December 8, 2008

It feels so good to be home.

I got out of the James Saturday afternoon when the weather was horrible. It seemed like forever before Kim & I made it back to London. We must have passed at least 30 cars that had wrecked or slid off into the ditch.

Marcus got home from Brandon's wrestling meet later than I expected due to the weather. Brandon won his first match but did not do so good his other 2 matches. Needless to say he was in a grumpy mood the rest of the weekend because of this.

So I was thinking we were not going to go to my units Christmas Party with the bad weather & all. Well I was wrong, it took us awhile to get there but Marc made sure we made it. It felt good to be back in the building & around old friends. I was able to introduce Marc to people he has only heard about for years. There were also so many new people that I did not recognize as well, kinda made me feel a little old. My Wingman MSgt Drake & my old supervisor Maj Sandusky were at the party, they are working with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training. They have chosen me as their hero they are running for this Spring in the Flying Pig Marathon, Cincinnati. Many of my friends are deployed or in the process of being deployed so they were not there, so please keep them in your thoughts & prayers as well, this is one of the toughest times of the year to be deployed & away from your family. We were headed home shortly after 9pm , I had a good time & that was well worth the trip.

Sunday was a really nice down day for the whole family. We made pizza & watched movies. It was just a stress free day. Later in the evening I started feeling a little rough last night. I can't explain it I just didn't feel right. Everything seemed wobbly to me & I was real spacey to. The Dr. did put me on Neurontin this was only the second day of it so I am not sure if it has side effects that I am not used to or what. I am back on the Neupogen shots as well which I hate giving myself. They tend to stimulate an excessive amount of bone & joint pain.

While I was spacing out on the couch I think the whole Cancer thing caught up to Marcus, or it was really starting to wear him down. I don't know how to but I wish I could make this easier for him. He tried to hide it from me, but I saw him crying & it just broke my heart. He was always the mellow one, now he gets frustrated with the kids quicker than he used to & he is on edge a lot more. He is also trying to quit smoking which may be wearing him down as well. He has been taking Chantix for about 2 weeks now, he said he is doing pretty good with it, but that he can really tell when it wears off. It's weird I am usually the one in the house that gets spun up over everything but here lately I am the one that is more laid back. Call it lack of energy but I think there is more to it. There is something to be said about life changing moments & being diagnosed with leukemia is a life changing moment.

Paige had a low grade fever last night & this morning she was 101.6 so she is bed bound. I told her she needs to stay in bed & unfortunately away from me. I cannot get a fever or I will be admitted back in the hospital.

This morning I was slow to get out of bed The other kids were all off to school by the time I made my way downstairs. I went in & had my labs drawn at 10am so I should get my results this afternoon. It was good to see my RN Sue, she changed my PICC dressing because the one the James put on was all jacked up, I have a nice raw skin outline around my arm where the tape ripped all the skin off, its nuts I tell ya.

Really nothing else to report for now, I will update frequently but maybe not daily.
Date------Day----WBC----ANC--------Hgb--------PLT---- Transfusions
28 Nov------87----2.2-----1,500-------9.9--------286------------N/A
1 Dec------90----3.4------2,270------10.0--------255------------N/A
2 Dec------91----4.0------3,500------10.5--------250------------N/A
3 Dec------92----5.0------4,400-------9.5--------183------------N/A
4 Dec------93----4.4------3,800-------9.2--------196------------N/A
5 Dec------94----3.5------3,400-------9.3--------170------------N/A
6 Dec------95----3.9----Unknown----9.9--------175------------N/A
8 Dec------97----2.9------2,600------9.8--------106------------N/A

December 6, 2008

Date------Day----WBC----ANC--------Hgb--------PLT---- Transfusions
28 Nov------87----2.2-----1,500-------9.9--------286------------N/A
1 Dec------90----3.4------2,270------10.0--------255------------N/A
2 Dec------91----4.0------3,500------10.5--------250------------N/A
3 Dec------92----5.0------4,400-------9.5--------183------------N/A
4 Dec------93----4.4------3,800-------9.2--------196------------N/A
5 Dec------94----3.5------3,400-------9.3--------170------------N/A
6 Dec------95----3.9----Unknown----9.9--------175------------N/A

Marc brought up Paige & Zack last night to see me. Katie was not feeling well & did not want to come up. Brandon went to a funeral viewing for one of his wrestling team members grandmother. We went down to the cafeteria here at the James & got dinner, it was ok but not like home cooked meal that's for sure. Zack was wired for sound all night, I think Marc was a little irritated with him, depending on the day he can test the patience of Job. He had my nurses cracking up in the room. Zack had a question about everything, especially when my nurse was hooking up my chemo, does that shot hurt, where is the blood at etc.


