Hurricane Sandy canceled my cataract surgery, but since I begged my doctor to schedule me for the next available slot, I had the surgery the following Wednesday. It went well and I can now see out of both eyes.
On Thursday, I saw my oncologist. My blood work is fine, my liver is doing better, and we decided to leave my meds unchanged. I had been experiencing blood in my urine with no other symptoms. I gave a sample to rule out infection, but Dr. Giralt and I both felt it was more likely to be bladder stones, which I'm prone to. Water retention remains a mystery.
I also saw the radiation oncologist Thursday and he was pleased with my progress and feels the leukemia cutis is gone. To be safe, I'm scheduled for a PET scan next week.
Overall, I have good energy but can't do yoga for another week due to my cataract surgery. I'm putting my massive amounts of energy into the BIG MOVE next week to our country house. Yes, I'm trading the big city lights for green acres. I'll still see my doctors at MSK, but will arrange to have my Vidaza shots at a local hospital. I'll also get an oncologist at that hospital.
I start round 2 of Vidaza on Monday, and when I'm finished on Friday, I'll wave goodby to a city I've lived in on an off for 21 years. I may yet live there again.
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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.
2 comments:
Good news about your health.
I didn't know you were leaving the city!
I'll call you.
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