Hello!
This is Mandy giving you all a long overdue update!  I am sorry that this got put on the back burner for so long.  Before I jump in the the update on my mom, I wanted to let you all know that my dad finally had his hip replaced, has recovered and is now walking like a normal human! We were all so proud of him for getting this done and working hard at recovering!  The reason that he finally did it was because mom was doing well enough that he felt comfortable with being laid up for a short time! THIS WAS HUGE!!!

Since December when I last posted, mom has had some bumps in her road, but all in all, is doing well.   She had a fall that resulted in a bruised up and sore leg, a low potassium which needed to be corrected with IV potassium, a low hemoglobin which was improved with a blood transfusion, and her continued chemo treatments and lab work to monitor her response.  She has been able to continue with her chemo in Eau Claire instead of going to Rochester for them.  Luckily, it works with Heidi's work schedule and she has been able to take her to the majority of her appointments. 

The treatments have been working!  She has been able to decrease frequencies of the infusions from weekly to bi-weekly and even to just monthly for one of the two!  Mom just had her quarterly check up with her hematologist in Rochester, over the phone only due to COVID-19 and I was able to listen in as well (isn't technology great!). It brought me great joy to hear her doctor tell her how well her labs looked!  Her heart and kidneys are functioning well and seem to be recovering nicely from all that they have been through.  The main lab tests used to monitor the amyloidosis and the effectiveness of the treatments are better than any time this doctor has seen while caring for our mom!  Although we were only on the phone, I could just tell that my mom was smiling!  After all that she has been through, to hear that things are finally paying off and are working...well, let's just say God is good!

Although things are looking good, she needs to continue with her current treatments for what sounds like for a year or two still. Which means every other week, she will continue to go to Eau Claire for chemo and have a day or two of feeling crappy.  In addition to this, she will have an appointment next month to evaluate the neuropathy and weakness in her left foot.  

We are all so very happy to have our mom/wife/mother-in-law/Grandma here and doing so well!  We had hoped to celebrate her birthday in March this year since we couldn't last year, but due to the global pandemic, we were not able to do so.  Instead we visited at a safe distance and made the best of it.  It has been really hard on us all to not be able to visit and celebrate birthdays and Easter, but it is a sacrifice that is necessary.  The doctors have really made it very clear that she needs to be extremely careful right now.  Being immunocomprised and the pandemic of COVID-19 is scary!  We have almost lost her too many times in the past year and a half, she certainly does not need this nasty virus!  

Please know that we all appreciate your positive thoughts and prayers!  Cris is blessed to have so many people in her life that care so much about her!  Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for your past and continued support!  I hope that you all are making the best of the current situation and are staying safe and healthy! 

With hugs and love,
Mandy