Twins :)

Ultrasound of my heart from yesterday.

Day 50

As I’ve been learning through most of this illness, whatever complication can be simply described is usually not quite as simple as it would seem. Same thing for side-effects. Come to think of it, describing these outcomes in only the most simplest of ways is common-place and probably easiest to do because the manifestations of [...]

Transplant day 0: Receiving cells

It was an anxiety-ridden day, but all went well. Around 1pm all sorts of people were in the room – the defroster, the nurse practitioner administering the cells, my oncologist’s assistant, two nurses, my mom, my brother, his wife and tons of prayers and spirits of good will — in a tiny tiny room. (Oh [...]

Transplant days -3, -2: Total Body Irradiation (TBI)

I think my anxiety leading up to this procedure was probably disproportionate to what the actual experience was. Fear of the unknown. It was fairly simple: put me  on a table, close the door and a low-level buzz for about12 minutes. Then they came in, literally flipped me over and 12 minutes later I was [...]

Transplant day -4: Chemotherapy again

They are pumping me full of saline solution – liters and liters of the stuff – to keep my bladder irrigated which is the standard procedure to avoid infection. The corollary effect, however, is a lot of … uh … discharge. The Chemo is starting to make me queasy but it’s being managed. My appetite [...]

Transplant, day -5: Chemotherapy

It was a fairly uneventful day after getting a foley line installed. I received my chemo today along with anti-nauseau drugs, some magnesium and a bunch of vitamin E. I had a diuretic to help get some of the fluid out of my bladder which is being flushed and that’s worked well. I’m tired earlier [...]

Back in hospital now

Was admitted this afternoon after some initial administrative issues. Had the procedure to install my hickman lines and am resting comfortably before moving me to my bed up on Rhoads 7. More to come.

Friends helping friends

Michael’s running bib, originally uploaded by sdpalmer.

My good friend, Michael, recently ran the Race for the Cure in memory of his mother, and in celebration of me – both noted on his running bib. Click the picture to see a larger version. (Also, check out Michael’s team mates!)

Also, please remember to support us for the [...]

LIGHT THE NIGHT WALK – NYC & PHILLA

Please come walk with us in NYC and in Philadelphia as we raise awareness and money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Mom is team captain in both cities and you can sign up to walk and pledge money at lightthenight.org.
To join our team, go to http://www.lightthenight.org. From the top navigation, click on Register. On the [...]

Treatment update

We are now in day 5 of treatment. 6 bags of high doses of Ara-C. At first, it wasn’t so bad, it seemed pretty normal. Then Saturday afternoon it just hit me hard: fatigue. Been sleeping a lot. Also been depressed about the lack of internet and phone connectivity in my room, but thankfully the [...]

The Only Thing Worse Than School Administration is Hospital Administration – or – The Drama of the Return … an epic tale in 11 1/2 parts

( For those who know, this is where we insert the < drama > slide into the presentation … )
Part The First: Remember last week when I needed to do a bone marrow biopsy in order to determine how much leukemia was left in my bones? We needed to do this in order to determine [...]

50% solution

Visiting the oncologist today was unlike any other visit: it was actually not just busy, but crowded! And it seemed like quite a social gathering. After a couple of false starts to get my bloods drawn and get in to the the doctor (with my chart missing, nonetheless), we finally heard that the bone marrow [...]

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 [...]

Kisses for Daddy – Another joyous Voodoo visit

Kisses for Daddy – the best version
Originally uploaded by sdpalmer.

Lenna and Brian came to visit on Saturday with Voodoo. This time, there was no mistaking the daddy! Lots of kisses. I took Voodoo for a walk just the two of the us up the Skuykill River and we were both panting from the heat. A [...]

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 [...]

Memorial Day weekend

It was a great weekend. I finally got away from Philadelphia for a little while and went down to the shore to visit friends. Angela, Paul, Marnie, their family and friends went out of their way to make me comfortable and it was so good to be out and about. The ride there and back [...]

Sportin’ a baldy

Sportin’ a baldy today

Originally uploaded by sdpalmer.

My hair was growing in too unevenly so I had it cut today … all the way back. Looks great. Feels cold!
I had it done mid-morning today and was a little self-conscious afterwards at work, so I still wore my surgical scrub hat, but I’m getting more [...]

Lastest health update

Generally, I’m still feeling fine. My blood numbers, however, have drifted a little lower. There’s no cause for concern just yet. If the platelets continue to drift even lower and I require a transfusion of platelets, that will land me back in the hospital. But that was always a known. Leukemia blasts have been showing [...]

Guess who came to visit last night?

Deb! I completely forgot that Deb was going to be in town. She snapped this picture of mom and me last night. (Mind you – this is one of the few pix I will post with fuzzy head.)

Sticky situation

Wow – it’s been a while since I posted a health update. Everything’s still fine: my blood numbers are still in the same general area and I’ve had no problems or complications so I’m still out of the hospital. I’ve been getting stronger every day and have started working a lot more over the past [...]