Tuesday, January 13, 2004
Day + 90 Sometimes dealing with cancer is so surrealistic. Yesterday at the cancer center John was waiting to be called into the exam room when one of the nurses at a patient's request began to play the piano. Sam, the nurse first played a couple tunes including the theme to the Godfather, and by the third song one of the fellow patients, gaunt , slightly bent from disease, definitely in pain from his bone cancer got up and shuffled in time to the music. This man, Sergi, who John I have have met and gotten to know from our cancer center encounters even through all his treatment and pain still doesn't give into the cancer that is working hard to kill him, and he danced. It was as if watching this I felt watched too, not real people, but like we were all stuck on a movie screen, not allowed to leave, but up there acting as if this cancer is real. It is at times so tempting to walk out of the movie screen, much like Jeff Daniels did in the Purple Rose of Cairo. I only hope this is not my last memory of Sergi.
John continues to do well. They have cut quite a few of his GVH medicines. The result is we are watching John carefully for signs of GVH, almost too carefully in John's opinion. His cheeks have become flushed the last few days and Dr. Wolf suspects it could be early GVH of the skin. John thinks it is a bit of a sunburn since he hasn't been diligent using sunscreen each day, and I hope he is right. Dr. Wolf will increase one medicine, but thankfully not the prednisone which John has been tapering off of the last few weeks. For those who have not taken steroids before, they are very hard on the body. They leech the bones of strength, puff up the face and pack on the pounds, which in turn hurts the knees and heart. They also make John moody. So at least for a while Dr. Wolf is still trying to get him as quickly as possible off of the steroids and will increase the Cyclosporine if the red cheeks continue.
John's blood is still holding steady, platelets were 181, hemoglobin 11.4 and WBCs 3.2. Next Wednesday John will have his 100 day bone marrow biopsy. This is transplant protocol as there is no indication of a relapse.
We updated the pictures in the picture gallery, and the front page including a blow by blow description of a bone marrow biopsy. Click on the words that are underlined to look at the actual pictures of the process. Also Aud forwarded me the many kind words and cheers. Thanks for the encouragement.
For those wondering about my friend PJ, she is hanging in there, barely. So please still keep her in your prayers.
John continues to do well. They have cut quite a few of his GVH medicines. The result is we are watching John carefully for signs of GVH, almost too carefully in John's opinion. His cheeks have become flushed the last few days and Dr. Wolf suspects it could be early GVH of the skin. John thinks it is a bit of a sunburn since he hasn't been diligent using sunscreen each day, and I hope he is right. Dr. Wolf will increase one medicine, but thankfully not the prednisone which John has been tapering off of the last few weeks. For those who have not taken steroids before, they are very hard on the body. They leech the bones of strength, puff up the face and pack on the pounds, which in turn hurts the knees and heart. They also make John moody. So at least for a while Dr. Wolf is still trying to get him as quickly as possible off of the steroids and will increase the Cyclosporine if the red cheeks continue.
John's blood is still holding steady, platelets were 181, hemoglobin 11.4 and WBCs 3.2. Next Wednesday John will have his 100 day bone marrow biopsy. This is transplant protocol as there is no indication of a relapse.
We updated the pictures in the picture gallery, and the front page including a blow by blow description of a bone marrow biopsy. Click on the words that are underlined to look at the actual pictures of the process. Also Aud forwarded me the many kind words and cheers. Thanks for the encouragement.
For those wondering about my friend PJ, she is hanging in there, barely. So please still keep her in your prayers.