My Dr. brought in my letter for disability while we were down at the cafeteria, it was the one from a few months ago so it is all messed up & not current info so I have to get her to fix it this morning before I leave. I was hoping this does not delay my release to much, it is about 10:30am & there is still no sign of her or my Nurse Practitioner. So it is not looking good for an on time release. Typically I have my draft discharge packet & everything the day before. Since I am not on the 10th floor with the their leukemia patients everything has been a little behind.

The nurse yesterday started to change my PICC dressing & I had to walk her through how to do it. She did not have the right kit & was just going to secure it with steri stips & no stat lock. I sent her up to the 10th floor to go get a Stat Lock while I held gauze in place over the insertion site for 15 minutes. If I don't have a Stat Lock in place to secure the lone down it will pull right out of my arm & that would be very bad. Needless to say I was sitting there thinking I hope I do not get a staph infection from this, since the site was fully exposed for so long. When she came back with the stuff she said they know you up on 10 so I did not have a problem. She was just going to put the stat lock on & not clean it again so I had to make her clean it again. At this point I was ready to tell her to give me the kit & I would do it myself. Unfortunately I am not ambidextrous so realistically I know I would need some help, we finally got it done. I took a shower afterwards & my skin is getting so sensitive to the tape, when I took the wrap off some skin came off with the tape. It hurt like hell & has been burning every time I touch it, I am surprised my skin has held up this long tough so I should not complain.

At 8:30am they hung my final dose of HIDAC for this cycle of my chemotherapy. At this rate paperwork pending of course I should realistically get released around noonish. Marc is at Brandon's first wrestling meet in Circleville so Kim is going to come get me once I am cleared. She had to go into work today so that worked out pretty well, so Marc would not have to leave Bubby's tournament. I think Marc loves watching Bubby wrestle just about as much as he loves wrestling.

I am so glad they got the heat issues fixed in my room last night. I turned the dial down to 68 to help me deal with the sweats & for the most part it worked. I can always throw on another blanket to get warm but when it is hot, all you can do is wait it out. So it was a nice change having a few cold chills for once this week instead of the hot flashes, I can't believe I am saying that but after this week as Misty says, "It is what it is". Last night except for the 4 Nurse & PCA mandated wake up calls for my vitals, drawing my labs & completing neruo assessments I slept hard last night. On a side note I am sure you you can tell from the pictures, but I am putting weight on like crazy, this should be the least of my worries I know. This morning they had me at 188 pounds. I was 173 when I came in on Monday so what I put on is this week is mostly water weight but I am going to have a heck of a time trying to get back into my regular clothes. I have been so inactive for the past 3 months I started noticed before I came in for this cycle everything that was loose is starting to get pretty tight. In time I will be able to resume some physical activity but for now I just have to take it easy.

So the for plan tonight is as long as I don't bottom out on energy Marc will go with me to my squadrons Christmas party for an hour or two. he has never been to one so I am anxious for him to meet my military family not to mention I am really looking forward to seeing everyone as well, I do miss my unit very much. Zack heard us talking about it last night & said he wants to go, SMSgt Fowle's has 4 kids & a couple of them are always there to babysit, so we may take him with us I am sure he would have fun to. Speaking of my unit I did call the AMDS & Doc Ellis is supposed to be reviewing my packet this weekend, I hope to hear something positive out of it, I do not know how long it is going to take to get my profile reduced so I can at least participate in light administrative duties, but I am hoping it is not to long. At the rate I am going I will be back to part time employment at ODH by February if all follows the time line my Dr. has projected for me. We shall see...

December 5, 2008

Date------Day----WBC----ANC--------Hgb--------PLT---- Transfusions
21 Nov------80-----12-----9,300-------7.9---------55---------1 Unit B
24 Nov------83----5.1-----2,200------10.1--------179-------------N/A
28 Nov------87----2.2-----1,500-------9.9--------286------------N/A
1 Dec------90----3.4------2,270------10.0--------255------------N/A
2 Dec------91----4.0------3,500------10.5--------250------------N/A
3 Dec------92----5.0------4,400-------9.5--------183------------N/A
4 Dec------93----4.4------3,800-------9.2--------196------------N/A
5 Dec------94----3.5------3,400-------9.3--------170------------N/A

I am going on Day 5 with no nausea so far during this round, this is a very good thing. The lack of sleep & entense night sweat episodes are the main side effects I am having. If I had to guess I think one is causing the other. It can always be worse. My Dr. said the shot I am on is a much stronger central inhibitor, it brings on all the effects of menopause with it. She is considering some additional meds to see if they will help reduce the side effects, possibly even so herbals, I will have to wait to see what she comes back with.

Today my room was so hot I thought I was going to pass out. The nurse came in & said the temperature was 88. They were finally able to get maintenance up her to fix it after 2 days of requeting them. It is much more tolerable now.

My Dr. is bumping my Chemo up to 8pm tonight so I can try to get out of here a little earlier tomorrow. So they are going to start me back on the IV fluids around 6pm. I was so swollen with the fluids they flooded me with when I came in, that I had an extra 15 pounds water weight. They wantede to put me back on Lasix but I was not having that after my last experiance with Lasix. So it has been a slow process coming off. Needless to say I am not looking forward to being hooked up again though.

