Red Cells and White Cells and Platelets, Oh My!

You never know what is going to happen from day to day. The medical team that is taking care of me has asked me to let them know of any problems or concerns I may have. One of the persistent problems while I was at the Club was that my feet were swollen and just wouldn't get better. Now that I am home and able to move around more, that problem has mostly resolved itself. Still, my right leg, which had blood clots last fall, is slightly larger than my left.  After my blood draw on Thursday, my labs showed that my platelet count is considerably above normal. This is not unusual after chemotherapy, and I was told it might happen. So, class, from what you have already learned, what is the function of platelets? Come on, now, let's not always see the same hands. That's right, platelets are a critical piece of the blood clotting process.  Because my platelet count was so low when I was admitted to the hospital, they stopped giving me the anti-coagulant medication I had been takin...

Yesterday, I had my first blood draw since leaving the hospital. I can't say enough good things about the care I am receiving from Kaiser. I had made an appointment to have the blood drawn in the Nurse Treatment Room (NTR) at the Skyline Medical Facility in Salem. The first question I wanted to ask was, "Can you make my next appointment while I am here?"  Not only did the nurse anticipate my question, she also made appointments for all of my blood draws through the middle of September! And that was all taken care of before she ever got around to drawing my blood. I could just drop in at the lab for  blood draws, but at the NTR, they draw the blood from my PICC line, whereas the lab would do a new stick, and new sticks were problematic when I was getting started with this whole ordeal. Besides that, the PICC line needs to be cleaned and checked and have the associated dressing changed weekly. So going to the NTR has a number of advantages, and I am all set for my visits th...

I took a day off from blogging yesterday. It was just so nice to be back into some of the old routines that I know. We got up early and had coffee while checking on email. I usually do a crossword puzzle, a sudoku and a game of solitaire. Once the games and the coffee have got my brain fully functioning, I do my Bible study. I've been going through Proverbs recently. There is a lot of wisdom in Proverbs that applies to my ministry to men struggling with unwanted sexual behaviors.  Jill served me our favorite breakfast of eggs over easy on toast, and then I got myself bathed and dressed, and we went for an early walk in anticipation of 90+ degree temperatures in the afternoon.  Jill had made an appointment to take the car in for service. It seems her daily 130 mile round trip commutes to visit me at Sunnyside for a month had put 3,900 miles on the car that we are not used to. I looked at the "Next Service Due" sticker and found we were 4,000 miles overdue! Yikes! While she...

 It's good to be home, although I had become quite enured to my little domain at Club Sunnyside. Here are a few of the more trivial things I am enjoying:  A recliner that doesn't break my back.  A 65" TV, vs. a 26" TV. Do you know how hard it is to watch sports on a tiny little screen like that? After all, the 2020 Olympic games are underway here.  No waiting around for the nurse to come and give my my evening meds, before I can crawl in for the night My view out the 4th story window at the Club was spectacular, but it wasn't my backyard.  The best part of being home, though, is that it is home; it is familiar, and my true love and best friend are here 24/7. Just sitting side by side having coffee in our recliners and sharing our thoughts and a laugh or two is such a gift.  One doesn't realize how important routine is until it is gone. Well, actually I guess we really don't know how important any of God's gifts are until they are gone, but routines, on...

As I mentioned yesterday, the anticipation that I MIGHT be able to go home today was acute last night: as acute as a child's anticipation on Christmas Eve. I had a little trouble getting to sleep, but finally dozed off.  I was awakened at 4:15AM for my daily blood draw. This was the one that would tell the tale of whether I would go home today or wait another day. At 5:15AM, Kathy, the night RN, came in and said, "Guess who's going home today!" And then she said a very funny line: "I'll let you sleep now." Can you imagine your parents waking you up on Christmas morning and saying, "Santa came! I'll let you sleep some more."  I actually tried to go back to sleep...for a few minutes. Then I thought, "This is the time I usually get up at home, and I've had eight hours' sleep. Why am I still in bed?" I got up and emailed Jill with the good news. It turns out she had been up since 4:30 AM for the same reasons. We agreed that w...

