Hurrah! It's finally happened.
My platelets exceeded the 100,000 count benchmark and rose to 116,000. My bed and pole are waiting for me at Hotel Hope, so I'm off and running.
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March 2008 - Sometimes I feel like a wig.
Sometimes I don't.
Up a tree and feeling on top of the world
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Links
- About Stem Cell Transplants
- Asians for Miracle Marrow Match (A3M)
- City of Hope
- City of Hope: Donating Blood or Platelets
- Daily Survival Guide for Serious Illness (Gilda's Club and the Tom McDermitt Fund)
- Histopathology of MCL
- Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
- Lymphoma Information Network
- Lymphoma Research Foundation
- Mantle Cell Lymphoma Consortium
- National Cancer Institute
- Your Brain After Chemo
What does a writer do when she finds out she has stage 4 Mantle Cell Lymphoma? She blogs. Because, as everyone knows, cancer sucks, but blogging rocks.
On January 26, 2007, I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Mantle Cell Lymphoma (blastic variety), a rare, aggressive and treatment-resistant form of non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.
My team at the City of Hope decided to bring out the big guns - six rounds of Hyper CVAD followed by an autologous stem cell transplant. I bounced back after each round of chemo, but my blood counts didn't.
After four rounds we called chemo quits and started collecting stem cells for the auto stem cell transplant. The harvesting took three tries, two drugs and eight weeks, but I finally eked out the minimum two million stem cells.
After megadoses of chemo, I received my stem cells on November 14 and 15, 2007. I bounced back almost immediately. Best of all, I achieved complete remission from the Mantle Cell Lymphoma.
In January 2008, I was hospitalized for 11 days for chemo-induced pneumonia. I bounced back.
In the summer of 2008, my eosinophils (a component of the white blood cells) rose to dangerous levels and infiltrated my lungs and GI tract. My weight dropped to 105 pounds, and I was incapacitated for nearly three months. Once again, I bounced back.
I continue to make monthly visits to the City of Hope for blood tests and check ups, quarterly visits for maintenance Rituxan and semi-annual visits for scans.
I'm still in remission and have more energy than ever. And about that perfect purse? I keep looking.
Here are a few other things keeping me busy:
My food blog, Open Mouth, Insert Fork
My consulting business, A New Leaf Communications
The Orange Cat, a site for family fun in the San Gabriel Valley
A3M - Asians for Miracle Marrow Matches
YWCA Pasadena-Foothill Valley
IWOSC - Independent Writers of Southern California
On January 26, 2007, I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Mantle Cell Lymphoma (blastic variety), a rare, aggressive and treatment-resistant form of non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.
My team at the City of Hope decided to bring out the big guns - six rounds of Hyper CVAD followed by an autologous stem cell transplant. I bounced back after each round of chemo, but my blood counts didn't.
After four rounds we called chemo quits and started collecting stem cells for the auto stem cell transplant. The harvesting took three tries, two drugs and eight weeks, but I finally eked out the minimum two million stem cells.
After megadoses of chemo, I received my stem cells on November 14 and 15, 2007. I bounced back almost immediately. Best of all, I achieved complete remission from the Mantle Cell Lymphoma.
In January 2008, I was hospitalized for 11 days for chemo-induced pneumonia. I bounced back.
In the summer of 2008, my eosinophils (a component of the white blood cells) rose to dangerous levels and infiltrated my lungs and GI tract. My weight dropped to 105 pounds, and I was incapacitated for nearly three months. Once again, I bounced back.
I continue to make monthly visits to the City of Hope for blood tests and check ups, quarterly visits for maintenance Rituxan and semi-annual visits for scans.
I'm still in remission and have more energy than ever. And about that perfect purse? I keep looking.
Here are a few other things keeping me busy:
My food blog, Open Mouth, Insert Fork
My consulting business, A New Leaf Communications
The Orange Cat, a site for family fun in the San Gabriel Valley
A3M - Asians for Miracle Marrow Matches
YWCA Pasadena-Foothill Valley
IWOSC - Independent Writers of Southern California
March 2008 - Sometimes I feel like a wig.
