Ok, that's probably being a little dramatic.
Just a quick update. I got back the results of my cardiac ultrasound...normal, unremarkable.
Unremarkable! I am completely remarkable. What do I have left if I can't complain about Leukemia or heart ailments? At least now I can lean on the glaucoma until something else breaks ;-).
Kris and I took the kids to the park last night with hopes of wearing them out. It didn't work. Eli was still up at 9:30 and Maris tested out her vocal chords for at least 30 minutes before succumbing to exhaustion. I know kids aren't like dogs and they can access memories, but fortunately for us - Eli and Maris seem to forget how angry they were the night before and start each day with a smile (and raisin toast).
Showing posts with label heart. Show all posts
Showing posts with label heart. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
So so.
Just got back from outpatient radiology at Methodist for a chest x-ray.
Been feeling ok, but still some shortness of breath so the nurse practioner wanted to take a closer look and make sure the Gleevec wasn't causing me to retain water in my lung and heart cavity. I'm guessing I won't hear anything for a day or two, but will keep you all posted.
I'll wear my Clarian ID bracelet around the office for the rest of the day so I can extend the sympathy a little longer.
We got my mom and dad off to Paris yesterday. I think they were to arrive around 2am Indy time and Mike was going to pick them up at the airport. He called yesterday a little nervous that the three people and all the suitcases wouldn't fit in his A3.
Since my parents are gone - we are in charge of their most prize possession...Macy. She is a great house guest and seldom leaves her bed aside from chow time and the occasional pee break. It's obvious she misses my mom and dad, but we try to include her in family time so she doesn't get too lonely.
On the home front, Kris and I found a cool mid-century dresser set for Maris' room. It had pretty good bones, but needed some updating. Yesterday, I stripped all the old sealer off and veneered the drawer fronts with maple. It still needs paint and some poly, but we hope to have it in her room later this week.
Onward and upward.
Been feeling ok, but still some shortness of breath so the nurse practioner wanted to take a closer look and make sure the Gleevec wasn't causing me to retain water in my lung and heart cavity. I'm guessing I won't hear anything for a day or two, but will keep you all posted.
I'll wear my Clarian ID bracelet around the office for the rest of the day so I can extend the sympathy a little longer.
We got my mom and dad off to Paris yesterday. I think they were to arrive around 2am Indy time and Mike was going to pick them up at the airport. He called yesterday a little nervous that the three people and all the suitcases wouldn't fit in his A3.
Since my parents are gone - we are in charge of their most prize possession...Macy. She is a great house guest and seldom leaves her bed aside from chow time and the occasional pee break. It's obvious she misses my mom and dad, but we try to include her in family time so she doesn't get too lonely.
On the home front, Kris and I found a cool mid-century dresser set for Maris' room. It had pretty good bones, but needed some updating. Yesterday, I stripped all the old sealer off and veneered the drawer fronts with maple. It still needs paint and some poly, but we hope to have it in her room later this week.
Onward and upward.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Sprung.
So. I've been sprung.
Most of the past 24 hours was spent on the portable EKG unit and waiting for my heart ultrasound (ECO). It's always nice to be back in 7South, it's a peaceful place where the nurses are very much like family. It's funny, Nancy wasn't even my nurse for my abbreviated stay, but she still kept checking in to chat and give me updates on my blood work. It sounds like she may have even recommended getting the ECO ultrasound.
It's hard to not feel guilty for occupying a bed that somebody else may need just for my monitoring - but if I have a choice, its the only floor I'm staying on.
Back to me. After the Nuclear Medicine studies, the ECO and the 24 hour cardiac surveillance - my heart is strong. I still have to check back with them in a couple weeks but all parties involved seem to think its a mixture of anxiety, dramatic changes in my blood chemistry and possibly a touch of my medication. They're probably right - but I tend to think its a little more Gleevec than they do. I've been doing my own informal study and feel like most of my cardiac events (palpitations, irregular beats, PVCs, etc) are almost exactly 8 hours after I take my meds. My study doesn't tell me why - but I can only assume that it may be the time when the Gleevec is at its highest concentration in my body. Most mornings I feel better which would fit my hypothesis since the half-life of the drug is about 18 hours.
In short, I'm home...and apparently heart healthy.
Blood work is stabilizing (in a good way), though there are still some numbers that need some work (specifically some of my clotting and platelet numbers). This can take months so I'm in it for the long haul. They started printing out my chemistry sheets for me and it has historical data on it. It is really interesting, but required me to spend about two hours on the Internet trying to find out what the hell all the acronyms are. I'm told it gets even more complicated once we start seeing cellular changes. Then its about percentages, chromosomes, log reductions, and more.
I feel OK now - but its much easier to relax at the hospital when you know you have an emergency button 2 feet away. For now - I'm going to try and keep my mind clear and get good rest. It's an amazing time to live with Leukemia (CML) which just 10 years ago yielded a 3 year life expectancy.
It's time to live the only way I know how - Large.
Most of the past 24 hours was spent on the portable EKG unit and waiting for my heart ultrasound (ECO). It's always nice to be back in 7South, it's a peaceful place where the nurses are very much like family. It's funny, Nancy wasn't even my nurse for my abbreviated stay, but she still kept checking in to chat and give me updates on my blood work. It sounds like she may have even recommended getting the ECO ultrasound.
It's hard to not feel guilty for occupying a bed that somebody else may need just for my monitoring - but if I have a choice, its the only floor I'm staying on.
