STATUS

Health, good.
Family, good.
Home, good.

Had a nice vacation last week. I went back to the homeland (Michigan City) and enjoyed a carefree week including visits to the beach, zoo, Redamaks and Swingbellies.

Kris the kids and I were able to catch up with a lot of family while still having some downtime for just the four of us. We staying a in a resort community called Beachwalk which is essentially a bunch of cute, colorful homes nestled in an amazing streetscape. I should also mention that its only a 10 minute walk to a very private part of Lake Michigan.

We can't wait to go back and even talked about buying there someday (very, very far down the road).

I started editing all the video last night - I expect that will take the better part of the week to get trimmed down to the highlight reel.

The Data.

I don't have it.

I got the results of my PCR-ABL test yesterday. In short - everything sounds good. However, because I got them over the phone and from the NP (nurse practicioner) I really didn't get much feedback other than "the levels are very low". What levels she was referring to is anyone's guess. I asked that she send over a copy of the results so at least I can see the whole picture. My guess is the "very low' levels are probably the number of active Philadelphia Chromosomes (the 9/22 translocation that triggers the abnormally high white count growth). I had been off my Gleevec at the time so that my explain why there were any at all.

I am waiting for a call back to find out if I should still go in monthly for bilirubin checks and it doesn't sound like I'll be getting a complete blood counts for six months (at my next appointment). I think I'm OK with this since my counts have been pretty stable for quite some time hovering in the low to low normal range for pretty much all categories.

Been a pretty busy week around our house. We are currently in the process of moving Kristin's office back upstairs and have been building furniture, decorating the room and getting the technology all figured out. I expect that we'll get it all wrapped up in the next week and start the process of purging the basement for our next project.

Just 10 more days until our vacation!

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.

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.