Been a Good Week

So, It has been almost one week since my last day of chemotherapy. The week has gone really well. (knock on wood, wish good luck, superstitious stuff, etc) I have not gotten sick and had a good doctor appointment today. I made my first banana breads, they turned out pretty good. Threw some stuff into the crock pot yesterday and that was great. Made some soup today and am going to make a dinner for tonight for Mols and Adie.

AS TO THE DOCTOR APT: Here is the only new information...I have blood draws the next two weeks, and my numbers will probably continue to fluctuate, because of the numbers, I may need transfusions throughout the next few weeks. My chest tube and incision site from the video assisted thoracic surgery are sore and I need to take an additional antibiotic for those, but they are ok as checked today. Friday next week I have another Pulmonary Function Test. This is the test where you breathe a whole bunch of times into a machine connected to computers to evaluate lung capacity and volume, how fast/slow/much/little I can take into my lungs. This is a SUPER important test. As important as Marino to Duper, DeBerg to Thomas, Majkowski to Sharpe in Super Tecmo Bowl. This test needs to be the same or improved from earlier for the doctors to be more comfortable with my transplant. I felt good about the meeting and am saying prayers that I do not get a neutropenic fever! Lets get to transplant!!!!

T

Best Update

Just had a good long talk with an oncologist from Froedtert. The results from the VATS procedure are almost all back and this is what they have so far. They tested my lung biopsy for EVERYTHING. He listed off probably 20 different infections that I do not have for sure, many of those were fungal and bacterial. The virals take longer to come back, but there is nothing showing on any of them. I do have intersticialnumenitis, which is a long word for inflammation in my lungs. There still is a very small amount of bleeding in my lungs, but, there is no clear reason, and it should be getting better. I feel like it is getting better based in my continued improvements in walking and talking (yes, at the same time) and the sparameter. The plan is, if my CT scan is the same as it was prior to the VATS procedure or better, they will have another meeting and decide whether to go forward with transplant. It sounds like it is pretty good that that will happen, but I am not going to make any for sure statements after this last 'date" that was set. It feels like everything is coming together in a good way. My feelings are, the cancer is more than likely going to come back if I do not get a transplant. My lungs are prohibiting that transplant, but in the end, the cancer is going to be my downfall. Saying that, the window is closing for getting my lungs as healthy as they can and still being disease free so that I make it through the transplant. The reason for my latest round of chemotherapy (which ends today) is to make sure that the leukemia is kept under control. It is vital that I go to transplant with as little disease possible in my system. I am excited for the next few weeks and think things will go well.

So, here I sit finishing my final bag of cytarabine, watching the Badgers absolutely punish the Oregon St. Beavers, Packers sitting at 1-0 after a great opening National Football League game on Thursday night in Green Bay and the Brewers still hanging on to second place in the National League, and first in the NL Central. Feels good to listen to all my friends with other interests whine about the Packers. Adeline has begun walking all over the place, Molly got her hair did, things are going well. Thanks again to my buddy Jordan for the phone call today. Good luck to my great friend Thane who gets married today, I wish I could be there in person, but I will be there in spirit. (Too bad my spirit can't drink :) Thank you also goes out to everyone for all of the prayers, thoughts, and well wishes. I know it has gotten me this far.

Love~ T

At the Hospital

So, we are on our 4th round of chemotherapy, day 2 of 4. Things are going ok, although yesterday, I was very nauseous and got the opportunity to fill up a pink bucket with used lunch and dinner from earlier in the day. Today, I went for a few walks, enjoys the third book in "the Game of Thrones" series, and as able to eat. NOW, I am sitting in front of a 50 in television with the Packer game on and a TV above with the Brewer game on. I may not have had a better set up if I was at home....so for this few hours, don't feel bad that I am in the hospital.

I Have Holes in My Side

Just wanted to touch base with everyone. Yesterday, the chest tube came out and it was pretty sore, however, it feels a little better this morning and I have gotten some news. My transplant doctor was able to come in last night and spoke with me. She is expecting news from the lung biopsy in the next couple of days. Once we know what is going on there, we will be able to proceed with the transplant; the doc was optomistic about getting on the transplant schedule right away. That is really good news, I hope the Docs get the results from the biopsy soon, it is tough to wait again.

