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July 17, 2007 , Day 273
Friends,
We had a fairly relaxing week this week. We went to Spin Class on Thursday and I finished every exercise, including 8 minutes of standing. This was a pretty big challenge for me. However, on Saturday I was still stiff from Thursday and was pretty weak, so I skipped going up Torrey. We still had about 1700 feet of elevation gain in a 40 mile ride, so it was still a good workout. Both Menchie and I were really tired after my ride, and we both fell asleep about 5pm Saturday and slept til about 10am the next morning. We skipped our Sunday ride, and today we went riding again. I had some kind of stomach problem, so I quit early. We will try again later in the week. We went to a movie for the first time since my relapse and had fun. We are working on a Lazy Susan. Menchie is putting on the final finish this week and we will assemble it probably next week. It is very beautiful already, and we are getting excited about learning more about wood finishing.
Menchie and I are involve with LLS in many ways. One way is as First Connection Volunteers. In this capacity, we talk to people who are newly diagnosed with Leukemia. I haven't done any of these calls since I relapsed until this week. I talked to the wife of a man I talked to last year. He also relapsed and found out about it last week. I have been dreading a call like this because I don't know how to help someone who has relapsed? What can I tell them that they don't already know, except that my second transplant was way worse than the first one? The call this week has forced me to look more deeply into what I can contribute. I decided that I can relate that I am still surviving after my second transplant, and my quality of life is improving all the time. Looking back on my experience, I think this could be of great value. It really is difficult, when you are diagnosed again, to come up with the motivation to go through everything you have to go through, especially when people are telling you how much harder it is going to be. Trust me when I say that the second time is not an adventure, it is not fun, it is not a new experience, it is simply repeating a most unpleasant experience over again worse. But if there is a light at the end of the tunnel, perhaps that would make it more tolerable. I think I can safely say that both Menchie and I have been wounded emotionally and psychologically by this experience, and these wounds are still pretty raw. The second time, they are very slow to heal. Perhaps now that I have started to figure out what I can offer others, I am starting to heal myself.
On the medical front, the doctors appointment went real well. I will be reducing my cyclosporine intake by one pill, leaving me with 6 cyclosporines per day. My creatinine is still in the normal range. and my blood counts took a big jump which I am really happy about. All of my blood chemistry was normal except for something called Ferritin, which was pretty high. The doctor didn't think that was much of a problem. I asked him why, if I have all that iron in my blood, why I can't make more hemoglobin. Then he pointed out that my hemoglobin went up about 1.5 of whatever units they use to 10.7, a new high for me. I also saw my regular doctor this week. He was looking at my blood pressure, which is coming down to pretty much normal. He was a little concerned about my riding with severe anemia. He suggested that I get a transfusion before going to Honolulu. I mention that I thought transfusions were illegal before bike rides and he got kind of a funny grin on his face. My oncologist just cracked up when I told him that. Last time my doctor was concerned about my MCV, which is why he ordered a bunch of chemistry tests. They all came back normal, so the elevated MCV must be an artifact of the drugs I am taking. Overall, a very satisfying doctor visit. I don't have to go back for another MONTH!
Lab results: A huge jump in platelet count and Hemoglobin! Maybe I won't need that transfusion after all!
Lab Results |
Blood Cell Type |
Normal Low |
05/17 |
05/29 |
06/12 |
06/26 |
07/17 |
|
| WBC |
4.5 |
4.1 |
4.4 |
3.8 |
3.4 |
3.5 |
| RBC |
4.3 |
2.54 |
2.38 |
2.40 |
2.23 |
2.56 |
| HGB |
13.9 |
10.5 |
9.8 |
9.7 |
9.2 |
10.7 |
| PLT |
130 |
44 |
47 |
55 |
57 |
67 |
Have a great week!
Ted and Menchie
tw@wilcoxent.com
mench@wilcoxent.com
www.wilcoxent.com
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