Bone Marrow Biopsy no. 4

Friday I had my fourth bone marrow biopsy. We were testing to find out how much leukemia is still in my bones. Above a certain threshhold, and I’ll need to go back for another round of chemo before the transplant. This will improve my chances with the transplant. Of course, such a circumstance may also [...]

Healthier today …

than I was when I was admitted in to the hospital. Take a at my blook numbers from the day I went to emergency room on February 9th, with those from this past Thursday.

Date
Day
WBC
ANC
Hgb
PLT
Transfusions

10 Feb
Day -3
4.9
147
10.8
25
–

31 May
Today
1.1
264
11.2
68
 

Admittedly, I had a few more white blood cells back then, but remember that nearly every blood cell was [...]

So where did it go?

What? Where did what go? So on Wednesday and on Thursday they drew my bloods, as usual, to do the regular analysis and guess what? While my white blood count, ANC’s hemoglobin and platelets are all floating around the same numbers (I’ll update the blood chart here tonight), the lab reported no Leukemia blasts in [...]

Still “free”

At least in the outside world!
Saw the oncologist yesterday. I’m doing OK but the Leukemia has started to reappear in my blood – the 3% of anomalous cells the machine caught on Monday were, in fact, Leukemia blasts. However, I’m still well enough to be out of the hospital and we’re going to [...]

Going to the oncologist

This is a visit I generally dread. Not that I don’t like my oncologist – I definitely do. But I always feel like I have to wade through a bunch of other sickly people and the smell just reminds me that I too am very very ill. Which I’m starting to resent more and more.
So [...]

Who shall live and who shall die?

Ever since this whole episode of my life started, my mind has zoomed in the Yom Kippur prayer that asks, in the new year, “Who shall live, and who shall die”, and then goes on to list all the various ways a person may die. The prayer concludes each section that prayer, attrition, and acts [...]

There’s going to be a round 2 of chemo

So my first round of chemo didn’t get the results we were hoping for and I need to have a second round of chemo to try to bring my counts down even lower. Until we get the results of this second round of chemo, we won’t know if I’ll need a bone marrow transplant, and [...]

Day 4 – early evening

So during the day, I spoke with my oncologist. I have Acute Myelogenous Leukemia. I can’t explain how this is different from the other type. We also discussed treatment. The preferred approach today is to give antitumor anitiotics with antimetabolites (chemical similar to the building blocks of DNA but are changed sufficiently from the natural [...]

The emotional (and divine) side of what’s happening

Posts to-date have all been factual, and that’s what I really wanted this blog to be for my family and friends – I wanted to keep them all in the loop, and maybe a little distant from the emotions that swirl around this, because they’re everywhere and they are so intense they are difficult to [...]

How to tell family and friends?

There are still a number of family and friends who don’t yet know.
 On the family side, my father’s side is fully up to speed. On my mother’s side, her maternal side only one cousin knows right now. I don’t know if he’s said anything – I wouldn’t mind if he did, because it really shouldn’t [...]

Early evening update

The HEMONC resident stopped by this evening to let us know that he thinks it’s looking like AML (Acute Myelogenous Leukemia). I can’t for the life of me explain how it differs from the other one, but my impression is that with AML, the treatment options and prognoses are good, although there is still some [...]

Day 3 – early supper time

It’s just about 5pm on East Coast when I started writing this post. After writing the last posting, I was whisked away for a dental exam. Now for those of you who don’t know me – or know me very well – the dentist scares the living daylights out of me. Long story — for [...]

Day 3, first posting

Doctor Kevin just came in to see me this morning. I’m going to get a dental x-ray today to get a better look at the area that’s affecting my cheek. I’m also supposed to be getting the bone marrow test, but he needed to consult the HEMONC (hemotologist oncologist) specialists. (I actually like that acronym, [...]

How I found out

Ever since I moved to Philadelphia in December of 2006, I’ve felt like I’ve been struggling with the flu. Everyone’s been sick at work and I was certain that I caught something from them.
I went to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania a few weeks ago when I got sick because at one point [...]