The picture shows the area where the chest tube is covered with some protective foam padding. Directly above the pad is the cut they had to make (the back part is covered by the foam) to get the pieces of lung they needed for the biopsy. There are also two scars you can see above the incision for the biopsy. Those scars are both earlier chest tubes that were put in. The difference from those chest tubes, to the one they put in here at Froedtert most recently is the diameter of the tube going into the chest cavity. The latest tube had a larger diameter than my two scars. As I said, things are starting to feel a little better as of last night. GO Brew today against the Cardinals.

Out

Chest tube out, the lady taking it out said it was like a sword in your lung while you are trying to breathe. I do not like chest tubes. Hopefully healing will go quickly so I can continue to gain strength for the bone marrow transplant.

In da Club ... & by club I mean hospital

Hanging out in the hospital after my VATS PROCEDURE. It supposedly went well, but this chest tube and the surgery has been a very sore experience. The incision is just under my armpit, so the muscles there are very tender whenever I try to move my right arm. That incision is just above the chest tube, so that makes it sore as well. I also ended up with a minor fever, but I got through that ok this morning. They did have to do blood cultures (that means that even though I have a pick line, they have to stick me). The pick line is shown in the picture, they draw blood from there and also can administer lots o' drugs and fluids and stuff. Just have to be very careful they say clean, they can be a source of bacteria and infection. Molly and I have a funny nickname for them, but if you want to know, you'll have to throw out some guesses on Facebook or something. I'm not telling. I do have to say it again, the food here is pretty darn good, I had a decent baked potato for lunch today and am thinking about the steak for dinner.

Brew won again tonight, keeps them 10 1/2 games up on Cards assuming they win (up 5-4). Already stated in last post, but I am really looking forward to football season and fantasy football to really get going. I have gotten some reading done while in the hospital, I am 560 pages into 'Storm of Swords' which is the Third book in the Song of Fire and Ice (Game of Thrones) series. It was made into a show on HBO, and I can't wait for that to come out on DVD. I also tucked a Stephanie Meyer (The Host) in, thanks to L. MAZ, and I have a couple of James Patterson's thanks to N. HUNDT and D. NAVS.

Molly starts work tomorrow, I am really going to miss Homestead High School this year. From the students and great staff, to the coaching and excitement of a new school day each day. I remember thinking while I was at school, just before I was diagnosed, so I was feeling ill, how sometimes school was so tough. A student may have a bad day, Scott Walker may have done stupid things, I may have a disagreement with a peer, or just not feel well...but looking at it now, it is one of those things that really makes you think. Going to work each day, to a job I love and staff who are a joy, mostly :), to be around, something new everyday for better or worse. I am blessed and I can't wait to get back to it.

Oh well, enough rambling. Have a great night, Go Brew, Go PACK, Go HHS Boys Soccer, GO back to school teachers and know how awesome you all are~

Surgery (VATS) Day

Today is the day that I get my lung biopsy done. I am a little bummed because it is general anesthetic, so I had to stop eating and drinking at 12am last night. Too bad, I heard the breakfast at Froedtert was good. Last night I had some of the food and it was a nice surprise, kind of better than the usual hospital food. My nurse said she would let me know when it was time to go to surgery. I know Molly posted something on caring bridge, but it is not a major surgery, it is a VATS procedure. According to the Rush University Medical Center website, VATS is "Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery is a minimally invasive surgical procedure used to diagnose and treat illness or injury to the lung and other organs in the chest cavity (thorax). During VATS, a tiny camera with a light source is inserted through a small incision between the ribs. A second small incision is used to insert special instruments between the ribs into the chest cavity." SO we are hoping they can treat whatever is going on in my lungs so that I can get to transplant asap! No matter what they find, we still go to transplant as that is my best hope for long term survival, we are just hoping that it can be treated quickly and effectively.

Brewers and Packers are both on tonight, hopefully I wont be too drugged out to watch them. I also need to start doing some research for my fantasy team drafts coming up, I figure since I will have more time, I better do a halfway decent job this year.

Hope everyone is doing well!