I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve. Early this morning, I had my usual 3:15 AM blood draw. I was particularly interested in the results today, because yesterday's results had suggested that I am bouncing back from my chemotherapy, but they weren't conclusive. My platelets had gone up from 80 to 188; my ANC had gone from 40 to 80, and my hemoglobin fell only slightly.   This morning I learned my platelets had gone up to 285; my ANC had gone up to 320, and my hemoglobin increased spontaneously for the first time since I have been here. These are all wonderful signs, and the nursing staff apparently agree. Several of them have come by this afternoon to say good-bye, because they feel sure I will go home tomorrow. I am trying hard to be realistic about this whole thing, but still I am almost giddy, as I used to be on Christmas Eve. Even if I don't go home tomorrow, it almost certainly will happen by Tuesday. Thank you, Lord, you are so good to me.  Now, back down to earth, br...

A few observations:  GROOMING I have noticed, as the miniscule amount of hair with which I checked into Club Sunnyside, begins to jump ship, the white hairs seem to be the first to go. This is mainly true where my beard is concerned. Day by day, my beard gets a tiny bit darker, as the white hairs disappear and leave their darker pals behind. Now, I ask you, if the goal was to make my beard darker, wouldn't it have been easier to just get a bottle of "For Men Only" hair coloring?   EATING Although two nurses have told me, when they learned my age, that they thought I was in my fifties, I have taken to eating prunes to "encourage" my digestive system. I love prunes, but I have tended to avoid them, because I told myself, "It would be easy to overindulge; they're so tasty." In addition, there is that old stigma (which, by the way, I assume is what has caused the Prune Foundation of America, or whoever's in charge of such things, to rebrand them as...

 Remember yesterday's post, where I encouraged us all to celebrate milestones and victories? And remember I said part of the reason for that is because life's setbacks can throw us for a loop, so it is important to remember the progress we are making, when the setbacks come? Well, here's a setback that I didn't see coming (do we ever?). Our new floors have been installed, and Jill is ready to return home to prepare for my return next week. It appears that I didn't read the contract thoroughly (or I may have forgotten what it says); at any rate, it turns out that the flooring company agreed to remove the toilets for the installation of the floor, but they cannot reinstall the toilets, because they are not plumbers.  So, Jill needs to go home to get the house ready, but there are no functional toilets. Wish I had read the contract more closely and made arrangements for this. Do you know how few plumbers have any time available, especially on Friday afternoon? Yes, I...

In my ministry to men who struggle with unwanted sexual behavior, one of the things I have learned is that any long battle needs to be seen as a journey, and not as a destination. Another thing I have learned is that there will be times of progress as well as setbacks. It is easy to become discouraged during the setbacks, and so it becomes doubly important to celebrate the progress by noting little milestones or victories with a celebration of some kind.  And so it is with my journey of healing through this battle with leukemia. I want it to be "over," but frankly, it probably will go on and on. As it does, I have to be prepared for the setbacks, and I must take every opportunity to celebrate the milestones and victories. Already, I have been able to celebrate the end of phase one of chemotherapy, a seventy-fifth birthday (which was never guaranteed), the beginning signs of recovery, a potential of going home sooner than I expected. So many things to celebrate, even in the fa...

 Kind of a different day today. My morning blood draw happened a bit later than usual. The night nurse told me they had had a very busy night. In the midst of it all, the mandatory, every 72 hours Blood Type and Cross Match sample was not drawn. Consequently, even though the other labs showed that my hemoglobin was low, no blood could be ordered until the Type and Cross Match was done. That, of course, required more lab time, and the end result was that my transfusion didn't get started until a little after 11:00 AM, whereas it usually is underway by about 6:30 AM.  In the meantime, although Jill and I wanted to go out for a walk, we dared not, lest we be gone when the blood arrived. So, instead we chatted with each other and Dr. Krishnan, the hematologist and Kari, NP. They are still saying early next week for going home. We learned a little more about how our lives will be changed.  First, I will need to be very careful about exposure to others, so our social life will ...

