Thursday and Counting

My days start with a blood draw for labs and then the doctors decide if I need Red Blood Cells or Platelets... of which I receive around noon. I have a lot of down time and fill it with my laptop computer and doing work at the office through the network. The worst part of the hospital is the food... it's not bad but it's always the same. And my taste buds find everything rather bland. If I have to smell gravy on mashed potato's again I think I'll start a food fight!
I call Mom and Dad every morning around 6am. They are solid. I get a call from my Kathy around 7am who invites me back into my real world and always wants to bring me something I need and something to make me happy. Just seeing her walk into my hospital room with a bag of goodies in one hand and the other arm open to give me a hug is my biggest reason for living. None of this would be worth it without her. And she is very alone most of the time taking care of herself, our life, the bills and me. The burden on the care giver is beyond most peoples understand. She will go days sometimes without a call from anyone but me. I wish very much that she were closer to our family members while I'm away.
Breakfast has arrived, 8:45am, and I can hardly wait to find the mystery meat on my plate.

This is the 9th posting for February... if you want to read any of my previous posts, just click on Older Posts on the bottom of this page or the sidebar on the left labeled "All My Journal Entries"

JW

Results on Tuesday

I finished chemo late Sunday night and felt like I was run over by a beer truck most of Monday. Parts of me were saying I had the flu and other parts told me I was 101-years old. This stuff is nasty! The doctors and staff here balance the chemo with all kinds of side drugs and IV so I have very little nausea or lose of appetite. My IV's have been reduced from 4 bags to 1 bag.
I expect to see Dr. Sanatinia, my cancer doctor, this afternoon to give me orders for 2-blood transfusions and to give me some idea when I can leave this place. Being isolated in this hospital room has proven more difficult than I expected. Kathy has been making trips up here to a couple times a day; bringing me fresh PJ's and snacks, today's newspaper and just the warm glow of her smile. Her girlfriend Robbie has stopped in a couple times as well.
So, today's the big day and I have a list of questions for the doc as I post this blog before sunrise on this fine Tuesday morning. "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed" - 2 Corinthians 4:8,9
I hope all my extended family everywhere is doing well. Love, JW

Hospital Day 3

I finished all the 4-blood and 2-platelets and begin chemo on Thursday night. The first bag of chemo took 30-minutes but the 2nd-bag will take 3-days. It is a slow continuous process that will be finished Sunday night. This stuff really attacks the stem cells right out of the bone marrow. We will find out what my blood counts are next week and will rebuild my system with red blood cells and platelets again.
We’re uncertain what the resolve will be other than I will need this process 3-times before I return to MD Anderson in May. Getting into remission is how I will qualify for stem cell transplant. A stem cell transplant is the only thing that will save my life. Kathy and I have talked long and hard about it and will have to make plans to repeat the process started in Houston last August. I’ll have more on the results of the current chemo next week… maybe Monday. JW

Next comes Chemotherapy

My blood numbers from Houston… not so good. My doctors have told me to give up on these clinical trials and go for Chemotherapy IV. After seeing my doctor here on Wednesday and watching my numbers drop even more, Dr. Sanatinia decided to check me into the hospital for 5-days. I started receiving red cells and platelets right away and into the evening. I am continuing at this moment with my 4th bag of red cells as I write. I knew I was in trouble when I could barely walk from the plane to my car after arriving Las Vegas.
Getting me loaded up on blood count before I start chemotherapy is the goal. I will be receiving Cytarabine and Idarubicin tonight as an infusion into my chest port. My doctor said it is a 3-day process and a couple days of recovery.
Kathy and I are reading about the drugs and will know a lot more after it is pushed into my system. Meanwhile, Kathy has been shopping comfort foods for me. It has been like my birthday every time she comes to visit! JW

Celine...

