Family and Friends,
I'm so sorry it has taken me four days to share the good news. I am HOME! I was discharged on Saturday but went with the kids to Rick's house for dinner because his brother, Ron, was home from San Francisco and I thought that might be the only chance I might have to see him. By the time I got home, I was too exhausted to even turn on my computer!
Sunday I did three loads of laundry and spent four hours on the computer dealing with finances and office email. I way over did it. That meant on Monday I was wiped out. My friend took me to get my neupogen injection and blood draw. Platelets were going in the right direction. (54) but hemoglobin was dropping a bit. Biggest concern was that my neutrophils had dropped to .02. Very, very bad. I now have to wear a HEPA mask whenever I'm in public places and wash my hands, wash my hands, wash my hands, and wash my hands some more. I will also need to go in every day this week for neupogen injections in an effort to boost that number. Dr. B significantly increased the dosage and that seems to have helped. She also added ANOTHER antibiotic. So now I'm taking three antibiotics plus an antiviral every day. One of the antibiotics I only take on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. My kitchen counter looks like a pharmacy.
We met with the Transplant Team today. First was the blood draw. I think I'm probably a pint low now. Holy buckets, they drew six or seven tubes. Thank goodness I have a PIIC line! Then we met with the Care Coordinator (I think that's her title). I had talked to her on the phone several times and she is even more awesome in person. She spent at least an hour with us going into great detail of every aspect of the transplant process from testing for a match to what I will go through prior to the match clear through recovery. She gave us all of the potential risks or complications that can occur and which are treatable and which are not. Thank heaven Joelle was there to take notes. They wanted (and received) Don and Paul's phone numbers. Don and Paul are my older and younger brother respectively for those of you who don't know. They will contact them about getting tested for a match. It would be great if one of them is a match especially since I have issues with platelets. Those extra antigens complicate things just a bit so it will make it a bit harder to find a match from the Donor Network.
Then we met with Dr. Silverman. What an incredible woman she is. I don't think I could ask for a better care team. I am truly blessed. God has provided me with excellent and very caring physicians and their staff. Dr. Silverman is on board with the transplant and wants to go through with it sooner as opposed to later. She wants to do this before it becomes leukemia. She was thinking possibly as soon as after my next set of chemo. But, time and lab reports will tell.
I continue to be held in our loving Father's arms and it is because of your prayers. I couldn't do this without them. I have to admit, I'm not so good about praying for myself; I'm better at praying for others. That's why I know it all of your intercessory prayers that are keeping me in His arms.
Back to my condition. The really good news, as far as I'm concerned, is that I can drive again - with Dr. B's approval! I'm so excited. Of course, I can't really go anywhere cuz of the nasty cooties everybody carries around on them and might want to share with me. Speaking of "cooties," wasn't there a game back in the stone ages when we were young that was named Cooties? But I digress.
So that I don't appear totally selfish, I have several other prayer requests:
Prayers for my oldest son, Brian, that he will be given the job for which he interviewed yesterday;
Prayers of thanksgiving for my two younger children, Megan and Matthew, who recently got new positions. Matt's is not in his degreed area, but it is much better than what he was doing. Megan will be doing a part-time management position at a different care center in Cedar Falls. She will work 20 hours per week and has been allowed to set her schedule. Praise God!
Prayers of thanksgiving for my wonderful Pastor and congregation at St. John. They are providing meals every other evening and they are enough for lunch the next day and then some. Pastor is also going to recruit some of the older youth group girls to clean for me. I got exhausted just cleaning the stools - one at a time on two different days. Sad but true.
Continued prayers for Rick and Susan. Rick's cancer is consuming his brain almost at warp speed. Susan is totally exhausted. Pray that God's will be done and that He provide Susan the strength she needs to get through this very difficult time.
Thank you again for your prayers and thank you so much to those of you who have sent cards. I appreciate them very much. It is so nice to get something in the mail other than junk mail and bills!
I will try to be more faithful about posting my blogs. I have to tell you, eight nights in the hospital really takes a toll. I still can't remember for sure what day of the week it is - yah, I know, "and that's different from before how?"
May God bless each and every one of you in ways known only to Him.
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