Back to me. After the Nuclear Medicine studies, the ECO and the 24 hour cardiac surveillance - my heart is strong. I still have to check back with them in a couple weeks but all parties involved seem to think its a mixture of anxiety, dramatic changes in my blood chemistry and possibly a touch of my medication. They're probably right - but I tend to think its a little more Gleevec than they do. I've been doing my own informal study and feel like most of my cardiac events (palpitations, irregular beats, PVCs, etc) are almost exactly 8 hours after I take my meds. My study doesn't tell me why - but I can only assume that it may be the time when the Gleevec is at its highest concentration in my body. Most mornings I feel better which would fit my hypothesis since the half-life of the drug is about 18 hours.
In short, I'm home...and apparently heart healthy.
Blood work is stabilizing (in a good way), though there are still some numbers that need some work (specifically some of my clotting and platelet numbers). This can take months so I'm in it for the long haul. They started printing out my chemistry sheets for me and it has historical data on it. It is really interesting, but required me to spend about two hours on the Internet trying to find out what the hell all the acronyms are. I'm told it gets even more complicated once we start seeing cellular changes. Then its about percentages, chromosomes, log reductions, and more.
I feel OK now - but its much easier to relax at the hospital when you know you have an emergency button 2 feet away. For now - I'm going to try and keep my mind clear and get good rest. It's an amazing time to live with Leukemia (CML) which just 10 years ago yielded a 3 year life expectancy.
It's time to live the only way I know how - Large.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Another Day, Another...
$4,000. Who knows how much today's tests cost in real dollars.
After all the ER theatrics I had this weekend - I went to my oncologist for a follow up. When talking with them - they decided to admit me for 24 hours and run some test on my lungs and heart to make sure they were functioning correctly.
I think I mentioned on Sunday that the preliminary CT and X-ray showed clear lungs, but as a follow-up they just sent me down to nuclear medicine for some test's I've never heard of.
The first one was some sort of ventilation imaging where I inhaled a mixture of O2 and a Xenon isotope 133. The machine then images the release of this isotope and shows concentrations of oxygen or areas that are not being fully utilized. Apparently the body is smart enough to know that if an embolism or some other sort of blockage is present - it will reroute to a better function area. Pretty cool really.
The second test was an intravenous one with another radioactive isotope. They inject me and then take a series of 8 pictures (2 minutes per picture) as they rotate around my lungs. This shows more about circulation and less about physical anatomy.
Neither test was painful or uncomfortable and when you have Leukemia - people wheel you from location to location on a nice bed. The entire imaging sequence only took about an hour - most of which I spent talking with the technician who was servicing one of the camera units. I was amazed to see that most of the nuclear imaging machines were actually attached to Apple PowerMacs...12 year-old PowerMacs. To put it in perspective, one of the hard drives had just crapped out on one of the units and the technician got a replacement off of eBay. I'm sure Anthem would be delighted to hear that the $2,000 test I just got is stored on a $10 eBay purchase (plus shipping of course).
I miss being home with Kris and the kiddos and am really frustrated that I cannot be more useful around the house right now. I keep asking the question, how much can one woman do and Kris' actions continue to say "all of it".
Admittedly, It's really nice to be here at Methodist in these uncertain times and I can relax while I'm here knowing that my care is unparalleled and I have hundreds of lifesavers around me at any point in time.
The nurse just checked in and told me that my white count is now 5,200. That is another 4,000 drop in the past two days. Most of my other levels are solid so now its just a waiting game until we hear back from the heart doc.
Miss you all.
After all the ER theatrics I had this weekend - I went to my oncologist for a follow up. When talking with them - they decided to admit me for 24 hours and run some test on my lungs and heart to make sure they were functioning correctly.
I think I mentioned on Sunday that the preliminary CT and X-ray showed clear lungs, but as a follow-up they just sent me down to nuclear medicine for some test's I've never heard of.
The first one was some sort of ventilation imaging where I inhaled a mixture of O2 and a Xenon isotope 133. The machine then images the release of this isotope and shows concentrations of oxygen or areas that are not being fully utilized. Apparently the body is smart enough to know that if an embolism or some other sort of blockage is present - it will reroute to a better function area. Pretty cool really.
The second test was an intravenous one with another radioactive isotope. They inject me and then take a series of 8 pictures (2 minutes per picture) as they rotate around my lungs. This shows more about circulation and less about physical anatomy.
Neither test was painful or uncomfortable and when you have Leukemia - people wheel you from location to location on a nice bed. The entire imaging sequence only took about an hour - most of which I spent talking with the technician who was servicing one of the camera units. I was amazed to see that most of the nuclear imaging machines were actually attached to Apple PowerMacs...12 year-old PowerMacs. To put it in perspective, one of the hard drives had just crapped out on one of the units and the technician got a replacement off of eBay. I'm sure Anthem would be delighted to hear that the $2,000 test I just got is stored on a $10 eBay purchase (plus shipping of course).
I miss being home with Kris and the kiddos and am really frustrated that I cannot be more useful around the house right now. I keep asking the question, how much can one woman do and Kris' actions continue to say "all of it".
Admittedly, It's really nice to be here at Methodist in these uncertain times and I can relax while I'm here knowing that my care is unparalleled and I have hundreds of lifesavers around me at any point in time.
The nurse just checked in and told me that my white count is now 5,200. That is another 4,000 drop in the past two days. Most of my other levels are solid so now its just a waiting game until we hear back from the heart doc.
Miss you all.
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