12 Jan 2007

Hello all,

Sorry this has been so long in coming. I have been feeling really tired. It is from taking the steroids and now tapering to almost taking none.

We had a great Christmas. We stayed at the lighthouse on Lake Michigan. My parents were here. I wasn't feeling well Christmas Day so Mom and Gene fixed the turkey. Can you believe they did it without me? It is a hard lesson to learn, but I seem to need to learn it over and over again. Yes, things can get done without me, maybe not like I would do it but done just the same.

New Years we had a quiet night at home watching movies with the kids. New Year's day we headed to Minneapolis for one of the scheduled return visits. I was supposed to have a bone marrow biopsy but somehow didn't get scheduled so they did it the 3rd before we came home. Not an ideal situation since my plateletts have not recovered on their own. It was by far the worst biopsy I have had. She tried 3 times, bent one needle. Then tried 8 times for the aspirate, and bent another needle. OUCH! okay enough of the whining. The DR. called the next day and said the marrow looks good, no leukemia blasts! Praise the Lord!

Now the question is why hasn't my marrow started producing the blood? One theory is that I had so much chemo-therapy and it was so strong that it will take awhile to regenerate. Another theory is that it damaged some on the cell producing areas. Another theory is that it is producing the cells just my body is eating them up. The last is being tested, they give me gama-globulin- which takes 4 hours- and then my platelet count is supposed to go up. I had a reaction as they were giving it to me, so more drugs, and then they continued the infusion, but my platelet count didn't go up significantly. We are going to try again on Thurs. Jan.18th.

Meanwhile we are going to Madison two to three times a week for platelet infusions and about once every two weeks I get whole blood. Of course there is still the problem of getting the specially matched plateletts form the donors, they are working on ordering them ahead of time so the Red Cross had plenty of time to find donors. THANKS TO ALL WHO ARE DONORS! You are so vital to many people's health.

I am thankful for everyday that I have with my family but frankly I am tired of being sick and tired of being tired.

The Dr.s are contemplating giving me more stem cells, to help boost the production of blood cells. That means going to MN again. I don't know for how long it would be. My opinion is to just wait and let them have a chance to produce on their own. It isn't unusual for it to take 100 days. We are at day 73. I will do whatever it takes though.

For those amateurs in the group, believe me I know more about blood than I ever wanted to know, Plateletts are the part of the blood that makes it clot. So when they are low I bruise easily and I have nose bleeds, I have to be careful not to get cut anywhere.

We have to go back to MN for a 3 month check-up the end of the month or first part on next month, another biopsy is scheduled.

Prayer requests:
* Pray for blood production by my own bone marrow
* Pray for continued good biopsy reports
* Pray for the kids, as this wears on
* Pray for Gene as he tries to balance work, guards, and being the nurse
* Pray for safe travel to MN

To GOD be the Glory

Love

Cheryl