We got the results of Tim's bone marrow biopsy. He's in a BIOCHEMICAL CR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
yipppeeeeeeee!!!!! Man I was not holding my breath on this one. We are very happy to hear
this news. The doctor basically told us that there was a good chance it would not come
out negative. I have not seen the report yet but he reviewed it and his head nurse just e-mailed
me the good news this morning. Oh Happy Day!!! I teared up again. It's so hard
to wait out test results as y'all know. Sometimes you don't even realize how tense you are until
you hear the news and cry from relief. Considering how hard 2007 was, and dealing with the
devastation of a failed AND botched stem cell transplant, Tim so deserves to have things go
right for a change. Heck, we all do. We are very grateful. I don't think his doctor saw this coming
at all after that transplant tanked. All I can say is that my husband has a very large amount
of people praying for him and pulling for him. I'm hopeful that 2009 will be so much better
for us than the prior 2 years were. We're off to a great start!!!
Monday, January 26, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
It's a new day
I have never been too political but the shape this country is in has been getting to me and this
year got me a little more fired up in that dept. I could hardly tear myself away from the TV
today and I just keep hoping that things are gonna turn around. When the Bushes got into
that huge helicopter, I kept thinking, "the big green bird flies the turkey away." Tim said
he kinda felt bad for him and thought it must be so hard to leave and I, who am usually the
bleeding heart type, was like "hurry up and get that bird in the air." Good grief what a mess
these last 8 years have been and I have said it before, I honestly don't think he was ever truly
elected, at least that last time, I know he wasn't. I have had an old song stuck in my head all
day and wish someone would have thought to perform it especially since it could not be more
right for this occasion and half of the artists that have performed for the new president have
covered this tune. It's an old Curtis Mayfield song that he wrote after a civil rights march on
Washington. It's "People Get Ready." Some of you younger folk may know the Jeff Beck/Rod
Stewart version. I tell ya, listen to it on you tube and tell me if that would not have been
the PERFECT theme song for this day in history. Well, I've got faith and I'm ready to get
on board!
year got me a little more fired up in that dept. I could hardly tear myself away from the TV
today and I just keep hoping that things are gonna turn around. When the Bushes got into
that huge helicopter, I kept thinking, "the big green bird flies the turkey away." Tim said
he kinda felt bad for him and thought it must be so hard to leave and I, who am usually the
bleeding heart type, was like "hurry up and get that bird in the air." Good grief what a mess
these last 8 years have been and I have said it before, I honestly don't think he was ever truly
elected, at least that last time, I know he wasn't. I have had an old song stuck in my head all
day and wish someone would have thought to perform it especially since it could not be more
right for this occasion and half of the artists that have performed for the new president have
covered this tune. It's an old Curtis Mayfield song that he wrote after a civil rights march on
Washington. It's "People Get Ready." Some of you younger folk may know the Jeff Beck/Rod
Stewart version. I tell ya, listen to it on you tube and tell me if that would not have been
the PERFECT theme song for this day in history. Well, I've got faith and I'm ready to get
on board!
Friday, January 16, 2009
Name that remission level
Yesterday Tim had his check-up. Is it crazy to say we had a good time at the oncologist's office?
After seeing his current labs and finding out he is still in a remission, the pressure was almost off
and we all were joking around the rest of the visit. His doc is a funny guy and they all use a lot
of "comic relief" around there and that's right up our alley so we chime on in. Tim had a bone marrow biopsy done to see if he is in a "complete molecular remission." Right now, he is in a
"complete immunofaxation remission" and the head nurse said he may meet the requirements
for a new term that is called a "stringent something or other remission." I'd say it's just semantics but of course the better you are, the better you are doncha know. So we went into
the lab area to get ready for the biopsy. First, I went to the biggest nurse there, who is terrific,
and told her if the doctor hurt Tim, I was calling her in to help me whoop his ass good. She gave
me the thumbs up and told me she had our back. I told the doc, who is about 6'3" and admits to
being 275 lbs. that these nurses were all gonna help me(I didn't think my 5'4" 123 lbs. was gonna
do much) if he didn't fly right and he told me, "You don't want to F--- with Gladys(the nurse that had our back) she could probably whoop me all by herself." Then his head nurse
was mouthing off to him like crazy in the room. It was in jest but she was having a stressful day so I told her to knock it off cause the doc was gonna take his aggression out on
my husband's poor little ass. I could tell that parts of this procedure hurt. It's hard to see someone you love get hurt but Tim has a pretty high pain threshold and I would not let him go
through anything without me there. He's pretty darn sore today though. I still must admit that
I prefer women doctors. They are so much gentler. The only bad news yesterday was that I
found out that Tim has more bone involvement than we knew. When he had all his tests done
2 years ago, there was a woman working there who gave us the results and just said, he has a little spot here(pointing to lumbar area) and a little spot here(pointing to thoracic area). His
doc mentioned osteopenia(precurser to osteoporosis) and that was all we were told. I requested
new scans to keep on top of anything and found out yesterday about the existing greater bone involvement which apparently includes a compression fracture. I said, "no one ever told us
he had this." Not happy about that. I hate it when medical people do not explain things correctly.
