Boyz vs Men

For any of you who watched Purdue lose to Xavier, you probably had the same feeling I did; "Did I switch the channel to the local high school kids vs dad scrimmage?"

Purdue fought the good fight...but it became pretty clear that they were freshman and the Xavier team were all men. I enjoyed the game and thought we might have had a chance, but it just wasn't meant to be. It was a great year of Boiler basketball and hopefully we'll get three more years of these hard working kids.

As for my health, I'm feeling pretty good. No blood work this week so I'm a little anxious to hear how my numbers are doing next Tuesday. It's a blessing that my meds are working so well so fast, but I'm still so new to it that I like to have the confirmation that things are going well via hard data. The side effects continue to be manageable and the outpouring of support continues to amaze me.

After a pretty good health run in my circle, I'm starting to realize how unfair the world is. About a year ago, a former coworker was told he had a tumor on his pituitary gland, surgery followed but now it's looking like it wasn't enough. This man is a true gentlemen who I've have never known to be anything but courteous, fair and a great dad of three young girls. More recently a current coworker's husband had been losing a lot of weight and a visit to the doctor led to the diagnosis of with what appears to be pancreatic AND colon cancer. As if that wasn't bad enough, they had their first child on Monday. It's hard to say poor me with so much other bad stuff going on around you. It's a quick reminder of mortality and to be thankful for what you have immediately in front of you.

At the office, the Obama Brigade is in full force with more than 20 people coming and going all day. It's quite cool to be part of something like this (even as an observer), but you can quickly tell which coworkers are for him and which are against ;-).

The kids and Kristin are doing well. As my energy returns, we are able to get back to a more active lifestyle and expect that will only increase as the weather warms up.

No news is good news.

All is seemingly quiet on the health front. Aside from a little funk and the inability to sleep more than three hours straight...feeling pretty good. I had a follow-up with the cardiologist yesterday and he gave me the all clear. Since getting the green light from him, Kristin and I promptly headed to Mug 'n Bun for corn dogs and root bear.

We continue to get showings on our home so that part of our life is promising and I think we've found a new home that will solve most of the problems we looking to clear up (schools, land, proximity to city, design, etc). Its a late 50s ranch on 2.6 acres only 8 miles from downtown. I probably like it a little more than Kristin does, but I think we could really turn it into home. Keep your fingers crossed that we'll get an offer on our home soon so we can get this one before somebody else does.

Some other good news is the Boilermakers made it past the first round of the NCAA tournament. It's pretty easy to be a Purdue fan because in most every sport, they are a hard working bunch that doesn't rely on superstars to carry them. Tonight they play Xavier and I'm not expecting a win, but give me some Popeye's chicken and the Boilers on TV and I'm set.

Speaking of TV, we had been downloading TV shows from iTunes for the Cayman trip and an unexpected side effect was that Eli likes the same cartoons I do. I had downloaded Road Runner and Pink Panther episodes for me and I'll be damned that he'd prefer watch Pink Panther over all the other choices. Sure is nice to have a 4 year-old with an old soul.

Boiler Up!

Eggtastic.

It's no secret that my meds are expensive...but now, I might be able to get them from eggs and at a significantly reduced price.

You can read about it here.

OK, we're probably a long way from this happening, but since many of the drug proteins are harvested in a very expensive and complicated manner, it sure would be cool to have 5,000 chickens cranking out a less chemical version of my drugs. I always knew the McMuffin would someday cure cancer.

It's Official.

The office where I work (which I refer to as my office though I have zero ownership in the building) is renting space to the Obama Indiana Headquarters. I just happen to think this is pretty awesome.

We are told not to expect Barack to grace our presence, but one can Hope (pun intended). Currently we have a dozen or so twenty-somethings pounding away on computers and doing a lot of pointing at maps and such. I think I finally realize why Mr. Obama went after the youth so heavily...free, seemingly limitless labor that has very little professional responsibilities or baggage.

It's smart really, most of these kids' parents are probably in their early to mid 50s and likely Clinton or McCain supporters, but because they're still funding their kids (either in school or through some other promotion of philanthropy) - these parents are essentially funding the Obama campaign. Ok, its a stretch, but I think it makes sense.

The US can't repeat the Bush, Clinton, Bush, Clinton pattern (don't forget about Jeb). Let's hope there's a new sheriff in town...

Movin' on up.

Whities - 3,500
ANC - 2,200
Hemaglobin - 13 (still a woman)
Hematacrit - 37.7
Platelets - 137,000

In spite of my increased Gleevec dosage, my numbers continue to creep toward the healthy range. I won't go back for two more weeks so don't expect a hematologic update any time soon...I know, you'll be on the edge of your chair waiting.

