March 9 - Monday
I am going to try and explain the whole process for you. Then I'll keep track day by day. My blood marrow was producing 5 times normal -56,000- white blood cells 10'days ago. And they were not the Jedi Knight fighters that help us fight disease. Thus leukemia. So the plan is to kill those guys and most of my bodies other abilities to defend itself in the process. Then, we wait and see if my body can produce the right kind of white blood cells.
My oncologists here work with... Rush University Medical School and Hospital in downtown Chicago. Dawn and I met with them last Wednesday and they designed the protocol that is being used.
I am going to try and explain the whole process for you. Then I'll keep track day by day. My blood marrow was producing 5 times normal -56,000- white blood cells 10'days ago. And they were not the Jedi Knight fighters that help us fight disease. Thus leukemia. So the plan is to kill those guys and most of my bodies other abilities to defend itself in the process. Then, we wait and see if my body can produce the right kind of white blood cells.
My oncologists here work with... Rush University Medical School and Hospital in downtown Chicago. Dawn and I met with them last Wednesday and they designed the protocol that is being used.
There are 4 drugs in the protocol which is called induction therapy. I have a pick line with continuous fluids and the 4 drug bags are added. #1 is a nausea control --- 1/2 hour. #2 is a steroid----20 minutes or so. #3 is Cytarabine which is a leukemia drug and runs about 3 hours. #4 is Mitoxantrone ---also a leukemia drug which takes about an hour and is blue.
This round of drugs are given about 12 hours apart and then stopped for 5 days and then repeated.
At about 15 days, they do another bone marrow biopsy --- yeah, they drill a little hole in your hip and take a sample. Sounds weird but it's not too bad. We want to see zero WBC's platelets etc. then 15 days waiting. Yes, I can have fevers, sores, infections, multiple blood transfusions during this time....in fact, any time from now on.
After that, several other things are possible: more chemo or a transplant.
Chromosome test came back normal. Added a diuretic so peeing like crazy for a bit. And added an antiviral drug.
This round of drugs are given about 12 hours apart and then stopped for 5 days and then repeated.
At about 15 days, they do another bone marrow biopsy --- yeah, they drill a little hole in your hip and take a sample. Sounds weird but it's not too bad. We want to see zero WBC's platelets etc. then 15 days waiting. Yes, I can have fevers, sores, infections, multiple blood transfusions during this time....in fact, any time from now on.After that, several other things are possible: more chemo or a transplant.
Chromosome test came back normal. Added a diuretic so peeing like crazy for a bit. And added an antiviral drug.
Just so you know I'm still kick in' outside my room.
See the flower sticker? Most of the nurses did not exactly know what these stickers were or meant. All kinds of ideas. A couple people thought they were 10' a part and were related to distance. So I made it my mission to figure it out. Turns out that they are 10' apart and there are 70 of them around the full circle of the 5th floor. A couple are missing but I figured that. So after calculations: one "lap" equals 13/100 of... a mile. Do 2 laps and its a quarter mile and 7.5 laps and I've done a mile. Yeah!! My goal is a mile or two a day....as long as I am still able. I even met another patient walking this morning who was excited to tell me that the nurses gave him a paper that told him about what the stickers meant and what the distances are. "Oh yeah, that was me,". So guess I helped out. The nurses have it posted at their stations now.
See the flower sticker? Most of the nurses did not exactly know what these stickers were or meant. All kinds of ideas. A couple people thought they were 10' a part and were related to distance. So I made it my mission to figure it out. Turns out that they are 10' apart and there are 70 of them around the full circle of the 5th floor. A couple are missing but I figured that. So after calculations: one "lap" equals 13/100 of... a mile. Do 2 laps and its a quarter mile and 7.5 laps and I've done a mile. Yeah!! My goal is a mile or two a day....as long as I am still able. I even met another patient walking this morning who was excited to tell me that the nurses gave him a paper that told him about what the stickers meant and what the distances are. "Oh yeah, that was me,". So guess I helped out. The nurses have it posted at their stations now.
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