Kari, the Nurse Practitioner overseeing my case and one of the hematologists just came in to give us the latest update on my progress. Although my ANC (Absolute Neutrophil Count) is down a little this morning, my platelets are roaring back. Two days ago they were at 10 for two days in a row. Yesterday they jumped to 14 and today they jumped again to 25. This is apparently the "exponential" increase that one of the nurses mentioned several days ago.  So, what does all of this mean in practical terms? If the trend continues, Kari said she is looking at discharging me late this week or more likely early next week. She wants my platelets at 100 and my ANC at 1000. She has ordered the next bone marrow biopsy, which will be done on an outpatient basis in Salem in early August. I am to expect a call soon to schedule that. After the biopsy results are in, I will return to Club Sunnyside for a week for "consolidation" chemotherapy, and then return home again.  That light at ...

Today is my 75th birthday, and although I wouldn't have planned to spend it in the oncology department, it is already a day to be celebrated.  I received a unit of red blood cells this morning, because my hemoglobin was down. That is a double gift, because blood is the gift of life, and when my hemoglobin is low and then gets a boost in RBCs, I instantly feel more invigorated.  In addition, my morning labs had some very encouraging news. My platelet counts have tended to go down on a regular basis. The last two days, the count was steady at 10, which is the threshold below which I usually get a platelet transfusion. Today the count jumped from 10 to 14 in 24 hours. One of the lead nurses told me the other day that, in her experience, when you see the platelet count going up spontaneously, it means the recovery phase has begun. Now, I ask you, could there be a better birthday present?  Another nurse brought me cookies and a third brought me Peets coffee that he keeps for m...

 After my comment that, perhaps, my beard will disappear, but hair will grow back on the top of my head, our dear son was kind enough to offer some renditions of what that might look like.  First he mentioned a curly afro:   I actually had a perm back in the seventies, when that was a thing, that looked a lot like this.  His next offering was long flowing blonde hair: I think I would have to change my name to Mr. Godiva. Then he got on a roll with the flowing blond hair thing.  First is a bit shorter than Mr. Godiva: Then, he added a few accoutrements: And finally, he turned me into a wizard: I don't hate this one. Looks kinda dignified, don't you think?      Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord ,      the fruit of the womb a reward. (Psalm 127:3)  I am blessed with three wonderful kids. Thank you, Lord.                          

 I awoke this morning with a parched mouth, a full bladder and a mild headache. It was as if I had had a couple too many at the pub. (Of course, I am speculating here, since I would never over-imbibe.) Getting into an upright position and drinking a cup of coffee has helped the headache to dissipate. As for the dry mouth, I'm told the hospital keeps the air in the oncology department very dry in order to reduce the risk of airborne infections.  Every morning around three or four o'clock, the nurse taps me for some blood in order to check on my progress with blood counts and so on. The first thing I do, when I get up, is to check the lab reports (yes, I am a nerd) to see if I can see any progress and whether I am likely to tethered to Olive Oyl for those life-giving blood products I mentioned in yesterday's post.  This morning, my hemoglobin count was at 7, unchanged from yesterday. My platelet count was at 10, unchanged from yesterday, and my ANC (absolute neutrophil coun...

These are random things that have been rattling around in my head, and trust me, there is not much in there to keep things from rattling:   There was an old man from Dallas Who never bore no-one no malice. He got a blood cancer With chemo the answer, And then he went back to his palace. A remarkable woman named Jill, Whose husband was suddenly ill, Would drive twice a day An hour plus each way Through traffic that came to a standstill.   So many of you have offered to "do anything" for me and  Jill that there just are not enough things to go around. Thank you so much to those to whom we have actually been able to give tasks to complete. You are appreciated more than you know.  Jill's brother Bob wrote me and said he had no idea cancer patients need so many blood platelets. He did a little research and learned that platelets have a shelf life of about a week. So, he made an appointment to donate his platelets. The man is brilliant. I don't k...