Marc is going to come up again tonight to see me & maybe even bring some of of the kids, this would really make me happy, I miss them all so much.

December 4, 2008

In case you missed my update yesterday, I have been moved to a private room at the James. I am still on the 8th floor, but I am now in room 833. The phone number to my room is (614) 293-5559.
Zack made this sign for me & Paige took the picture of him with it! I Love my Zack too!
These pictures were taken last week at the house before I had to come back in for Chemo.

Date------Day----WBC----ANC--------Hgb--------PLT---- Transfusions
21 Nov------80-----12-----9,300-------7.9---------55---------1 Unit B
24 Nov------83----5.1-----2,200------10.1--------179-------------N/A
28 Nov------87----2.2-----1,500-------9.9---------286------------N/A
1 Dec------90----3.4------2,270------10.0--------255------------N/A
2 Dec------91----4.0------3,500------10.5--------250------------N/A
3 Dec------92----5.0------4,400-------9.5--------183------------N/A
4 Dec------93----4.4------3,800-------9.2--------196------------N/A
My Nurse Practitioner was able to get me my ANC counts so I added them in for the week.

Marcus came up to see me last night, we had a wonderful visit. I felt pretty good considering,so I had subs & bread sticks delivered from Adriatico's for us, the hospital food has been terrible lately so it was a nice change. It was so good but I am sure we will both pay for the garlic. Marc brought me my camera so I got all the pictures posted today from Thanksgiving, Christmas decorating prior to my admission & Misty with the kids at the old Fashioned Christmas in downtown London. They are underneath this post for your viewing pleasure. My Dr came in while Marc was here so he was able to get his FMLA paperwork renewed on the spot, that worked out well for him. My Dr is still very pleased with the way I am progressing so far!

They started my third dose of Chemo at 10pm last night so I am halfway through this round of Consolidation. I must say though that I did not sleep very well at all last night, I remember looking at the clock at 3am & tossing the towel in. They have had me on constant IV fluids to flood my kidneys so the Chemo does not fry them. So I am constantly up & going to the rest room. My night sweats stay pretty constant but last night I think they were the worst yet. My bed has the plastic pillows with a thin pillow case on them that seem to make it worse when I sweat. I think I will try to wrap the pillows in cotton blankets tonight to see if that helps, well see. I did get about 3 hours of sleep off & on after that. My sinus cavity is really stuffy this morning so my Nurse Practitioner ordered me some Clariten to try to help with that.She is also working on my disability extension paperwork today as well. I go down to 50% in about another week I believe. I knew this was coming but I am still not ready for it.

Paige took this picture of me goofing off last week when I took Spike out to potty, you can see him in left hand corner.

Congrats to my Cousin Bill Booher on the new addition to the family!

December 3, 2008

News Update:

I have been moved to a private room at the James. I am still on the 8th floor, but I am now in room 833. The phone number to my room is (614) 293-5559.

Date------Day----WBC----ANC--------Hgb--------PLT---- Transfusions
19 Nov------78----26.9----14,000------8.3--------11----------1 Unit P
21 Nov------80-----12-----9,300-------7.9---------55---------1 Unit B
24 Nov------83----5.1-----2,200------10.1--------179-------------N/A
28 Nov------87----2.2-----1,500-------9.9---------286------------N/A
1 Dec------90----3.4-----Unknown----10.0--------255------------N/A
2 Dec------91----4.0-----Unknown----10.5--------250------------N/A
3 Dec------92----5.0-----Unknown-----9.5--------183------------N/A

Since I am not on the 10th floor the nurses are not providing me with my ANC Counts even though I have requested them, so I will see if my Nurse Practitioner will get them for me later. I am assuming since my White Blood cell counts have been above 2.2 each day my ANC has to be above 1,500 so that is a good thing.

They got my daily medications figured out late in the afternoon yesterday. I was getting worried because they did not have any orders for me except for the Chemo, the dreaded Dexamethasone eye drops & Dexamethazone pills along with Zafram for nausea. There were no orders for my antiviral, anti fungal or the antibiotics until later in the evening.

My day got a little depressing in the afternoon, my roommates doctor called her entire family in for a meeting to inform them she was dying. At first you could hear a pen drop & then her daughters just started sobbing. I had just got out of the shower & was sitting on my bed when the Dr did this, it was horrible. I could not get out of the room initially because they had so many people in there & they were blocking the door. I felt so out of place & it was so awkward for me I felt like I was intruding on a very personal moment, to top it if she was not that much older than me. When I finally did get out of the room I stayed out in the hallway for a very long time. I could hardly walk back my bones were hurting so much. I was gone so long that when I got back into my room they had already moved her out to a private room.

