Tuesday, July 29

I'm in the clinic today for two units of blood, which should help with my racing pulse and breathlessness.  My walk from waiting room to vital signs chair sent pulse north of 150, but it quickly settled at 98.  Twenty five minutes in transfusion chair saw it fall to 74.   Last Friday my ANC count was 200, which meant I had a very low immune system and had to avoid everyone.  Yesterday's lab showed 2,700, so I am safe again and trying to catch up with my running buddies to hear about Fred's last race and Drew's training for another 100-miler, which is about six weeks out.  Drew's 67.

There are only two known cases of Follicular non-Hodgkin's lymphoma transforming into acute ALL leukemia.  Both died.  It turns out Sherry, my PhD wife, actually looked up both research reports.  One guy got something like 8 rounds of chemo.  Apparently, he couldn't shake the leukemia and died.  A woman was plagued with complications and died.  Neither ever made it to bone marrow transplant.  In contrast, when I was admitted I was very ill.  The leukemia registered 93% of bone marrow and I was within 24 hours of dying.  However, I was also very fit and muscled up.  I had just ridden my bike from CA to SC the previous fall and was working out twice a day for a total of about 15 hours per week.  When they gave me chemo I handled it great.  More important...it worked.  My leukemia went I to complete remission.  I am scheduled for transplant Aug 13th and they say I have a perfect, 25-year old donor.  I love to compete.  They say my odds of a successful transplant are 50-50,  but I plan to be the first guy who lives.

Interesting question:  did my 'excessive exercise' lead to the leukemia transformation?  Well, it doesn't look like it was associate with the two other known cases.  It's odd.  I was  star lymphoma patient.  Everything looked good for 2 1/2 years.  I saw my oncologist before and after my 3,263 mile bike ride, 40-days last Sep-Oct.  I actually experienced a 'spontaneous regression'.  My largest tumor, about the size of a walnut in the shell melted away, without treatment.  This occurs only about 5% of the time and is considered a good indicator of long term survival.  Then, boom, I get leukemia.  Who knows?