On the home front, Kris and the kids arrived home safely (but late) on Sunday night. I haven't seen too many pics yet so this one will have to do:

Apparently, one of Eli's new skills is the high five. It looks to me that he has mastered it and somehow managed to not catch salmonella from the ginormous sea turtle at the breeding farm. It sounds like much of the trip was spent in the sand, ocean and pool...though I'd be lying if I said it was all sunshine and sleeping. My wife is a trooper, one who has dealt with cancer of a spouse, running a successful business and now traveling out of the country with two kids under five (arguably her biggest challenge to date). I think I'll keep her.

We had two more showings on our house this weekend. I'm really happy we're getting the traffic and am hopeful that we'll see an offer in the next 90 days. Kris and I are going to look at two homes on Thursday, though right now we're not seeing anything we're too excited about.

I've got some more cool news (not health, house or family related), but need to find out if I'm allowed to put it out on the Interweb. Stay tuned.

One more day.

Wooo Hoooo! Kris and the kiddos get home tomorrow. At least, they're supposed to. Given the theatrics it took to get them to Cayman, I won't hold my breath until I actually see them. So far, its sounds like they had a pretty decent trip. Not terribly relaxing for mom, but Eli and Maris got to spend a lot of time with Grandma and Grand-dad and hit the water several times a day. I should also mention that the low temperatures never dipped below 70 and generally stayed right at 82 during the day.

Turns out the fever that Maris had when she headed down was more than just a cold. They packed up and went to the Bodden Town clinic after a morning of crying and found out she had a mild upper respiratory infection and an ear infection. Some antibiotics and drops later and she seems as good a new.

My mom and dad left this morning after visiting for a couple days. It's great to have them here not only for cleaning ;-), but also for support. Now that our house is on the market, I can use all the help I can get keeping it clean for showings. Those two spent the better part of the day on Friday getting this place ship shape and it really showed. We had a showing this morning and have another one Sunday night from 6 - 7. We're glad that we're getting activity but we won't get too excited until we see an offer.

As for me, I'm just taking it easy and trying to stay healthy. I tend to be really sensitive to my body now and whenever I feel a little warm I worry that it will turn into a fever or chills that could send me back to the hospital. I probably need to just accept the fact that its harder for my body to regulate it's heat now which proves to be challenging for my wardrobe.

Better touch up a few things before tomorrow's showing.

I promise.

To not become a link aggregator, but I stumbled upon another video that can give you a lot of hope and enlightenment into common man (or woman in this case). It's about 19 minutes and taken from the TED conference. Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor is a Neuroanatomist (brain doc) who had a severe stroke...but recalls almost the entire event in great detail and understanding. It's a little scary, but a fun presentation that calls you to think.

Got some time? Check it out here.

Quick Link.

I caught a great interview on NPR during my lunch hour today. It's about a Jewish comedian (with a very storied life) who get's diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. If you have 38 minutes, I invite you to listen. I promise you will laugh.

Click here.

Enjoy.

Back from the Doc.

Just finished up my appointment with Dr. Dugan. I hadn't seen him in about a month so it was good to catch up. As promised, here is the blood data.

Whities - 3,300
Platelets - 119,000
ANC - 2,100
Hemoglobin - 12.8
Hematocrit - 37.5
Protein 6.8
Potassium - 4.1

In short, most of those numbers are good. I still have some work to do on the Hemoglobin...though frankly, I have no control over it. He told me that the reason men should have a higher hemoglobin than woman is testosterone. I explained the Kristin removed that from me years ago...he didn't get it.

Dr. Dugan is pleased with my progress and is going to put me back on 400 mg daily of the Gleevec. I got the impression that they want to keep you on this level to help get you to the cytogenic response. We talked about the FISH test and it will probably come a week or two after my next appointment in early April. He is very matter of fact and in so many words told me that he fully expected it to be "really messed up". They then check again at 6 and 9 months and look for progress. The good news is that this a peripheral blood draw (arm) so no marrow for me in the near future.

In addition to this, I will now only go in every other week for my complete blood count (CBC) and once a month for the rest of my chemistries.

I talked with Kris and the kiddos last night. After a marathon of travel, everybody seems to be having a great time and I'm glad they were able to get away and do this. I wish I could be there for Maris' first time but know that taking care of myself is my most important job so we can try again in a year or two.

Farewell.