I talked to Marcus he is going to come up to see me tonight after he goes home & checks on the family. Speaking of which, poor Zack had another bad day at school. His teacher called me, he had two episodes with kicking at other kids. She put him on blue the first time & then later on the playground he did it again so she moved him to red & that is when I got the phone call. She talked with him about him & she wanted me to know he was very upset & made said to her at one point I just don't want my mommy to be sick. I was able to talk with him when he got home from school & Marc did as well. Zack did calm down a little & read me his book for homework & even kissed my picture on the phone & hugged the phone. I miss all the kids but I must say Zack is the most dependent right now, he really needs me the most because he does not understand what is really going on.

By 8pm I had such a raging headache from all of the days activities, the chemo & lack of sleep for days they gave me any Oxycodone & 2 Tylenol. I was still up at 1am so they gave me some Benadryl to try to help me sleep. I think I finally fell asleep sometime after 2am. So far with this round of Chemo it has not taken too bad of a toll on my body, most importantly no nausea no fevers. The other issues I can handle much better even it may not sound like it some days, I will take them over puking any day.

A big thank you goes out to Bill Davies, Patricia Knox & Angie Hunsinger for their very generous donations to my Leukemia Support Fund. The hospital, speciality services & pharmacy bills are steadily pouring in so I know at some point in the near future I will need to readjust my original fundraising goal especially since we had no idea what the costs would be when we set it up. Surprisingly we are getting by better than we expected thanks to all of your help. So far I have been able to set up a payment plan with Mount Carmel, The James will be next. Most importantly I have been able to to utilize the donated funds to cover the out of pocket prescription costs which have to paid for up front. So thank you so much again to all of you, we could not get through this with out all you love, prayers & support.

December 2, 2008

Date------Day----WBC----ANC--------Hgb--------PLT---- Transfusions
19 Nov------78----26.9------14,000------8.3--------11---------1 Unit P
21 Nov------80-----12-------9,300------7.9---------55---------1 Unit B
24 Nov------83----5.1-------2,200-----10.1--------179------------N/A
28 Nov------87----2.2-------1,500------9.9--------286------------N/A
1 Dec------90----3.4-------Unknown---10.0--------255------------N/A
2 Dec------91----4.0-------Unknown---10.5--------250------------N/A

They started my Chemo last night about 10:30pm & I am now on my second dose which started at 10:45am today.

I found out the 8th floor at the James is the Ear,Nose & Throat along with cervical cancer floor. I have a roommate that is receiving more intensive care so I did not sleep much last night. My room is freezing cold, I tried to change the thermostat but it was broke. The maintenance crew came in about 12:40am & we found out the temperature was 68 degrees in the room, burr, my anemia can't handle that to well. They adjusted it to 74 after messing with it for half an hour. My roommates family came in this morning for a family meeting & she was hot so they dialed it back down so I am adding on the blankets, I am up to 4 of them now.

I talked to my Dr. last night about the night sweats, she is telling me it is from the hormone shot that is stopping my bleeding & putting me into menopause. I took the same shot years ago for birth control & never had these problems so I think the Chemo has to be playing into the severity of the sweats a little bit. Then Marc had to put his two cents in & snitched on me about the chest pain I was having at home.I have had a complete cardiac work up so that does not worry me to much. I need to tell him like I told Misty Snitches get stitches LOL. My Dr. did get a hold of my Ophthalmologist about my vision problems I had last time. He told her it was more than likely a hereditary issue & not related to the Chemo & could be corrected with surgery. I think that he is way off on that one. I never had any problems with my vision until I started the HIDAC Chemo. I go back to see him on the 9th when I get out. My Nurse Practitioner thinks that there is more to it than that as well, so we will have to wait it out & see what happens this time.

My Nurse put in to have me moved up to the 10th floor but they are so full up there it does not look like that will happen but well see. I got a Card in the mail from Sonja that was from my 1st admission to the James where they sent it back to her. She sent it to my house to show me how delayed they are with the mail. I also got her & Michael's Blood donor cards, thank you. I talked with my Aunt Debe last week & I did not realize she to was a first time blood donor when she found out I was diagnosed with AML & now she donates religiously. She is also going through her work & two other agency's to try to host a blood drive in my honor & Debe is also a registered Bone Marrow Donor. I am just amazed & honored everyday by the tremendous efforts people are making.

When I was out of the hospital this last time I was trying to get Marc to do a family photo so we could get our Christmas Cards done a little earlier this year. Well I still don't have the photo yet so everyone will have to stand by for those.

December 1, 2008

Things have not went as they were planned today. I forced myself out of bed this morning after a very restless night. My night sweats keep getting worse & I just could not get comfortable. I tossed & turned all night which in turn kept Marcus up most of the night as well.