 If you read my last post, you will know that I was musing about the things I have learned about God and myself as I have walked with Him over the past couple of decades.  I ended by declaring that the message of the Bible from which we can find some direction in life is essentially this: Love God, and love your neighbor. I would like today to address my experience with these commandments.  Loving God actually encompasses the second part of the directive. If you have children, you know full well that if someone mistreats your children, it's unlikely that you will feel that person bears any love for you. As the lyrics of a song recorded by two blues musicians named Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee say, "To love all of God is to love humanity." In fact, the Bible tells us that, when we surrender our will to God, He takes up residence in our very being, and we become His temple, His dwelling place. How can we love God and not love the people in whom He resides? But what exactl...

 Today has been another miracle day. I continue to feel good, even as my blood counts go down and my native immunity nears zero. Jill and I had a lovely walk and shared lunch in my room. I took a nap, too, and I don't quite know whether I felt recharged because I slept or because my blood sugar was up after lunch. I don't have to know. It's all a gift to me from God and the miracle body He gave me.  In "stir," as I call it, one has time and motivation to muse about many things, and so have I. As I have walked daily with the Creator for over twenty years, His words as found in the Bible have gradually taken on new meanings for me and made me a wiser, better person.  My upbringing was in a home that valued good behavior and being kind. Such behavior was not, in my mind, founded on anything other than my parents' authority. I knew better than to misbehave, because there would be a price to pay, and it would reflect badly on the family.  It was an effective system...

The last few days here at Club Sunnyside have been like a mini-family reunion, only better. When Jill and I married, Patrick was a senior in high school. Jill and I decided that, rather than uproot him in his senior year by purchasing a different home that was, say halfway between her job in Tualatin and mine in Gresham, we would move Jill into my home at least until Patrick graduated. It seemed like a perfect plan, on paper. From the time Patrick's mother and I parted ways, he spent alternate weeks at her home and at mine. Consequently, when he was with me, we focused completely on each other.  Patrick and I were very close during those years, and I was not savvy enough to see the implications for that relationship of adding a third party to the mix. I was in love with Patrick and with Jill, but that didn't mean they were in love with each other. That first year was difficult for all three of us. Ultimately, Patrick decided to stay at his mom's house full time.  I'm af...

 Part of this journey I am on is about having the chemotherapy kill off my bone marrow, the source of blood cells, because the marrow is diseased and not doing its job correctly, Once the old, faulty marrow is gone, the body, miracle machine that God made it to be, will grow new marrow, and the idea is the new marrow will be like the kind the Lord put in there in the first place. It's kind of like rebooting the body's blood factory. Of course, this kind of treatment couldn't be done, if the chemotherapy killed off the bone marrow and nothing else were done. Transfusions of the necessary blood elements to sustain life, during the time when there is no functional marrow, is critical to allowing my body to continue to provide oxygen to my tissues, provide protection from the environment and keep my blood from all leaking out. I marvel daily at how incredible my body is (no, I don't mean I'm an Adonis) as it continues to do what it needs to do, in spite of the assault o...

I didn't write a post yesterday, and now I am hearing that people are worried. Well, set your minds at ease. I was busy catching up on life with our son, Patrick. He is visiting from Eugene for a few days, which is not only a blessing to me, but it afforded Jill an opportunity to take a break and do some home tending.  Our dear friend, Miss Dee Dee and her husband Bob came to the house on Saturday and cleaned it up, and beautifully, I'm told. So, Jill didn't have to clean house, but the flooring we ordered back in May is arriving for installation a week from today. Jill needed to get some of the small things put away that the flooring people don't want to deal with. She was able to take care of that, and I arranged by remote control (read "text messages") to have a couple of neighbors come in and deal with moving the grandfather clock and the electric fireplace/TV enclosure. We have such wonderful friends and neighbors! After her packing exploits, Jill set the...

  A craggy old geezer (whose nickname was Peezer) complained of his head feeling light. He called on a doctor his symptoms to proctor and look for the cause of his plight. Now the docs were all canny and searched nook and cranny to see what the trouble could be. A scan of his brain showed he wasn’t insane, and a heart check left them little to see. But the trouble got worse, so you’ll learn in this verse, he called on a doctor Chris Schmitt. And within two days, to ease the malaise, for he wasn’t one who would just sit, The good doctor Chris said, “I’m gonna do this: have you come in and see my PA. He’ll look at your lab stuff, ‘cause he don’t take no guff, and call by the end of the day.” Mr. Atkin was thorough (like Edward R. Murrow) and went to his work with much zeal. He ordered some studies to be done by his buddies and see what they all might reveal. It was late afternoon-ish on a day in late June-ish when Atkin called in with the ne...

