Easter Sunday nite

Everything seems to be fine now but I had to be started on antibiotics in what turned out to be a urinary tract infection that also went to my blood. So Sunday nite I had a 101 temp I went locally to get blood cultures done the next day and threw in a urinalysis on my own. anyway I was started on one broad sprectrem antibiotic to try and cover me till the final cultures were in-3days-it turned out it was not the right drug so I was switched to one that would be effective. The same bacteria in my urine was in my blood so they thing that was the source.

The hardest part of all this was it has been pounded into my head by endless medical people that you must go to the hospital immeadiatly if you find your self having a temp whitch were happening for 2 night during the hours the ferry is not running to Seattle. But my Dr. helped me by saying take your temp at bedtime, then in the morning if it is not down then call me- ferries would be running then- so I was able to go to bed and not obsess and keep taking my temp. So that felt good. In the morning it was down and the cultures were completed that day and I DIDN'T HAVE TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL.

love to all, M

good friday

It was our infirmities that he bore,our sufferings that he endured while we thought of him as stricken, as one smitten by God and afflicted. But he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins.

All good news, everything is negative in fact they didn't do th flow part of the bx because it wasn't indicated. The other great thing is I had the Hickman catheter in my chest taken out as I'll only have blood draws monthly that should be doable. It is an adjustment, I have lived with it since June 06. Flushing it daily, drsg changes, changeing the caps at the end weekly. You get attached to things. I was so attached it took the surgeon 45 min to be able to remove it, as he said if your don't reject it it becomes part of you. But it always functioned perfectly and considering I had blood draws most every day for 6 months on top of about 20 blood/product transfusions.oh, and the transplant which came in the form of a transfusion. The Hickman meant I didn't have any worry or a second of pain or watching my veins being distroyed and wondering if one could be found next time. I saw a patient go through that on dialysis, his last line fell out. He and those at his bedside knew what it meant- I stepped out of the room and cried.

It is hailing now. Thankyou for checking the blog, thankyou for your thoughts,concern and prayers Love to all, M

still waiting

Hi all, last wed was Dr visit where I thought I'd get all the results from the bx two weeks before. Feb.25. Well the bx was free of any evidence of leukemia but another part of the test which they call the flo was still pending my Dr computer said. We talked about taking out the Hickman catheter in my chest and that a surgeon would have to do it with just a local anesthetic. So I am ready to move on this. I put in a call this morning stating the above- no word back at 4pm.

So we are going to a small St.Patrick's dinner tonight, traditions fare, it will be good to go out. I hope there is some Irish music. I feel like dancing. Actually I did some dancing today, I was sorting music Cd's and played one I had bought for our 50Th anniversary party titled wedding celebrations or something, I thought it was slow dignified music, and I never played it until today. Michael Jackson's "Billi Jean" is what got me going, turned it up plenty loud too- fun.

Love to all, M

the sun is shining!

Just a few words to bring everyone up to date.
M had her biopsy on the 25th of feb. . Then a clinic visit,at Virginia Mason, on the 27th. That was too soon to have any results back from the SCCA. We go to V.M. (Virginia Mason) on the 12th, tomorrow, for a scheduled clinic visit/blood draw. Then we should have info/news.
We, M and I (Robert or Dad or caregiver) are fine. We kind of live day by day, enjoying each one fully.Things are pretty normal here. It is a fine day, like I said, the sun is shining. We go out for walks as we can, when M feels up to it. I always have something to do what with the yard and the daily "chores". Have started some peas in the greenhouse. Have spread manure on most of the garden and have it tilled.
We start ever day with pills and end every day with pills. A couple have been stopped now and M is on a taper for the rejection drug cyclosporine. At that time a couple of others stop. M takes pills to counter the effects of other pills!
All for now, we are well. Some times we get side tracked and forget family and friends who wonder how we are.
my love DAD

No news is good news

Margie's not writing, so here I am again. Missed all of you and by the look of the tracking that we have on the site, you're checking in (albeit less regularly) and haven't seen any new info.

So, here I am.  I'll just  throw out some factoids as I think that's an easy way to convey what I know and avoid telling some long story. 

- bone marrow biopsy done two weeks ago- I think around feb. 25- as of friday, she hadn't heard anything back so I of course took that as a "no news is good news" type of message.

Lord know's when there's something bad, the bearer of the news manages to contact the patient 

(in this case) chop, chop.  

M will be doing some blood work at the Hutch which is part of the package as she is a recipient of a transplant  there and thus, willingly gives her blood (and more) for research so that other cancer patients can benefit from what the Hutch learns from her case. (So much we don't know!)

-M did mention that she had some unexplained pain in her hip that was keeping her from walking. When she'd gone in to see Doc Picozi, he'd done an x-ray (always looking for that GVHD,  doncha know) but hadn't found anything to  be concerned about.  Since then, she'd reported that it seemed to be getting better.

- When I called about a week ago, M was about one week post biopsy which apparently was rough (as they can be) I had my dad, R on the phone and then Margie on the other line and of course, when I asked her how she was feeling, she said her usual "oh, I'm fine" and dad piped in with: "you are not, tell her you feel like crap" 

Here's what popped into my mind:

-how lucky to have a spouse after 51 years that tells it straight.

-51 years! oyvey. 

-glad Dad spoke up and said that, as it's good to deal with what's real, and there's nothing wrong with that, even for a stiff upper lip lassie  like Margie.

-cancer sucks

But, alas, isn't everything soooooo much better than it was a year ago, 9 months ago? you get the idea. Of course, easy for me to say. I'm not the one going through all of this. But how incredibly fortunate we are that we can move on with our daily affairs, dealing with  the mundane and not hyper-focused on Margie, the leukemia and the outcome of her transplant.

How blessed I feel

Love, 

Kathleen