Sometimes I don't.
January 2009
Up a tree and feeling on top of the world
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2007
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June
(20)
- I Feel Gooood (So why do I feel so bad?)
- Susan hits the Spot on Friday
- I'm Too Sexy for my Hospital Gown
- Come and Get 'Em - Plums & Apricots Are Ripe
- Terminal Embarrassment
- Platelets Behaving Nicely
- More "Things To Do Before You Die"
- Up, Up and (Almost) Away
- Boing, Boing, Boing
- Winning the Lottery
- How is my life like a Stephen King novel?
- Platelets behaving badly
- Is today the day?
- Dos and Don'ts
- When a Friend Has a Serious Illness
- Home Again
- What's in Bloom?
- Cheer Up!
- Another Postponement
- Cancer Banter at the Car Lot
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June
(20)
Cancer Banter
I can't die. I still have to find the perfect purse.
10 comments:
Happy pole dancing...we are going to be cheering for you! Could it be all that prayin' and visualizin' and good eatin' that brought those platelets up? Yes, and a lot of positive thinking people! So happy to be on "Team Susan" You go girl! We love you so much...Mom says have a good round and she looks forward to seeing you and having some good eats! Keep positive and see you soon! Love, Suze
116,000? You produced 16,000 extra?
Okay, now you're just SHOWING OFF!
YAY! Seems weird to say "Glad to hear you've been hospitalized," but there you are. Maybe we need to design a new line of greeting cards? ;-)
Let me know when you're ready for a visitor!
(the other)Karen
Great! This was so good to hear..it sounds like the platelets needed a little break...
Lisa C.
Great news. My thoughts and prayers are with you. Love ya!
Yay! Thinking of you. We love you!
Dance, dance, dance! Go get em Susan! I hope this stem cell treatment allows you to bring your pole dancing monologue to full bloom so the public can admire your sensational writing!
Sorry I've been quiet on the blog comments, but been pursuing my own "dream" of being a publisher. We just put Free San Francisco to bed!
Lots of life changes going on here and I've been thinking of what do I want to do before that last chapter. As I round birthday number 49, and with my parents both gone in the last two years, and one of my teens having turned the corner to age 20, what do I want to do?
One thought is to go on a year-long research trip across the county in an RV! Something both Ron and I have talked about for a long time. Besides book research we do genealogical research, and despite having grown up a NYC girl, my ancestors are all in the South: Oklahoma, TX, Tenn, Ala, SC.
But then I think, us, a teen daughter, two dogs, a cat and guinea pigs in an RV? Never gonna happen, at least not next year. Hopefully that dream won't be put off too much longer, because truly we don't know what will happen tomorrow.
As for Papdakis? Ron and I went there many moons ago. It was raucous, it was fun, and we were serenaded by a violinist. The lamb was yum, but beware if you don't like it rare! Going with a group is a great idea. Opa!
Thinking about you!
Troy
Yay Susan! Now I want to see you put Demi Moore to shame with that pole! Actually, I think she already put herself to shame with it. You can turn the tables and show the world the VIRTUES of pole dancing! (Question: if a pole can be both virtuous and sleazy, is it bipolar?)
Paula, your comment cracked me up!
You go Susan! Good luck with your next infusion!
With all our love,
the entire Duck Family
Susan,
What great news! Have a good round at the "Hotel" - stay strong.
I've been going thru old pix and came across some old Hawaii photos. Cyn is so little, George so white, and you so glam! (Remember how my camera wielding finally got to you?).Years later, the pix were worth the trouble. You have given me lots of fun memories that still keep me smiling. I love you.
HIP-HIP-HOORAY for you and for hanging in there and for the power of prayer and for all of us, your loyal fans, and for all the other forces of the universe coming together to support you!
Never thought I'd be so happy to hear that someone I care about has been admitted to the hospital--but that's the nature of MCL and its pole dance with Hyper CVAD--a choreography more like a fencing match--and you getting tugged and pulled back and forth between the two.
Well, ya gotcher dancin' shoes on again, thank goodness. And-a one, and-a two...
Love you.
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