Day 23 - Almost got me!

Blog - November 10th Day 23
I am going to make an attempt at circumstances beginning with a call from my Oncologist on Oct 15th, telling me that I needed to be in the hospital Monday morning at 10AM, up to where I find myself today. She was reading the results of a recent bone marrow biopsey that showed the MDS I had been fighting over a year had transformed itself into AML ( Acute Myloid Leukemia). I asked her if there any options, she said "no, you have 4 weeks to live without this induction chemo treatment, it is the only option I can offer"...... you know, that kinda get a person's attention! To compound the issue, we had 36 puppies all ready to go to their "forever homes" within a week. Much of what is a great blur of chemo (24x7) little sleep, missing family, missing Mama's cooking, not caring about cooking, endless rounds of questions from doctors, exciting highs and the endless waiting.



Arrived at the hospital Monday morning and went to have blood work drawn, sometimes I wonder if I have given them more blood than they have given me, over the last year (over 20 infusions) but who's counting amoung friends! Got to room and settled in, had lunch (an ominous precursor of what waas to come) and wisked away for a couple tests......OK, so far so good! The folks here at VA Portland just can't be beat, they deal daily with folks with one foot in the grave and another on a banana peel. Attitudes and professionalism are apparent. However, there is something foreboding about, bright and early, Tuesday morning..... they require two more IV sites in addition to the PICC and proceed to hang about 6 bags of stuff, of different colors and size, all dripping poisen into you. This continous 24x7. Well, I says to me, maybe you will dodge the bullet! WRONG!!!!!!! About day nine things get a little fuzzy, I was talking to Sharon on the phone and it was like all the energy drained out of body, I told her goodbye, saying I was getting real tired, thankfully got the phone put away and proceeded to loose my lunch, well it was not big loss anyway......that's when the blurry part started.



As I write this, it is day 23, and spareing all the gory stuff, I think things are on the mend. The chemo was adminstered 24x7, so I have been off it for about 15 days. We are still hooked to various antibiotics, anti fungal and microbicides because the chemo has left me without any immune system. The thing we are looking for now is to get my white cells producing again, and like little Pac-Men, looking for and gobbleing up the bad guys like bacteria and fungus. A healthy person's blood count includes WBCs at about 4 - 8 this last year mine usually ran between 1-2. At day 16, mine still showed as 0. Yesterday they were at .5 and expected to really begin to grow by day 26. Best news was on Friday a team of docs came in the room, all smileing, lead doc simply said, "YOU ARE CANCER FREE", preliminary marrow tests show no cancer call"...... well, I started laughing and blubbering, pretty soon everybody was high fiveing clapping, cheering.....pretty cool! I asked him "how often does this happen?" his response "not very often"! We appreciate all your offers of help, kind thoughts and especially your prayers, please keep me on the list a little longer. Our goal is be home for a real special Thanksgiving.



At this point it is the battle for immune system. The cancer is gone now they have fix what got broken by the fixing. I have pnemonia and waiting for fungus cultures from the inside of my lungs. Docs can now take a camera, about the size of a pencil that includes water and a light and look right at your lungs, all while you are awake! That is after spraying and inhaling a Lynocaine anestheic for 2-3 minutes, the most foul tasting stuff you could ever imagine, even Brer Bear wouldn't like that stuff. The results should be back in 3-5 more days. During that time they are treating with "shotgun approach" as opposed to a "rifle approach.

My how time flies! Here we are at day 24! The only reason I add this note is significant news......look like we are going to make our goal of being home for Thanksgiving!
Like Brer Rabbit always say "ain't no Brer Fox or Brer Bear gonna get me"......hummmm! that reminds me of a story. Seems like:

“One day after Brer Rabbit had slump in the well, Brer Fox went to work and got some tar. He mixed it with some turpentine, and fixed up a contraption that he call a Tar-Baby. He put a straw hat on the Tar-Baby and sat her in the middle of the road, then hid in the bushes to see what would happen. He didn’t have to wait long either, because Brer Rabbit soon came pacing down the road—lippity-clippity, clippity-lippity—as saucy as a jay-bird. Brer Fox, he lay low. Brer Rabbit come prancing along until he spotted the Tar-Baby. Curious and dumb, but wantin to impolite,he fetched up on his hind legs as if he was astonished. The Tar Baby, she sat there and Brer Fox lay low.
“Good morning,” said Brer Rabbit, “Nice weather we’re having.” The Tar-Baby said nothing. Brer Fox laid low and grinned an evil grin. Brer Rabbit tried again. “And how are you feeling this fine day?” Brer Fox winked his eye slowly and laid low in the bushes, and the Tar Baby, well, she said nothing. “How are you then? Are you deaf?” said Brer Rabbit. “If you are, I can shout louder.” Tar-Baby stayed still, and Brer Fox, he laid low. “You’re stuck up, that’s what you are,” said Brer Rabbit, “I’ll cure you, that’s what I’ll do.” “Brer Fox, he gave a belly-laugh, but Tar-Baby said nothing.

