I’m not sure why I have waited this long to document the
news and happenings of the past weeks.
I think perhaps that I needed some answers, some resolution, before I
put it here. Of course, everyone
else already knows! Family, friends, Facebook!! Everyone has been praying and
encouraging. So I’m really not
sure why I waited….
Early May. I had been waiting for my call from Dr. Shah regarding my
bone marrow biopsy (BMB) results.
I had already gotten a good report on my labs and CT for my two-year post
stem-cell check up. I missed her
call on Friday, May 9, while at the grocery store. She had left a message asking for a good time to call
back. Her message seemed odd to
me. If everything had been ok, she
would have just left a message saying so…. Hmmm. It was
Mother’s Day weekend, and we were busy with family. I didn’t mention the phone call.
Monday afternoon, May 12, Dr. Shah called with results that
none of us were expecting. Minimal
Residual Disease (MRD). And my
donor cell count had reduced back to 96% from the 100% it had achieved. It doesn’t sound horrible where
you may be sitting, but it was not good news. As the eternal optimist, Dr. Shah scheduled another biopsy
to rule out a false positive and/or check for possible growth.
Almost immediately, Paul went back into research mode, but
there just wasn’t enough information for anything conclusive. We would just have to wait.
Three days later, on May 15, after 21 years with the
company, Paul lost his job. Out of
the blue, unmerited, managed out.
Well, that’s one way to get your mind off cancer! They not only took his job, but our
health and life insurance, his truck, his phone, his retirement plan…. He had been completely devoted and
dedicated to his company. This was
more than just losing a job. It
was like losing a part of him.
The one highlight of the last few weeks was our fourth
anniversary. This was Paul’s year
to plan, so of course it was already paid for. :) We first spent time in Fredericksburg,
got rained out of Cascade Caverns again, climbed Enchanted Rock, visited some
old and new wineries, and then came the surprise…Cypress Valley Canopy
Tours. We stayed in a tree house
in the woods! There was a
beautiful private bathhouse with a rock waterfall spa across the bridge. The next morning, we enjoyed the
zip-line tour on the property.
Amazing. It was wonderful
to put all our concerns aside for a few days and just enjoy each other.
June 11 was my follow up bone marrow biopsy. June 12, Paul accepted a position with
Graco Mechanical, working for his best friend. How cool is that?
They have been in the same field for all these years but never had the
opportunity to work together. Paul
is looking forward to working in a more positive environment. There are some concerns regarding such
a big change in our insurance, etc., but God is bigger than insurance!
June 18, I got my call from Dr. Shah with the results from
my follow up BMB. The good news
was that the abnormal cells (MRD) had not increased. The bad news was that it had not been a false positive as
was hoped. The leukemia is trying
to inch back slowly. She did not
have the results of my chimerism test (donor %), so we would have to continue
to wait on that. If the %
continues to fall, then action will most likely have to be taken…such as a
donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI).
It’s like a stem cell booster.
Dr. Shah is consulting with my leukemia doctor, Dr. O’Brien,
to determine the ongoing course of action. She feels like a less invasive course is best for now. That would include regular blood draws
to check CBC counts and flow cytometry via blood instead of bone marrow. I have an appointment to see Dr.
O’Brien on June 30 and am scheduled for another BMB in October.
We were able to take an additional week off before Paul
started his new job and go back to the country for several days. My daughter and her family came for
four of them, and we had a family get together for my brother’s birthday. I love our time in our little slice of
heaven, and I love sharing it with the people dear to me!
June 26. I got
word from Dr. Shah this morning that my chimerism results (donor %) came back
at 97%!! That's UP a % from last
month!! Thank you, God!!! They still want me to meet with Dr.
O'Brien, my leukemia doctor, on Monday to re-do my labs and set up a new follow
up schedule. But for now, as far
as I understand, I do not have to proceed with a DLI or any other
procedures. Thank you, thank you,
thank you to all who continue to pray for me!!!
The past couple months have felt like an emotional roller
coaster, but God has continued to ride it with us! What a difference that makes!!!
Romans
8:31 “What, then, shall we say in
response to these things? If God
is for us, who can be against us?”
