Monday, July 14

I met with Dr Patel this afternoon.  My CT scan shows that my tumors have all shrunk to less than a centimeter.  I was originally diagnosed with 25 tumors and experienced a 'spontaneous regression' (defined as a walnut sized tumor disappearing without any drug treatments).  Last Thursday's bone marrow biopsy test results were't in yet, but the one just before the 1B chemo looked great.  Previously, the leukemia was less than 1/2%, but showed evidence of a lot of dead leukemia cells.  Doc said all the dead cells are gone and my bone marrow cells are healthy and no leukemia present: 'definitive remission'.  They topped me off with three pints of blood last week and a bag of platelets.  So, despite feeling a bit off, I go back in for 2A chemo in great health.  They have identified two great looking, young donors: one man, one woman.  I can use a woman if she hasn't been pregnant (I don't know why).  They both responded quickly and sent in blood samples.  They are discussing dates, which sound like a transplant in 3-4 week.  Long times in hospital annoy me, but all is going great so I shouldn't complain.  Tomorrow's admission will have 5 days of chemo.  I don't know if there are extra days for recovery of immune system.  The transplant will be a minimum of three weeks.  I get another heavy dose of chemo at time of transplant to totally kill off all my bone marrow.  Odds of success?  The doc wouldn't say because of my rare transformation from lymphoma.  She said there were only a couple cases in the literature.  I think my ALL leukemia odds are a bit better than 60%, because my numbers look good and there are two really good matching donors.  Then, you throw in the fact that I have two diseases and it sounds like the odds go down.  Who knows?  In the end, everyone is a study of one.  There is a path to a cure.  I will exercise my faith, because I want to survive and that's what I've been taught to do as a Christian. In the end, a cure is not as important as relationship with God.  All's well; the cancer isn't what I'm focused on.

Funny.  Sherry prays for me whenever she wakes up at night.  That sounds quaint, except I get up hourly to pee.  On the list of things to worry about, frequent urination is pretty low in the list.

I road 70 minutes on bike yesterday, but am paying for the 'irrational exhuberance' today.