Well obviously, I am posting again. I have had a very rough 3 months. I don't remember when I last posted and what I wrote, so I'll give a little summary. Early June, I was doing great. Recovering very well from the bone marrow transplant, just going along. Then I got a high fever. Back to the hospital for two days. I go directly passed go - straight to the bone marrow isolation ward. After hydration and some medications, they sent me home. Five days later, I started to turn yellow and my liver functions were going up (wrong direction). Back to my room on the 19th floor. More meds, lots of test and biopsies and a week later, I am told the tests are inconclusive but I most likely have Host verses Graft Disease. This is very common with a bone marrow transplant and a little of the disease is good. It means my body is working to absorb the donor. I was released from the hospital with plans of going to the cancer center for follow-up 3 days later. I refused appointments on my sons graduation, but realized that day that I looked like something out of a horror movie - no lie. My skin had turned green and my eyes were glowing yellow. The next morning I packed a bag, canceled the cancer center and walked in to the transplant ward. They started me on a treatment of ATG (horse serum). Six treatments, given every other day. The last three doses were doubled because it wasn't working. This was my best shot at recovery. If this stuff didn't work, I'd be dead before the year was out. I am not a candidate for liver transplant because of my medical history - nice to know. My bilirubin (liver function) was up to 12. Normal is less than 1. I had to have my catheter removed because of hospital infections, they stuck a line in my neck in the hospital and then sent me home with a pick-line in my arm. They sent me home to wait and see what happens. I had to go back to the cancer center 3 times a week for IV medication and lab work, but that was better than hospital food and isolation. I came home and eat all the right things. I slowly started to turn pink again and the bilirubin decreased every time I took labs. As of this week, my bilirubin is less than 1 (yeah), My hemoglobin is over 10 (that hasn't happened in years), I am walking 2 miles a day, eating the best I ever have and feeling like I am a real healthy live person again (before cancer). I am slowly being weaned off the medications (including steroids and insulin). Some of the drugs raised my sugar so high, I had to be put on 2 kinds of insulin to control it. I have once again amazed the doctors. They just don't know what to think of me. I just refuse to let this get me. I got my son off to college and now I have 2 more years before my daughter graduates. I will not let my daughter live with her father, so that's just it! I have to be here. He is such a deadbeat and probably wouldn't fight for her anyway, but if it meant keeping child support, who knows. So except for the pick-line, I do not look or act like a patient...I am now down to visiting the cancer center once per week and have taken on new hobbies. I am thinking I may take a class or two next semester. I am more than half way towards my BA and would love to finish. If you want to read my whole story...
http://journals.aol.com/madubois63/A...weeklycalendar/
I guess I should put all my blogs together - another project to do.
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