Marc did not go to work today so he could take me to the hospital. When I called the hospital to make sure my room was ready, I ended up being on hold for about an hour only to find out that I was bumped to a December 2nd admission date. Marcus was furious, he started going off in the background. I told the lady I never was informed of the change & I had no way to get up to the hospital tomorrow, it was an ugly mess. She told me they would work it out & get me a room within the next couple of hours, so Marc loaded my stuff up & we went to Columbus. I had a few things I needed to get for the kids so I figured we could get those then some lunch & they would have my room ready by then...yeah right. At 3:30pm we still did not get a call from the hospital so I called them at that point they said they should have a room but they still did not know for sure when that would be. We headed back to London.

By the time we got back home all the kids were home from school except for Zack. Brandon pulled a muscle at his Wrestling Scrimmage on Saturday so he did not go to Wrestling practice. When Zack got home from school he was so excited he had a White day at school (no trouble) & he was going to the Old Fashioned Christmas in Downtown London for a Sleigh ride & to see Santa. Misty ended up taking all of the kids around 5pm. She is brave I will give her that. it was wet, cold, snowy & getting dark.

At 6:00pm the hospital called, they had a room ready & by 6:37pm Marc had me at the Hospital. I was hoping if they got me in quick enough I could still get my Chemo started today & be out by Saturday. My personal Dr is working the floor this week & when she came in Marc let her have it & she apologised profusely for the confusion. She did her examination & pushed to get my labs so she could cut my Chemo Orders.

So here I am back in Camp Chemo only this time I am on the 8th Floor of the James (there are no rooms open on the 10th floor) in Room 842B, my room phone # is 614-293-5913. Marcus & I had dinner & then he headed home, the roads were not that great on the way in & I am sure as the temperature drops tonight they are going to get worse.

It is 9:43pm & they still have not started my Chemo so I do not know how this is going to work out for this weekend. I had hoped to attend my Squadrons Christmas Party at Wright Patterson Saturday Night, however at the rate I am going I will still be in the Hospital.

Paige took my Camera with her tonight to get pictures so I will not be able to update our holiday pictures until I get the Camera back.

November 30, 2008

Wow, what a busy week we have had. Between Thanksgiving break with the kids, the actual holiday & getting everything finished that I wanted before I go back into the hospital, lets just say its been nuts! Sorry I have not taken the time to sit down & update this thing.

I did make it in to the Hospital on Friday for my lab work...
Date------Day----WBC----ANC--------Hgb--------PLT---- Transfusions
17 Nov------76-----0.7----------0---------7.9---------03-------1 Unit P
19 Nov------78----26.9------14,000------8.3---------11---------1 Unit P
21 Nov------80-----12-------9,300------7.9---------55---------1 Unit B
24 Nov------83----5.1-------2,200-----10.1--------179------------N/A
28 Nov------87----2.2-------1,500------9.9--------286------------N/A
As you can see my counts are still holding, even though my ANC dropped a little it has stayed above 1,000 which keeps my Dr happy & I have been able to maintain my blood levels for a week without any blood products. I did not nee near the amount of infusions that I had the first round of Chemo so I take this as a good sign.

I need to back track to earlier in the week. I received a package in the mail from my coworkers at ODH on Wednesday that was filled with many different types of hats. The kids & I had fun trying them all on & making funny faces at each other, it was rather comical.

Misty was in the kitchen most of the day on Wednesday preparing for Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving day she was in the kitchen all morning & had all the food on the table by 1:30. We only had one minor spill over in the oven for all the dishes that she made. It is really quit impressive to watch her in action, the food was just unbelievable. It turned out so good & it still amazes me that it takes 2 days of preparation for 1 meal, but then it was a great meal. She told us you it with your eyes first, it is all about the presentation. You will have to see for yourself if I ever get the pictures uploaded (hopefully by Monday or Tuesday.

Needless to say I was so psyched for Christmas that I did not waste any time as soon as the dishes were done I started putting up the decorations. Marcus & Brandon hung up the lights outside & I started unpacking all the boxes & sorting out what goes where. Typically we always remove the leafs on the dining room table & put the tree up in the dining room but Misty said that was not going to work, since there would not be room for everyone to sit down & eat. So we moved the living room around to accommodate the Christmas tree, it is very large. I did not get to the tree until Saturday.

On Friday after I got back from the hospital Paula & Angie came over. After Zack's Spanish inquisition they decided to take me out of the house for a nice change of pace. Angie gave me a beautiful leukemia awareness bracelet that she had made for me. We went to Apple Bees for lunch & then to Target to scope out Black Friday deals.

Later Friday night we got a call from Donnie to come out to the club house, Kim got her Christmas present early, Guitar Hero World Tour for the Wii. By the time we arrived there were quite a few people out there. We stayed out until 1:30 in the morning & had to call it a night. It has been quite some time since I have stayed up that late for fun.

Saturday morning I slept in. Once I was up & moving we started in on the Christmas tree. I don't really care for it too much in the living room, but I think it will just take me awhile to get used to it. I was like a crazed woman with the decorations. I felt so compelled to get them all up before Monday, because I know I will not have the energy to do it when I get out of the hospital next weekend.