Just dropped off Kristin and the kids at the airport for their trip to the Cayman Islands. Cayman is a beautiful place that has just enough home and just enough remoteness. Kristin's family has a couple time-shares down there on the East end. It's about as far as you can get from the airport and still be on the island (Grand Cayman is about 25 miles long and 3 miles top to bottom). I have only been two times and both times were some of the best relaxation I've ever had. I wish I could have made this trip for a couple reasons.

1. As previously mentioned - this place is magical and wish that I could share the experience with the entire clan. You never realize how much you miss people until you have children.
2. Poor Kristin is now toting two kids under four, car seats, suitcases, etc. through no less than three airports. It's a long story.
3. I could use a little vacation to take my mind of some other things going on in my life ;-).

The fact of the matter is, I agree with Dr. Dugan that I should probably not be exposed to all sorts of foreign germs, viruses and the like. Moreover, even though Georgetown has a hospital that I'm sure is fine - I still feel better knowing that I have a great care only a few blocks away.

So, I'll be a bachelor for part of this week. My mom and dad are coming down on Wednesday to visit and take care of me...and hopefully spruce up the house before the family gets home on Sunday. They don't realize it yet, but I'll be ordering two yards of mulch that will need to be spread.

I just got back from giving blood and have an appointment with my Oncologist tomorrow. I haven't seen him in about a month so I'll be anxious to hear what he has to say about my progress and the next steps. I tend to just listen and nod when he talks so I patiently tapped about a dozen questions into my iPhone that I need to ask. I will give you guys an update tomorrow afternoon. I'm tempted to bring my laptop in to ask him some questions about the hematoma in my leg...now that I have the MRI. Since Doc Dugan is not just an Oncologist but also a Hematologist, I'd like his input about likelihood of it returning and how the reabsorbtion may affect my blood levels.

One more 'For the Record' point...I took my last Allopurinol on Saturday. This means that the only drug I am currently on is the Gleevec. Since most drugs have a whole host of side effects - I'll be interested to see I lose some or gain some.

Good Day.

Its not that I felt all that great today, but blood results heading in the right direction always makes me feel better. Starting now, I will lead with my most recent blood results with a little background for the newbies.

Whities - 2,600 (normal is 5,000 to 10,000)
ANC - 1.5 (normal is 1.5 - 8.0), percentage of fighters is up to 57%
Hemoglobin - 12.5 (normal range...if I was a woman)
Hematocrit - 37 (sadly, again normal if I was a woman)
Platelets - 90,000 (woo hoo! they were down to 64,000 on Monday)

So there you go. I go in to see Dr. Dugan (my oncologist) on Tuesday and I'll be interested to hear what he thinks of my progress. I've generally been giving blood 2x a week but now that the levels are going in the right direction - I think we'll be back at weekly visits.

I had my first follow-up appointment at OrthoIndy today. For those of you who did not know - the abnormal MRI I received at Ortho is what triggered the blood test that ultimately led to my diagnosis. My doc (Dr. Brokaw) is just awesome. Great sense of humor, brilliant and most importantly...calming. Many of you know that I like technology more that just a little bit. Today I got a copy of my MRI and proceeded to find an open-source viewer. I can zoom in and out of my leg, look at cross-sections and so much more. I am only going to include two pictures, but they may help my hundreds of loyal readers better understand what was going on in my body.

Without further adieu:

1. Hematoma. Large and in charge.
















2. Bone. It ain't right.
















Anyway, if you have questions - I can probably answer them now...complete with visual aids.

The turn around.

I'm not exactly sure what good news is anymore - so many ups and downs both figuratively and literally. As I mentioned in my last post, they had reduced my Gleevec to 300mg daily because my ANC and white levels had gone too low. Apparently, the dosage drop worked and my ANC is up to 1.4 from 0.9 (Neutrophils are the fighters in your blood) and my whites continued to tick up to 2.6 from 2.2. For the lay folk (myself included) - the ANC number is actually the number of fighters in the total number of white cells. In my case, 53% of my white cells are Neutrophils whereas last week it was about 45%.

The bad news is that my platelets dropped to 64,000. The nurse is talking with Dr. Dugan and will let me know what I need to do with my care to get them back up.

Aside from the platelets, the rest is pretty good news and hopefully over the next couple months - all my levels will continue to regulate to my new norm.

I go back to see my orthopedic doc on Thursday who I should probably credit with finding the Leukemia when it's all said and done. Maybe I'll bring a cake.

As my blood heals, its tough to remember that I still have limits. An example of this...on Sunday I hit the bike then did some stretching and ultimately overworked my calf. It's a little sore now and in the back of my mind I find myself worrying that I somehow ruptured the hematoma. I never needed much help being a hypochondriac so all these new unknowns just feed into that.

Well. Better get ready for the primary election results tonight.