It has been a couple of months since my last update. A lot has transpired so I will do my best to put it all in print.
The one year bone marrow biopsy results came back
good. The CD 33 is 100% donor, CD 3 is
97% donor and the bone marrow is 95% donor.
The only item that is still in the low range is the lymphocytes and
specifically the CD4 T cell helper/inducer cells. The current level is 0.034 and bottom end of
the normal range is 2.0. The Campath does
a number on the lymphocytes and it could be a bit longer before they come back
to the normal range. In the mean while
Bill will continue to stay on Bactrim and Acyclovir.
The thyroid issue has been brought under control with
medication. It took about two and a half
months for the medicine to do its job and to get the correct dosing. At the time it seemed like an eternity for
the pills to take effect.
Bill and I took our first vacation in almost two years
during the December holidays. We went
camping in the keys from December 23rd until January 2nd. We camped out at the KOA at mile marker 20
in sugarloaf key. The campground sites
were a little tight but we managed to have a really great time. Bill's son William (Billy) and his wife
Johanna and their boys Adrian and Alex joined us for a few days. We really enjoyed the beautiful blue water
and the wonderful views. While they were
with us we rented a boat for half a day and had a wonderful time, Bill's
grandson Adrian did most of the
driving. Sookie (our dog) came for the
boat ride as well. Bill and I had dinner at a wonderful restaurant called Manga
Manga in Key West and would highly recommend it to anyone traveling to the
Keys.
I did a 40 mile bicycle ride from mile marker 20 to zero
and back to 20. On the way back, 30
miles into the ride I had an accident with a women who was talking on her cell
phone and did not see me. Fortunately I
was able to avoid her hitting me or me hitting her car. Unfortunately I went down and broke the fall
with my hands and fractured the radial head in my left elbow.
After three weeks in a cast and three and half weeks of
physical therapy I am doing much better.
My first trip to the gym since the fall was last week.
After our vacation Bill was feeling great and started to
do things around the house. He is
cooking again and I am in heaven. He is
the best cook in the world and I love what ever he makes. The last two weeks
have been slow for him. His strength has
diminished a little and he has some fatigue.
His blood work showed lower platelets and lower hemoglobin which would
explain the fatigue. Two weeks ago Bill
went and redid his blood work and the levels came up so hopefully he will start
to have his strenght back. The Platelets
were 36.70 and the last test came back at 71.90. Normal range is 161.00 and transfusion is
required at 10.00.
Today was Bill's appointment at Moffitt. First blood work and then an appointment with
the doctor. The doctor examined Bill and
reviewed his blood work and then said "Bill is my miracle
patient". His nurse Denise said that
her file on bill is bigger than any file she has on a patient that is five
years plus post transplant. He has been
through the mill. The next appointment
will be in May when Bill gets his 18 month immunization. The appointment after that will be three
months later (November) when he will get his two year immunizations and have
his next and most likely last bone marrow biopsy!!
Since November, Bill has had an appointment at Moffitt
every other month and on the off month visits with the local oncologist. The main reason he has the visit with the
local oncologist is to get his power port flushed. The port needs to be flushed every 30
days. We are at a point where Bill can
have the port removed as he really hasn't used it in a while. At today's appointment the doctor indicated
that he should have it removed when he is ready.
That is it for now.