I am not sure what time I have to go into the hospital tomorrow since they did not start my Chemo until 8pm the last time I went in. I am going to call them first thing & try to find out if I can come in later. I hated sitting there all day for no reason. So if all goes well I should start updating the Blog daily on Monday.

November 27, 2008

This week has went pretty fast & we have been busy. The kids got out of school early on Tuesday so I have not had time to update the Blog. I have to go to the Hospital Friday for Labs & PICC care, there should not be any infusions if my counts hold. I am anxious to see what my ANC is especially since I go into the hospital for the next round of Chemo on Monday. I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! Hopefully I will be able to take some time & upload all the pictures from our Thanksgiving day it was really great!

November 24, 2008

Friday night Katie, Marc & Bubby were not home & Misty was still not feeling well so Zack, Paige & I headed to Sonic for dinner. They have the best milkshakes!








We have some cold & rainy weather this morning. The sidewalk outside our backdoor was pure ice. I let Spike out ahead of me & he went sliding across it. It was so funny & a great heads up or that would have been me I'm sure.

After a mad dash to get Zack out the door this morning I dropped the kids off at school & went to the hospital for my lab draws.
My labs results were...
Date------Day----WBC----ANC--------Hgb--------PLT---- Transfusions
10 Nov------69-----8.8-------8200-------9.3---------74----------N/A
13 Nov------72-----0.5----------0---------9.2---------22----------N/A
17 Nov------76-----0.7----------0---------7.9---------03-------1 Unit P
19 Nov------78----26.9------14,000------8.3---------11---------1 Unit P
21 Nov------80-----12-------9,300------7.9---------55---------1 Unit B
24 Nov------83----5.1-------2,200-----10.1--------179------------N/A

No infusions needed today Woohoo, looks like my Platlets are recovering on their own now & my hemoglobin is holding from the infusion. My neutraphils & WBC counts are dropping quite a bit but they are not below 1,000 so they are still good so keep your fingers crossed.

Friday night we found out Alan's mother died. You may have seen him from earlier Blogs in some of my pictures from the hospital, he is in our Missing Link Chapter & a very dear friend. The funeral is today up in Parma, Ohio I think is a suburb of Cleveland. It is too far for me to drive myself, Donnie & Bennie had to finish a job they are working on & Marc offered to take me up, but I sent him to work. He needs to save what little time he has, if any for when I really need him. So for all you prayer warriors out there, when you praying for me & the family please add Alan in your prayers as well.

I need to send a special thank you out to the 445th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, my Unit at Wright Patterson AFB. Saturday SMSgt Fowle called while we were at the game, he was on his way to drop off Thanksgiving basket for us from the Unit. Luckily Misty & the kids were at the house to receive it, unfortunately Marc & I could not get back to the house in time to meet him. It was very nice, Misty raved about how sweet (& tall) SMSgt Fowle was. So thank you to everyone down there at the Unit, we really appreciate all you have done for us. As long as my counts continue to cooperate I plan to try to make it down to the base this week.

It is hard to believe it has been 3 months since I have been down to the base. I sent my certified packet back to the medical squadron at the base along with a supporting letter from my Dr. with information about my diagnosis, prognosis, progress notes, current status & working restrictions. I also sent in a letter as well requesting to see a military physician to clear my P4. So we will see what happens.

We had a really good time at the OSU vs Michigan Party. I have the pictures under this post, they are also on the Missing Link Website, I updated that this morning. The game was such a blow out I did not even pay too much attention to the 4th quarter. There was so much food it was unreal. There was hot wings, mild wings, smoked chicken, cabbage rolls, cheesy potatoes, sloppy joes, chili, chips, tons of dips & desserts. It was a ton of fun. I think both Marc & I need that for a change.

Sunday was a complete down day for everyone in the house. We all lounged around & ate leftovers. Marc got me up & out to Walmart long enough to get a new heater for the upstairs. There are no registers from the furnace for the upstairs so it can get pretty chilly up there. I am really hating the cold, I just can't tolerate it at all any more with my anemia.

As luck would have it my Dr. does not have me back in the hospital until December 1 to start the next round of Chemo, this way I get to be home for Thanksgiving, Christmas & the New Year. I can't say that I am excited to go back in the hospital but I am excited to be home for the holidays!

November 21, 2008

It was super cold out this morning, I did not like going out to the hospital first thing with my big bald head even with a hat on it was freezing. My labs were...
Date------Day----WBC----ANC--------Hgb--------PLT---- Transfusions
10 Nov------69-----8.8-------8200-------9.3---------74----------N/A
13 Nov------72-----0.5----------0---------9.2---------22----------N/A
17 Nov------76-----0.7----------0---------7.9---------03-------1 Unit P
19 Nov------78----26.9------14,000------8.3---------11---------1 Unit P
21 Nov------80-----12-------9,300------7.9---------55---------1 Unit B

So far my ANC has not dropped enough to be alarmed without the neupogen shots. My Platelets are holding well from the infusion on Wednesday. My Hemaglobin went down a little & I went ahead & got an infusion of blood since I am still having the shortness of breath. I didn't have my camera with me for any blood infusion pictures, your all bummed I am sure...

