Had a good meeting with the doctor this morning. She informed us that my body could not be reacting any better to the chemo than it currently is. All signs look very good, my body is reacting perfectly, and the doctor is very happy with the outcome so far so that was a great way to start the day.
I am currently on day 6 of 7 of the chemo treatment so the induction phase is winding down quickly. 7 or 8 days from the end of chemo, I will go though some more bone marrow testing to determine exactly what effect the chemo had on the cancer, which will then lead us down the road for next steps.
Today was a bit of a tough day just in the fact that I was extremely tired and had a little bit of nauseau. Not sure why at this point. Could be the fact that we have had visitors every day since we got here and today was the first day we have been completely free. Regardless, I struggled all day just to keep my eyes open, but my body needed it so I went with it and ended up sleeping most of the day and catching up on some rest. Tomorrow will be the day that tells me if it is a reaction to the chemo or if I just needed a day to recharge.
That's about all we have to report on today. Thanks for reading and please keep us in your thoughts becuase you are in ours.
Monday, June 30, 2008
What can I do to help or what does Kurt need/want?
Hi Everyone- we are getting this question a lot and we appreciate the offer! Thank you to everyone that has already sent gifts, we are using everything. In lieu of sending or bringing gifts, if you choose, you may donate to the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation in Kurt's name:
You may do so by contributing on-line or via mail. This foundation was founded in 1982 to improve the care, quality of life, and survival rate of children with malignant diseases. The website is http://www.pcrf-kids.org/. On the homepage, simply click on Make a Donation; Memorials and Tributes; Make a Tribute Donation by Mail or Online; fill out the form and click on Tribute in Honor of and put Kurt Thallmayer. A card will be sent in recognition of your donation.
*Please do not feel obligated to make a donation. This is only for those of you that feel like you want to do something but don't know what to do. Thanks again.*
You may do so by contributing on-line or via mail. This foundation was founded in 1982 to improve the care, quality of life, and survival rate of children with malignant diseases. The website is http://www.pcrf-kids.org/. On the homepage, simply click on Make a Donation; Memorials and Tributes; Make a Tribute Donation by Mail or Online; fill out the form and click on Tribute in Honor of and put Kurt Thallmayer. A card will be sent in recognition of your donation.
*Please do not feel obligated to make a donation. This is only for those of you that feel like you want to do something but don't know what to do. Thanks again.*
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Sunday, June 29th, 2008
Today was a very difficult day. As many of you are probably already aware, the German team lost to the Spanish today in the EuroCup final. I honestly can't say I'm too terribly surprised, but still sucks non the less. The Spanish ran them all over the field and the Germans had very little in return. With all that said, I am a good loser and the Spanish deserved to win. My hat goes off to them and to all of their fans.
Other than that, the day has gone very well. Had most of the family down for the game which as we all know could have gone better, but it was still nice to have the group here. I still feel strong and really don't feel like I am on my 5th day of chemo on a 7 day treatment, but I don't have a whole lot of illusions about this either. I know the hammer will fall soon enough and I'll be feeling the pains of the chemo, but until then I'll be living it up and enjoying it.
We are still waiting for some test results to come back that will tell us what potential next steps are after my induction chemotherapy, but we did get some good news about the potential bone marrow transplant today. The board which governs the process here at the hospital has voted to put me on the transplant list which means we can start to move forward with premiliminary match testing. Things still have to be sorted out on the insurance side, but once that is done, they will check my brother Steve to see if he is a bone marrow match which holds a 25% probability. If Steve does not turn out to be a match, then they will go out to a global bone marrow donor database and see if there are any potential matches out there. This is all still a long way off, but wanted to give you some insight as to some of the conversations we are starting to have as far as next steps go. Things could change on a daily basis, and as they do we will keep you informed. Once again, thanks for taking the time to read and make comments. It is our way of staying connected to you and we appreciate your thoughts.
Other than that, the day has gone very well. Had most of the family down for the game which as we all know could have gone better, but it was still nice to have the group here. I still feel strong and really don't feel like I am on my 5th day of chemo on a 7 day treatment, but I don't have a whole lot of illusions about this either. I know the hammer will fall soon enough and I'll be feeling the pains of the chemo, but until then I'll be living it up and enjoying it.
We are still waiting for some test results to come back that will tell us what potential next steps are after my induction chemotherapy, but we did get some good news about the potential bone marrow transplant today. The board which governs the process here at the hospital has voted to put me on the transplant list which means we can start to move forward with premiliminary match testing. Things still have to be sorted out on the insurance side, but once that is done, they will check my brother Steve to see if he is a bone marrow match which holds a 25% probability. If Steve does not turn out to be a match, then they will go out to a global bone marrow donor database and see if there are any potential matches out there. This is all still a long way off, but wanted to give you some insight as to some of the conversations we are starting to have as far as next steps go. Things could change on a daily basis, and as they do we will keep you informed. Once again, thanks for taking the time to read and make comments. It is our way of staying connected to you and we appreciate your thoughts.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
Today was another good day. Kurt felt well and we finally had our first night sleep without a fever. We got a visit from the doctor this morning and were told that they are waiting for approval from the board so they can start the insurance process to get Kurt's brother, Steve typed for a bone marrow match test. Keep in mind that we still don't know for sure if Kurt will need an actual bone marrow transplant, we are still waiting on testing for that. This is just to get things ready if this is the case.
