I'll have an extra dry Beefeater martini with a twist.
The good news out of Boston today is that I'm stopping the immune suppressant Rapamune, as well as the anti-fungal voriconazole. It's my choice as to whether or not I start tapering the anti-depressant I've been on since the bad old days. It's the Rapamune though that will allow me to have my Friday martini whether I need it or not. I've had an unauthorized glass of wine here and there, but Marty gives me a parental look when I do. I'm not planning on getting blasted or anything, but it's nice to know my liver is all mine.
Dr. Antin and I mostly chit-chatted about vacations, living in Manhattan, and real estate. My blood counts were good. He didn't give me a print-out but it's something like this: wbc= 9; platelets= 121; hematocrit= 27.8. The red cells are low but my reticulocyte count is normal which means I'm making red cells but using them up. As long as my energy's good, it doesn't really matter.
We drove back home and Jamie suggested we have lunch at Tio Mateo's. We were both starved. She offered to buy me a beer, but I passed. Suddenly I realized it's Cinco de Mayo tomorrow, but Marty the Margarita Man is in Manhattan.
Here's to you, Marty.
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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.
4 comments:
So hoist one in his honor!
Congratulations! Sounds like all good stuff. Have a drink for me, too. I'm allowed to but I'm not having anything to drink now because my liver has not recovered from when I had my hospital stay.
Sassy, drinking and happy ... The way we like you, PJ! Jim
I'll toast to this post! Great numbers and great news regarding fewer drugs.
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