This weekend has a lot going on. Our Chapter of Missing Link is hosting a big OSU vs Michigan party. It is sure to be a good time. I am making taco dip & Marc will be up at the crack of dawn to start smoking chickens. There should be lots of good food & a great time with friends. I am happy my counts are up & I do not have to wear a mask for a change.

Zack had another rough day at school, he did not go to the principals office but according to him he kicked the same kid he was in trouble with the last time...I don't know what I am going to do with this boy.


Last night I fixed homemade Mac & Cheese that turned out really good according to everyone but Katie. I though I put chicken tenders in the oven but it turned out to be catfish needless to say that part of dinner was a disaster. Misty is supposed to cook breakfast for dinner tonight!


Katie will be going to a Birthday Party sleep over.
Brandon is at Wrestling. Marc is out at the club house unclogging a drain. The rest of us are chilling out at the house.

November 19, 2008

Nothing like starting out your day with a little blood work...
I talked with my Dr. about all of the side effects I am having, she is most concerned with my vision problems & is contacting my Ophthalmologist to get additional information.

My labs came in
Date------Day----WBC----ANC--------Hgb--------PLT---- Transfusions
10 Nov------69-----8.8-------8200-------9.3---------74----------N/A
13 Nov------72-----0.5----------0---------9.2---------22----------N/A
17 Nov------76-----0.7----------0---------7.9---------03-------1 Unit P
19 Nov------78----26.9------14,000------8.3---------11---------1 Unit P

We were at the James until about 2 in the afternoon. One thing seemed to lead to another. My ANC & WBC counts went through the roof so for now she is pulling me off the neupogen shots. If my counts drop then I will have to start them again but for now my levels are very high. Although I am nervous about not taking the shots since my levels can rise & fall so drastically. One nice thing about it, this should save a little money since the neupogen shots are my most expensive medicine at $469.15 each. To date I have racked up $15,049.20 in prescription costs at home. I must admit that I am very blessed to have decent insurance, they have covered the bulk of this bill, but there is still a hefty sum that I pay upfront, so again thank you everyone who has donated money to help with the costs.

My doctor was a little concerned because I am still having some shortness of breath. She ordered some Blood to go with my Platelet infusion. I told her I would like to try & hold out until Friday for the blood infusion. I want to see if my body will continue to make more blood & correct itself. She went ahead & gave me a standing order to give to Madison County Hospital for infusions. This will allow Sue, my RN, to give me an infusion of Platelets any time I drop below 20 or my Hemoglobin drops below 8. No more waiting for an order like last weekend & the other day.

As you can see Marcus got real bored waiting...

We did find out when they do the Platelet infusion out patient it only takes about 30 minutes to an hour, but when I was in-patient it took about 2 hours. Blood infusions only take 2 hours but when I was getting that it in-patient it took 4...

When they went to give me the platelets, my purple port would not flush at all. They drew my labs out of it earlier with ease so I was surprised it clogged so fast. The whole time my PICC has been in the red port is usually the sluggish one. They tried to flush them simultaneously to see if that would be enough pressure on it to open up, but we had no such luck.
They had 3 different nurse come in & try it. Sharon will be going nuts when she sees these pictures because one of the nurses didn't wear gloves. I was so out of it from the pre meds for my infusion I was looking right at her & didn't even notice.
They finally brought in a PICC Nurse, after using altaplase (kinda like roto rooter for your veins) & a stopcock they were able to get my lines cleared.


Needless to say it was a long day, we stopped at Sams Club to pick up a few things for the house & headed home. Zack has been having a much better week at school. Misty is sick with the Stomach virus Zack had. Paige & Brandon are engaged in cheer leading & wrestling every week night & Katie well, she draws & reads a lot. She has no desire to participate in school sports & there are no art programs locally to put her in. Marc & I lounged the rest of the night.

November 18, 2008

I ended up getting an infusion of platelets around 1:30pm yesterday.



My RN at Madison County Hospital said that she would hate to see what my counts were if I was not taking the neupogen shots. She said the lab freaked out when my counts came back in that morning they are not used to seeing counts that low. She said they scare the hell out of her & she does not know why the James took so long yesterday to send my order for an infusion in. She said they never should have let my counts get that low over the weekend & was surprised they did not bring me in on Saturday or Sunday. After my infusion the James did not order a post infusion lab draw, which really surprised me because they have always done this after each infusion in the past. I have no idea what my platelets jumped up to, I know they had to come up some because my gums finally stopped bleeding but how much I am not sure since I have the pin head bleeds & bruises that are not going away.

It was snowing yesterday afternoon on my way home from the lab. I think we might have a white Christmas this year!


