The results are in. My bone marrow shows 100% XY cells which means they are not mine. I should soon know whether I still have mixed chimerism (meaning cells from both donors) or whether one of them has muscled out the other. This is excellent news by the way, because my blood and bone marrow (XX), with its potentially leukemic properties, has been effectively banished.
Maybe this explains why I can suddenly do push-ups. In the past, I was only able to do one or two "real" push-ups, the manly kind where you don't bend your knees. My daily calisthenic routine has always included 20 bent-knee push-ups. Having read an article recently about push-ups being a measure of overall body strength, which unfortunately decreases as we age, I decided to see how many straight-leg push-ups I could do. Last night, I did 6. This almost killed me. My goal is to work up to 10. This boy blood's the best.
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Adirondack Mountains, Feb. 2007
Tale of a Cord Blood Transplantee Who Relapses and Goes on to Have a Matched Unrelated-Donor Transplant
The Weight
Adirondack Mountains, Feb. 2007
ABOUT ME
In March 2006, I was diagnosed with a blood cancer called Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML). Life as I knew it came to a crashing halt. After enduring a month in the hospital where I received intense chemotherapy, I was declared "in remission." I had three additional treatments and remained cancer-free until May 2007, when I relapsed.
My only shot at survival was to have a stem cell transplant. However, my brothers' immune markers didn't match mine, and an international search of bone marrow registries found no perfect matches. A transplant using the blood from two umbilical cords was recommended. I grasped at this straw in September 2007. It seemed to work.
This blog tells the story of my transplant and recovery, replete with outrageous slings and arrows. The expression "blood is thicker than water" has new meaning for me. I remained alive due to the blood of strangers, two of them, both male. Thanks guys.
The plot thickened when I relapsed 19 months into my new remission and had to go through the same rigamarole once more. This time, I received stem cells from a matched adult donor who was identified last go round but didn't fit into the necessary time frame. Charles Dickens could have fun with this, the stuff of pulp fiction.
I remain in remission 4 years later. My donor keeps leukemic cells in check but finds interesting ways to attack my body. Chronic graft versus host disease keeps me firmly entrenched in the medical world. And so it goes.
My only shot at survival was to have a stem cell transplant. However, my brothers' immune markers didn't match mine, and an international search of bone marrow registries found no perfect matches. A transplant using the blood from two umbilical cords was recommended. I grasped at this straw in September 2007. It seemed to work.
This blog tells the story of my transplant and recovery, replete with outrageous slings and arrows. The expression "blood is thicker than water" has new meaning for me. I remained alive due to the blood of strangers, two of them, both male. Thanks guys.
The plot thickened when I relapsed 19 months into my new remission and had to go through the same rigamarole once more. This time, I received stem cells from a matched adult donor who was identified last go round but didn't fit into the necessary time frame. Charles Dickens could have fun with this, the stuff of pulp fiction.
I remain in remission 4 years later. My donor keeps leukemic cells in check but finds interesting ways to attack my body. Chronic graft versus host disease keeps me firmly entrenched in the medical world. And so it goes.
3 comments:
Congratulations. This is great news!
I've been catching up on your plog while procratinating finishing my taxes. I'm glad you're doing so well six months out.
Thinking of Mariel's b.d. reminds me of having lunch with you and my friend Jane at a restaurant in the city 20 years ago when you were pregnant with Mariel, already centimeters dilated and unruffled. Jane still comments on your composure with admiration.
Susan
congrats! heard the news from my mom yesterday & also heard we might see you for passover!! Brie & I are both hoping you'll be able to come down to PA for the holidays :)
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