Tuesday in Houston

I left Las Vegas on Monday morning to arrive Houston in the early evening. My treatments at MD Anderson start early Tuesday morning. We switched plans in Austin. A young lady sitting by the window next to me went to sleep as we pushed out of the gate and woke up when the wheel touched down in Houston. Pissed me off that I can't get to sleep even after a Tylenol PM!!
My overnight stay at the Holiday Inn Express was complete with dinner at either Pizza Hut or Burger King -I chose Burger King as they had seating. Holiday Inn did breakfast the next morning. I was surprised how they could screw up a Denver Omelet and throw in a dry biscuit and still charge me $9.
Labs and blood marrow went well Tuesday morning. My platelets are too low and I bled out on the examination table where they drilled a hole in my ass. Now they've decided to give me platelets before I get back on the plane, however, I have a flight out at 6pm and they can't get started until 4pm. I make my flight or spend another night in Houston.
Kathy is making Oyster Soup for supper and I never miss supper with Kathy! We're seeing our local cancer doctor this Wednesday afternoon to begin an alternate chemo treatment. More on that later. JW

Tuesday Express

Tuesday's blood numbers were a fright! I was admitted to the hospital for 3-units of Red Cells and 1-unit of Platelets. The process sent me home about 6am on Wednesday... I took the day off and worked from home.
Kathy and I are really enjoying the health information Laura has been digging up off the Internet. It has inspired her to develop another blog for our site whose link can be found on the upper left of this site. Or you can just click HERE We are working thru this maze of herbs and pond scum to incorporate all the ideas into my 3-meals a day. This has resulted in my taking 2-less drugs already! There are parts of me that have never functioned better. So, take my advice and watch some of the videos from Natalie and follow some of the movement from so many directions that focus on self healing along with a little help from Mother Earth.
My blood numbers looked fine from yesterday and I'm headed to Houston on Monday and Tuesday... more on that when I return. Meanwhile, stay well! JW

Do you have faith in conventional medicine?

I ended the week the way I started - with a blood transfusion. I had a reaction to this last one and played couch potato most of Saturday. But, we're feeling fine and ready for another week of opportunities. Well, not really.
I'll be doing labs on Tuesday and Thursday of this week and will most likely have a transfusion on Thursday. Next Monday I leave for MD Anderson for Labs, Bone Marrow Aspiration and a visit with Dr. Kantarjian.
Meanwhile, we're looking into the John Huntsman Cancer Center in Salt Lake City for my treatments and chemo trials. MD Anderson is a wonderful place for stem cell transplant - but as you know, we're beyond that. So, a closer facility and a new approach and focus might just be the ticket.
Strange, I did not create the heading for this post... I simply touched the "D" key and that showed up.

"Instead of treating the symptom, treat the cause. The symptom will then disappear. Only then will you experience a true cure." sent to me from Laura. JW

EEK of a Week

Well, two weeks was too long and I ended up going in for transfusions last Monday. My skin looks like I have the Measles from where my blood started leaking thru. My doctor was on vacation and I thought I could make my body do the same. WRONG! I’m seeing my vacationing doctor on Friday this week. So I expect to have another round of blood transfers Friday night into Saturday.
The great news is while Kathy is recovering and healing and taking all these tests, we have our daughter Laura staying with us from San Diego. She is always helping us by entertaining, keeping our minds off our old bodies and keeping our attitudes happy. Besides, she is a preschool teacher and treats us the same of her 3-4 year olds… we fit right in.
My folks living in Florida escaped all the horrible tornadoes this week and are enjoying 65-years of marriage today. Kathy and I are still waiting for both of us to feel good enough on the same evening to enjoy that free dinner waiting for us at Farraros Restaurant for our 25th anniversary.
We’re warming up in Las Vegas and Kathy and I looking forward to getting out and walking the neighborhood just as soon as both of us are back on our feet. Laura plans to leave as soon as Kathy starts giving orders. She’ll know her work is done. JW

Super WeekEnd

My Doctor

MDS International Foundation anounced: MDS is a relatively young disorder, yet in the past several years, great strides have been made in treating MDS. Treatment options now include three different medications. I am currently on a clinical trial from MD Anderson called Clofarabine. This drug is only administered in Houston. My cancer clinic here in Las Vegas transmits my blood numbers to my Houston team when ever I have labs taken. Currently, I'm scheduled to return to Houston February 18-19th for evaluation. At that time we'll see if the current treatment is working.

It's a quite weekend here at the Whitlow's abode as we watch Tiger play the Dubai and of course the Super Bowl on Sunday. I plan on a little skin in the game by taking the Giants and the under.
Kathy is adjusting to her new treatments and medicines and gets a little better each day.
Thanks for your thoughts, prayers and kind comments for us. JW