Today has been very pleasant. Jill by my side; no Olive Oyl; feeling mostly pretty good. I ate a big breakfast by my standards and had more than my usual energy, which is not saying much! We went for a walk to the Zen garden in the morning. It is very peaceful and comforting. We found a place in the filtered morning sun on a bench under a small tree and just sat and chatted.  Here's a picture of the waterfall/stream. As usual the photo doesn't do the real thing justice. Some of the denizens of the water garden include a rubber ducky mariachi band.  And no Zen water garden would be complete without 1) a green unicorn/lamb, 2) a Ducktopus, and 3) a rubber ducky, unadorned.              When we returned, it was lunch time. We ate in the room and then I needed a nap. At least I think  I needed a nap, since I slept for about three hours. That gave Jill some quiet time to spend on her Bible study.  When I awoke I was feeling quite refresh...

 It's a new day. The sky is clear. My labs look good. Jill is on her way. I slept well and had a good breakfast. Life is good this morning. Perfect? No, but good, nonetheless.  My hemoglobin and platelet counts remained high enough that I will not need transfusions today. My ANC, which needs to be above 500, is at 640. One of the nurses said these are all good signs that healing may have begun. My intestines continue to be in turmoil, which is par for the course, but other than that, I am feeling quite chipper this morning.  "This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!" (Psalm 118:24)

 The day was mainly good. My intestines are in a tizzy, but nothing that I can't deal with, given enough nurses and drugs!! Most of the morning was taken up with transfusions of platelets and RBCs. When that was complete, we had lunch and then went for a walk outside. The weather was perfect, and the sun felt good on my shoulders. My room is actually pretty cold all the time, so I am always covered up with my afghan. I am sure I look like a perfect doddering old geezer. So, the sun was a real blessing.  There is a nice zen garden in the courtyard of the hospital. It is beautifully planted, and there is a water feature that is essentially a small waterfall that chuckles into a stream. There are plants here and there among the rocks and people have brought little "friends" to reside in this area: a rubber ducky and some other small rubber creatures that look like something a child would enjoy in the bath,  We hung out in the garden for perhaps 20 minutes. Jill took a selfie...

My first night in a week not connected to Olive Oyl was wonderful. I slept like a rock. (That's just a saying. I'm not sure rocks sleep.) Anyway, I am well rested. Olive and I are actually having a reunion at the moment, while she feeds me some platelets and RBCs. I told Patrick about this new connection. His comment? "Oh, one of THOSE relationships, huh!" Yes, I am so fickle. I just use her when I need something and then cast her aside.  My ANC (absolute neutrophil count - a measure of my immune status) is down this morning, which is not unexpected. It is a result of the chemotherapy doing its work. As a result, they started me on the "anti"-meds: anti-biotic, anti-fungal, anti-viral to protect me while my immune system rebuilds itself. Not a big deal, but I have lost track of how many pills I take daily now.  I'm actually feeling pretty good today. The meds are messing with my intestines a bit; again not unexpected. But generally I feel OK. Energy is d...

 I was disconnected from my friend here around 2:40PM. No more dragging her to the bathroom. No more pushing  her around the oncology department floor. No more sleeping all night in one position to avoid pulling on the IV tubing. It truly is a blessing.     Bye, bye, Olive Oyl! (My compliments to son Patrick for sharing this GIF!)  I am now able to wear real clothes, instead of a hospital gown (allowing access to my PICC line) and PJ bottoms. I am encouraged to take walks outside, as long as I have a chaperone. Let's see, whom shall I pick. How about my own true love, Jill! That's the ticket.  Of course, there probably will come a time when I need transfusions, and (God forbid) an infection could require IV anti-biotics. So I am not going to say anything derogatory about the old girl. But for now I am rejoicing in some new found freedom. It's amazing how little it takes to brighten one's day, depending on the circumstances.