Red Cells and White Cells and Platelets, Oh My!

 Well, the Cytarabine has been dripping into my veins for a couple of hours now, I was mistaken about the second medicine, which is Idarubicin (I'll bet you could stump some folks at a spelling bee with those names). The Idarubicin is actually delivered by IV push, but at a rather slow rate. My first dose of that one was the first to go in. Then they started the Cytarabine via IV drip.  The whole process is metered by a special pump on the IV stand. I will be connected to this lash-up for seven days, it's like getting a new friend that you're not so sure you like, but you have to hang out together for a week.  Ah, here's my skinny friend now. I call her Olive Oyl. We go everywhere together. She's a bit of a bother, but they tell me she is going to be a life saver in the end.  The chemo experience so far seems like just an inconvenience. They tell me that I am just embarking on a roller coaster ride of messed up bowel habits, periodic fevers, nausea...you know, all t

Just had a consult with the hematologist. He explained the diagnosis: Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Which risk category we are in is yet to be determined, but he says we mustn't wait any longer to start chemo.  So, this afternoon, they will start me on a 7 and 3 chemotherapy regimen. The seven refers to one medication that I will take by IV drip continuously for seven days. Along the way, they will add a second medication that I will receive via IV drip on three of those seven days. Then the medication ends.  After that, my bone marrow will gradually be destroyed and resorbed. At that point somewhere round about 14 days into the process, I will have no bone marrow and no immunity. Consequently, I will be on anti-biotics, anti-fungal and anti-viral medications. At about 14 days, my body will begin to make new bone marrow. The hope is that it will not have lost its mind, the way my sick bone marrow has.  When my blood counts are back to normal, I can go home. Kari, the Nurse Practitioner w

 I had another night of restful sleep. We are still waiting to find out when chemo will begin. In the meantime, here's a little glimpse of my current domain.  Up to now, I have mainly been poked and prodded and had my bodily fluids removed. I don't feel all that bad, but the lab work takes time. I keep getting hints that today may be the day chemo begins, but there is nothing definite yet. Hematology rounds are at 10AM. Maybe I will learn more then.  I have mixed emotions about the treatment, because I understand the medicine makes the body feel sick. I can  look forward to fevers, nausea and general malaise. On the other hand, that is the "wall of pain,"  as Jill likes to call such things, that I have to get through to get to the other side. Because my general health is excellent, the hematologist has been encouraging about the outcome to come.  So, BRING IT! I'm as ready as I'll ever be.

 Dr. Mansoor, hematologist, came in this morning to give us the latest update. He said that the lab work from the bone marrow biopsy has progressed enough that he is convinced that what I have is Acute Myeloid Leukemia (ALM). Within ALM, he said there are a number of sub-types, ranging from Standard to Aggressive. What we are waiting on currently is to know where on that spectrum my particular brand of ALM resides. Apparently, if I understood correctly, that standing is dependent upon which chromosomes are affected by the mutations that are causing my cells to go crazy. Finally, knowing which chromosome(s) are affected dictates which chemotherapeutic agents will be effective.  He expects to have enough information by late tomorrow to make that determination; and then it's off to the races. The good news, according to Dr. Mansoor, is that other than my ALM, I am very healthy, and he can "throw everything he's got at me." Now to be fair, he also mentioned other treatmen

 I had another very restful night. I didn't even scare the night nurse when he came in to do my morning assessment and draw blood. A couple of comments here: 1) I think night nurses get bored, so they make their morning rounds just a little earlier each day to see if we patients will notice. When I checked in the morning rounds happened about 5 AM. Today it was 3:15! 2) I love my PICC line. Instead of being awakened at 3:15 so someone can poke and poke looking to see if I have any veins left that haven't collapsed, this morning Jason calmly inserted something in my PIIC line, and voilá blood. He took five vials in less time than it usually takes for a phlebotomist to apply a tourniquet. This thing is the dream of every vampire and mosquito out there. It's less painful for me, too.  After Jason's visit, I crawled back into bed and slept another three hours. Amazing!  Jill is gradually bringing me things from home to make life seem less temporary here. I have been living

 Ordinarily on June 28th, I would be celebrating my sister-in-law's birthday or getting packed for a 4th of July outing. Today, on the other hand, my full rich day included  Echo cardiogram - to see if my heart is operating properly before starting chemotherapy.  Picc line - for access to my blood vessels for infusion of medications and withdrawal of blood (Yay! No more poking around looking for veins.) Bone Marrow Biopsy - to find out which of my bone marrow cells are out of whack. That will dictate which kind of chemotherapy I will get. So, it feels like progress to me to have these necessary preliminaries out of the way, and I am celebrating! (Sorry, Bev) The other part of my Full Rich Day was a visit from our pastor, who is also a dear friend. Jill and I helped to get him up to speed on what has happened so far. He helped to calm our nerves with some reminders from Scripture of the goodness of God. Then he prayed for us.  We have another dear friend, Bob, who wanted to come for

 Although it's been less than 72 hours since my world was turned upside down by learning that I have what is very likely Acute Myelocytic Leukemia, my feeling is let's get on with it already! Today, I had a visit from the hematologist, Dr. Mansoor, and Carie, a nurse practitioner, to update me.  I will receive a bone marrow biopsy today, which will pin down the diagnosis to the exact species and subspecies of bone marrow disease I have. That will allow the actual treatment phase to begin. As a retired dentist who spent his last 14 years doing urgent dental care, I became a pretty adept diagnostician. I know that a good treatment outcome depends on a good diagnosis. And yet, when it is my body that is ravaged with disease, I want to get on to the treatment and getting well part of the process. I am generally a patient person, but as of now, I am struggling in that department.  Here are some things that I have learned so far. I have slept extremely well the last two nights...deep

  For several months, I have been struggling with health issues. It all seemed to begin last August, when out of the blue I came down with a case of sciatica. It was the worst case I have ever had. There was fire in my leg and no amount of stretching or exercise would help. After a few days and a few visits to urgent care, I noticed that my right foot (same side as the sciatica) was swollen.  This time I went to the ER, where I was diagnosed with Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), which essentially means I had a blood clot in my right lower leg. I was given a prescription for anticoagulants to prevent further clots, and sent on my way.  Eventually, I was able to get relief from the pain in my leg by visiting, perhaps, the world's best chiropractor. He diagnosed the cause of the sciatica as a spasm in a little tiny muscle in my hip called the pyriformis muscle. Two quick treatments with TENS and ultrasound, and the pain began to resolve.  Fast forward a few months: I began t