“I’m going to teach you how to talk to respectable people, if it’s my last act,’ said Brer Rabbit. ‘If you don’t take off that hat, I’m going to beat you up”. Tar-Baby stayed still, and Brer Fox, he laid low. Brer Rabbit keep on asking, and the Tar-Baby kept on saying nothing. Presently, Brer Rabbit drew back his fist and -BLIP- he hit the Tar-Baby on the side of the head. And that’s when he lost his cool. His fist stuck and he couldn’t get loose. The tar held him. But Tar-Baby, she stayed still, and Brer Fox, he laid low. “If you don’t let me go, I’ll hit you again,” said Brer Rabbit, and with that he swiped again with the other hand, and that stuck. Tar-Baby said nothing and Brer Fox, he laid low. “Let me go, or I’ll knock the stuffing out of you,” said Brer Rabbit, but Tar-Baby said nothing. She just hung on, and Brer Rabbit lost the use of his feet in the same way. Brer Fox, he laid low. Then Brer Rabbit yelled out that if the Tar-Baby didn’t turn him loose he’d head butt her side-on. So he butted, and his head got stuck. Then Brer Fox sauntered out, looking as innocent as one of your mummy’s mocking-birds. “Hiya, Brer Rabbit,” said Brer Fox. “You look sort of stuck up this morning,” and then he rolled on the ground, and laughed and laughed until he could laugh no more. “You’ll have to have dinner with me this time, Brer Rabbit. I’ve got some calamus root, and I won’t take any excuses”.
When Brer Fox found Brer Rabbit entangled with the Tar-Baby, he felt really good, and he rolled on the ground laughing. Eventually, he got up and said:
“Well, I think I got you this time, Brer Rabbit. Maybe I haven’t, but I think I have. You been running around here being cheeky for a mighty long time, but I think you’ve come to the end of the line. You’ve been cutting capers and bouncing about the neighbourhood where I’m in charge, and poking about in what is not your business,” said Brer Fox.

“Who asked you to chat up the Tar-Baby? And who stuck you up the way you are? Nobody in the round world. You just jammed yourself on that Tar-Baby without waiting for any invitation,” said Brer Fox,. “And there you are, and there you’ll stay until I fix up a heap of brushwood and make a fire, ’cos I’m going to barbeque you today for sure,” said Brer Fox.
So Brer Rabbit talked in a mighty humble way.

“I don’t care what you do with me, Brer Fox” said Brer Rabbit. “Just don’t fling me in that briar patch over there. Roast me, Brer Fox, but don’t fling me in in that briar patch,” said Brer Rabbit.
“It’s so much trouble to start a fire,” said Brer Fox, “that I think I’d rather hang you.”
“Hang me just as high as you please, Brer Fox,” said Brer Rabbit, “but for Lord’s sake don’t fling me in in that briar patch.
“I don’t have any string,” said Brer Fox, “so I think I’d rather drown you.”
“Drown me just as deep as you please, Brer Fox,” said Brer Rabbit, “but for Lord’s sake don’t fling me in in that briar patch.”
“There’s no water nearby,” said Brer Fox, “so I think I’d rather skin you.”
“Skin me, Brer Fox, snatch out my eyeballs, tear out my ears by the roots, and cut off my legs,” said Brer Rabbit. “Only please, Brer Fox, please don’t throw me into the briar patch.”
“It’s not going to be much fun skinning you,” said Brer Fox, “you’re not scared of that. But you are scared of the briar patch.”
And with that, Brer Fox yanked Brer Rabbit off the Tar-Baby, and he flung him -KERPLUNK!- right into the briar patch.
Well, there was a flutter where Brer Rabbit landed, then “Ooo! Oow! Ouch!” he screeched and he squalled. Then after a while, there was only a weak whisper from Brer Rabbit. Brer Fox listened.
“I got him! Brer Rabbit is dead!” said Brer Fox.
But then he heard a scuffling away at the other end of the briar patch. And low and behold, who does Brer Fox see scrambling out but Brer Rabbit himself, playing a briar bush whistle.

“Born and bred in the briar patch, that’s me,” laughed Brer Rabbit. “I told you not to throw me there. In all the world, that’s the place I love best!”
With a lippity clip, he hopped away.

Now don't ask me what anything this story has to my situation, except a few suttle comments concerning the forces arrayed against us in life.....email if you find them