt for euthanization in that case.) But, the vet gave us antibiotics, liver pills (cause her liver function is compromised), and steroids, and hopefully with those and good nutrition we can give her a good slightly longer life. I had never heard of this, and it's a disease that only affects cats, both domestic and wild. There is a new vaccine against the original virus, and I ask you to look into it if you have cats. It is contagious and can live in the environment for 3-7 weeks, so if you come into contact with Pixel, please wash your hands and arms thoroughly before contacting other cats. Fortunately, she has shown some improvement on the meds, so hopefully we can keep her alive at least until Joe's out of the hospital himself. I personally want to know if Joe was very very bad in a past life or something? Was he a evil warlord or head kitten drowner or something? Geez louise, what next?!?
Joe has stage 4 large cell lymphoma. Here's where you can keep updated on Joe's condition. We'll be updating as much as possible. Go to the very first entry if you have no idea what's going on. All supportive comments will be printed out for Joe to read, so support to your heart's content! Be sure to read the side bar if you'd like to know how you can help, or come on down to room 4210 and help through socializing!
Blood welcome!
If you'd like to help lower Joe's hospital bill, you can donate blood or platelets for him. Go to Carter Blood Care, and ask to fill out a replacement credit form. You'll need to make it out for Joseph Quinton at Denton Presbyterian Hospital. You'll also need his home address, 10608 Sunrise Circle, Argyle TX 76226. (They'll be other things on the form, but you only need to fillin those three.) You don't need to be the same type, and remember that if you donate platelets you can do it every 2 weeks rather than every 6 weeks like for whole blood. Thanks!
Donations welcome!
Joe can't work while he's in the hospital, and he's uninsured, so he welcomes any help you wish to provide. In Roanoke, drop by Chang Lee's Tae Kwon Do or The Blue Hanger Cafe (I recommend the Chicken Chipotle Salad). If you'd like to send a check, mail it to the address in the blood drive box, and if you'd like to deposit directly to our account, send an email to margie_vi@yahoo.com for info. Thanks so much!
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