I did not sleep very well last night. Brandon put Spike in his kennel & he usually sleeps with Paige so he started whining around 11, so me & Misty both got up. I tried to go back to sleep but when I did it was real broken. Marc was tossing & turning his back was hurting & my night sweats were ridiculous. My head was sweating so much my pillow was saturated & I am sure the sheets were getting damp. I have noticed the sweats have been increasing even during the day now. I had a head ache so I took some ibuprofen & then later realized when I was looking to see what time my doctors appointment is tomorrow that it is on my list of medicines not to take in my discharge paperwork.

My tunnel vision is gone for the most part. I have regained my peripheral vision it is still a little fuzzy around the edges especially in really bright light but I can see without straining to much. Marcus is taking me to my appointment tomorrow. I am pretty sure I will be getting more blood products then.

I started searching the web for ideas for Zack's Christmas. We have the big kids covered this year, but Zack is a tougher one to crack because he wants everything. He has been looking at the "Christmas books" the Sunday adds every week & marking just about everything in sight with his green marker. I keep reminding him everyday Santa is watching & he has to be good, he keeps telling me Santa can't see him...he is at the North Pole... he is so rotten.
Zack's latest passion is setting up the Christmas decorations everyday he keeps asking if we can put them up. I am ready but Marcus is not. Between all of he decorations we normally put, which is a lot and all of Misty's Christmas decorations I keep telling Marcus it is going to look like Santa pucked Christmas at our house this year. I can't wait it is going to fun. Christmas is everyones favorite holiday in our house, you will not find a Scrooge here.

Katie was getting a cooking lesson from Misty last night, she actually did real good. She cooked 2 chickens & red potatoes. I lost the majority of my taste buds last Friday but it fades in & out, what I could taste of it was good & everyone else said it was good to. So I am happy to report she is well on her way to being a better cook than me.




I have to tell you I made one heck of a mess last night with or little green machine. I had taken an Oxy earlier for pain so I was not in a very clear state of mind. Spike had an accident & Katie was getting the green machine out to clean it but it was out of cleaning solution. SO I went to add more in & saw that the old/dirty water needed to be dumped out. Long story short I tipped it the wrong way when I pulled it out of the machine & the stuff went everywhere. It was so gross. I ended up getting it on Katie & me/ I was so flustered thank god Marcus walked in because I was ready to have a heart attack. He ended up fixing it & we got it all cleaned up but wow what a fiasco. I was not operating any heavy equipment but I guess that rule will apply to all household items...

November 17, 2008

Sunday was a major down day; I stayed in bed 1/2 of the day just resting. My low counts are starting to catch up with me physically. I talked to Aunt Lynn & Aunt Debbie for a while on the phone, I did not realize when Debbie donated blood for me it was her first time donating as well. There are so many first time blood donors that have been a direct result of my disease. There is a lot of good that has come out of such a terrible situation.

I received another card with a very generous donation from my colleagues in the Bureau of Public Health Preparedness - ODH. They have our heartfelt thanks. I am so encouraged by the support that keeps coming in. I know many people cannot send in donations & that is ok, you have no idea just how important the phone calls, e-mails, letters, visits... keep me motivated. I am very lucky to have so many people out there that love & care about me. It encourages me to fight that much more even on the toughest of days.


We all watched the Jeff Dunham Christmas special last night on TV it was pretty funny. If you have never seen him you should check it out. He is a ventriloquist

I was really surprised this morning when I woke up & saw snow covering everything! We had flurries Saturday but nothing stuck. Spike got his first experience in it. He was prancing around all over the place. He was so excited he wouldn't go to the bathroom for a while because he wanted to play so much.


After we got Zack on the bus I loaded Brandon & Katie up & dropped them off at school on my way to Madison County Hospital for my lab draws.




Sue, my RN was ready for me when I got there, it’s a pretty nice chemo lab they have here. We talked about the side effects I have been having. She drew my blood from the purple port & my red port on the PICC would not flush, so a little heparin in & it was cleared. I was in & out in less than 20 minutes.



When I got back from the hospital I took a short rest on the couch with spike & then went up to take a shower. I knew my counts were low, but I did not realize how low until I saw...




I know the pictures are gross, but this is the reality. I have pinhead bleeds & brusies all over my body. I had to take some nausea medicine because the blood keeps pooling in my mouth & it was making me feel real nasty. Hopefully when I get juiced up this afternoon it will be enough to clot them off.

Sue just called me with my labs

Date------Day----WBC----ANC--------Hgb--------PLT---- Transfusions
8 Nov------67-----6.4-------6000--------9.0--------109----------N/A
10 Nov------69-----8.8-------8200-------9.3---------74----------N/A
13 Nov------72-----0.5----------0-------9.2---------22----------N/A
17 Nov------76-----0.7----------0-------7.9---------03----------pending

We are waiting for the James to call me & see what they want to do, no matter what I have to get an infusion of platelets, possibly 2 if the first one does not bump me up enough.

In the mean time I am just waiting & playing with Spike. More to come tomorrow.