It was not a big day in terms of any news but Kurt had great visits with good friends and we are still not getting to bed until after midnight! He is finding your postings extremely entertaining and uplifiting so keep em' coming... Thanks for reading and have a great night and weekend. We will update as we get more information from the doctors. Once again, thank you EVERYONE for your love and support.
It was not a big day in terms of any news but Kurt had great visits with good friends and we are still not getting to bed until after midnight! He is finding your postings extremely entertaining and uplifiting so keep em' coming... Thanks for reading and have a great night and weekend. We will update as we get more information from the doctors. Once again, thank you EVERYONE for your love and support.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Today Kurt felt very good. Probably the best day we have had since we have been here. He has had constant fevers for over week ranging from 99 to 104 and today he still is yet to have one which has made us happy. The nurses tell us that fevers here aren't always a bad thing but it is nice to have a day where he is free from the fever.
So it is the second day of chemo and things seem to be progressing very well. No issues have come to light and his body seems to be adjusting well. It is still way too early to tell what kind of effect the chemotherapy will have on him but so far so good!
The only negative that came out of today was seeing how well the Spanish played against Russia in the other EuroCup semi-final. If they play that well in the final on Sunday, Germany is going to have a hell of a fight on their hands. Not to worry though, we wil have the lederhosen clad army rooting them on once again so I have no doubt we'll take em down and win the cup!
That's it for today. A great day overall and happy to say we are two days into the treatment. We'll be at seven in no time. Thanks for reading and look for a fresh update tomorrow.
So it is the second day of chemo and things seem to be progressing very well. No issues have come to light and his body seems to be adjusting well. It is still way too early to tell what kind of effect the chemotherapy will have on him but so far so good!
The only negative that came out of today was seeing how well the Spanish played against Russia in the other EuroCup semi-final. If they play that well in the final on Sunday, Germany is going to have a hell of a fight on their hands. Not to worry though, we wil have the lederhosen clad army rooting them on once again so I have no doubt we'll take em down and win the cup!
That's it for today. A great day overall and happy to say we are two days into the treatment. We'll be at seven in no time. Thanks for reading and look for a fresh update tomorrow.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Today started off as another day of doctor and nurse meetings with the usual random tests. While we still don't know exactly what type of Leukemia Kurt has, we did find out it is called M1 AML. Our doctors are still waiting on tests that will further define exactly what type of cancer it is beyond M1 AML, but we feel great about the progress we're making to get there.
One thing we are absolutley 100% certain of, is the German National Soccer Team is far more talented and skilled than the Turkish National Soccer Team, as demonstrated by their victory today in the EuroCup Semi-finals. The nurses were a bit intimidated by the German contingent that watched from our room. The hosen was a great touch Tommy!
Late this afternoon we hit our first major treatment milestone and started chemotherapy. It is commonly referred to as "Induction" and consists of 7 days of round the clock treatment. If you'd like more information on what goes into this you can google it by putting in "7+3 chemotherapy".
So we officially kicked off the blog yesterday and we have already had a huge amount of supportive comments and postings. We'd just like you to know we read each and every one of them and are so thankful for the time you took to write each one. They have already been a huge inspiration and we look forward to reading more and more.
Thanks for reading everyone and more to come tomorrow or soon after...
One thing we are absolutley 100% certain of, is the German National Soccer Team is far more talented and skilled than the Turkish National Soccer Team, as demonstrated by their victory today in the EuroCup Semi-finals. The nurses were a bit intimidated by the German contingent that watched from our room. The hosen was a great touch Tommy!
Late this afternoon we hit our first major treatment milestone and started chemotherapy. It is commonly referred to as "Induction" and consists of 7 days of round the clock treatment. If you'd like more information on what goes into this you can google it by putting in "7+3 chemotherapy".
So we officially kicked off the blog yesterday and we have already had a huge amount of supportive comments and postings. We'd just like you to know we read each and every one of them and are so thankful for the time you took to write each one. They have already been a huge inspiration and we look forward to reading more and more.
Thanks for reading everyone and more to come tomorrow or soon after...
Monday, June 23, 2008
Hello Friends and Family
On Friday, June 20th, Kurt was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) and has been transferred to UC San Diego to begin treatment. The amount of support, prayers, thoughts, generosity, concern, etc has been incredible and we could not ask for a better group of friends and family!
With that said, it has been a bit overwhelming for both of us to repeat the same information over and over so we decided it would be best to have a central location where we can keep everyone updated on his progress. Please forward this blog address to anyone you want. Stay tuned for updates. Feel free to enter the site and use it for any questions and comments.
Love,
Evey and Kurt
With that said, it has been a bit overwhelming for both of us to repeat the same information over and over so we decided it would be best to have a central location where we can keep everyone updated on his progress. Please forward this blog address to anyone you want. Stay tuned for updates. Feel free to enter the site and use it for any questions and comments.
Love,
Evey and Kurt
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