UPDATE: To Creekside Church, Spring,
and all my praying friends and family, thank you for your continued prayers on
our behalf. All day Monday and half
of Tuesday were spent at MDA trying to figure out where we are and how to cope
with the current on-going side effects.
My numbers are still "in the tank," lower than last week's
actually, so I am still quite immunocompromised. (I have been asked to explain some of my technical terms, so
for this first one, it simply means that I basically have no immune system and
am highly susceptible to infection.)
So they gave me another neupogen shot that will help boost my WBC (white
blood count). The neupogen usually
causes long bone pain but it will just get lost in the shuffle this go
around!
Dr. Shah was very concerned about the severity of my
joint pain and the resulting lack of function. The Car T-Cell trial requests that no steroids be used. Dr. Shah is more concerned about me
than the trial, but I encouraged her to try to stay within the parameters. She asked them if a steroid injection
would qualify since it is not systemic (is not ingested into my system). They
said yes. So she sent me off to have
my PICC line removed (an intravenous access central catheter
that can be used for a prolonged period of time for blood products,
chemo, nutrition, antibiotics….), :)
and for knee x-rays to finish the day Monday.
I started Tuesday with the oncologist orthopaedist. After a consult, he gave me the good
news that the x-rays did not show any arthritis, so the inflammation is just
from the T-Cell activity. He did
decide to do the steroid injections in both knees. He hoped that I would see some relief within the next few
days. For now, I walk kind of like
Tim Conway (playing the old guy) on the Carol Burnett show. :)
I got some other good news!!! I get to re-introduce thick skin fruits
(that we purchase, wash, and eat at home) into my diet. So just before running
off the road for the fourth time, (I don't think I should drive myself to any more
appointments for a while), I stopped and bought banana and watermelon! Hurray!!!! Plus, Dr. Shah said we could take a short trip to the
country, covered appropriately AND I could attend Easter Services on Sunday IF I wear my mask, sit in the back, and
don't touch anyone! Oh, Creekside,
you know that I want to hug you all, but that will have to wait. Please just see the smile in my eyes and
know that I am hugging you from the inside.
On a side note, my hair started falling out one week
ago, exactly three weeks from the start of chemo. Right on track.
It is not coming out in clumps as is typical for those who lose all
their hair. It is coming out all
over in MULTIPLE strands, filling the sink like it did before. So I will probably just end up with
really thin hair like I did last time.
Not sure which I prefer. But I will be content with what I have. I do have a lot of hair to work with,
so it takes a while before other people notice. It’ll grow back.
It’s just hair.
As far as prayer requests, please pray that the
phantom itch stays away, that the steroid shot to my knees proves beneficial,
that all the other joints that couldn't get a shot will be managed by my meds,
that those killer T-Cells are in there doing their job, for my counts to come
up which will positively effect my stamina and endurance which are currently
minimal. Thank you all!! Cyber hugs!
“Now to Him who is able to do
far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power
that works within us, to Him be
the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and
ever. Amen.”
Ephesians 3:20-21
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