Day 35, Thursday, December 20
WBC 2.9 (4.0-11)
RBC 2.62 (3.8-5.2)
HGB 8.9 (11.5-15.5)
PLT 24 (150-350)
Day 42, Thursday, December 27
WBC 4.3 (4.0-11)
RBC 2.54 (3.8-5.2)
HGB 8.6 (11.5-15.5)
PLT 47 (150-350)
I'm normal! Well, at least my white blood counts are in the normal range. I'm even healthy enough to board a plane and am planning a trip to SF next week.
My red blood and hemoglobin counts took another baby step back, but I'm still able to do a lot with a little.
The best news is that the platelets rose from 24 to 47 without the help of a transfusion. I can't tell you how happy I am to be in the platelet production business.
Since it looks as though I'm out of the transfusion woods, I'm scheduled to have the surgeon remove my Hickman catheter in two weeks. I'll be wireless for the first time in nine months.
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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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- About Stem Cell Transplants
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- Daily Survival Guide for Serious Illness (Gilda's Club and the Tom McDermitt Fund)
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- Mantle Cell Lymphoma Consortium
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- 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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December
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- What If We Have a Happy, Healthy New Year?
- Going UP!
- What's the Mutter?
- The Trend Continues
- What would Susan eat?
- Christmas Memories
- How ARE you?
- Words Per Day
- What's red and yellow and green all over?
- The Catalog Family
- Transitions
- Weekend Update
- Cancer sucks, but blogging and the Stones rock!
- Worms, Worms, Worms
- A Walk on the Mild Side (A Look Back at Hotel Hope)
- Natural High, Natural Low
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December
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Cancer Banter
I can't die. I still have to find the perfect purse.
7 comments:
Maybe you can repurpose the catheter.
Break out a hot glue gun and some sequins and it could be a very cool Christmas ornament next year.
No? Okay, then drop kick that sucker on the CoH parking lot, then run over it with the Prius. Six or seven times. That'll work.
Ha!
Like my dance partner, I have a love-hate relationship with my catheter. Decorate or destroy? Hmmm. . . that's a tough one!
My "mantle cell lymphoma mentor" is two YEARS out from his stem cell transplant. He kept his port because he was having maintenance Rituxin (a protocol that's been discontinued).
His doctor announced that she could remove the port, he asked, "Don't I still need to come in once a quarter for blood tests?" He opted to keep the port so that he never has to be poked with a needle. Yes, my mentor's a big wimp!
Susan, Congrats on the rising counts!!! I still have my catheter in a ziploc bag, somewhere. Don't know why I kept it... seems silly, now. But, I can't seem to throw it away. I also have some of my beloved hospital bracelets... ughhh... It's not that I'm a packrat.. I think that someday I'll put together a scrapbook and use it for decor. But, I also like Paula's idea of running it over several times. Take care and wishing you all the health and happiness in 2008. love, nancy
Awesome news!
Congratulations Susan. Looking forward to your continued improvement - it was simply a matter of time - cheers! M&D
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