Not everyone is clueless about medical terms. They should not assume they are or do not want to know the whole story. But all in all, it was a positive visit. We're gonna stay on top of his bone
health and we are very grateful that his remission is holding and giving him a nice long break
from chemo. LOOOONNNNNGGGGGGG may it last!!!!
After seeing his current labs and finding out he is still in a remission, the pressure was almost off
and we all were joking around the rest of the visit. His doc is a funny guy and they all use a lot
of "comic relief" around there and that's right up our alley so we chime on in. Tim had a bone marrow biopsy done to see if he is in a "complete molecular remission." Right now, he is in a
"complete immunofaxation remission" and the head nurse said he may meet the requirements
for a new term that is called a "stringent something or other remission." I'd say it's just semantics but of course the better you are, the better you are doncha know. So we went into
the lab area to get ready for the biopsy. First, I went to the biggest nurse there, who is terrific,
and told her if the doctor hurt Tim, I was calling her in to help me whoop his ass good. She gave
me the thumbs up and told me she had our back. I told the doc, who is about 6'3" and admits to
being 275 lbs. that these nurses were all gonna help me(I didn't think my 5'4" 123 lbs. was gonna
do much) if he didn't fly right and he told me, "You don't want to F--- with Gladys(the nurse that had our back) she could probably whoop me all by herself." Then his head nurse
was mouthing off to him like crazy in the room. It was in jest but she was having a stressful day so I told her to knock it off cause the doc was gonna take his aggression out on
my husband's poor little ass. I could tell that parts of this procedure hurt. It's hard to see someone you love get hurt but Tim has a pretty high pain threshold and I would not let him go
through anything without me there. He's pretty darn sore today though. I still must admit that
I prefer women doctors. They are so much gentler. The only bad news yesterday was that I
found out that Tim has more bone involvement than we knew. When he had all his tests done
2 years ago, there was a woman working there who gave us the results and just said, he has a little spot here(pointing to lumbar area) and a little spot here(pointing to thoracic area). His
doc mentioned osteopenia(precurser to osteoporosis) and that was all we were told. I requested
new scans to keep on top of anything and found out yesterday about the existing greater bone involvement which apparently includes a compression fracture. I said, "no one ever told us
he had this." Not happy about that. I hate it when medical people do not explain things correctly.
Not everyone is clueless about medical terms. They should not assume they are or do not want to know the whole story. But all in all, it was a positive visit. We're gonna stay on top of his bone
health and we are very grateful that his remission is holding and giving him a nice long break
from chemo. LOOOONNNNNGGGGGGG may it last!!!!
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Immunotherapy or hogwash?
Awhile back, I wrote about a Phillipino patient who was eating pigeon meat based on the belief
that pigeons have the ability to make antibodies for MM. Supposedly, he knows a man who
still lives in the Phillipines and is doing well with this protocol while not getting modern
treatment for his MM. There was another thing I was told about shortly after Tim was
diagnosed that makes me wonder sometimes. I was told by a farm wife in Vermont, who
we have known many years, of a cancer patient she knows who was basically told by his doc that there
was nothing more they could do for him. I am trying to remember what type of cancer he
had. I think it was a lymphoma and I also think he had other issues on top of that. I can't remember exactly. Anyway,
the guy started doing his own thing and what he supposedly did was inject a cow with his cancer
cells. Then he makes yogurt from the milk of this cow and eats it. He swears that the cow is making antibodies to his disease and this is what is keeping him alive long after the doctors
"wrote him off." This farm wife owns the dairy farm across the street from a house Tim's
folks bought 30+ years ago. She told me, "anytime you want to try this, we'll supply the cow."
It sounds crazy, I know, but I have to admit that it makes ya think. It is true that different
species are prone to or kinda exempt from different illnesses. We know that animals have
immunities to things we don't and vice versa. If a breastfeeding mother can
pass on immunities to her child through breast milk, does this process sound so very ridiculous?
I don't know. I've heard crazier sounding things than this. It sounds like one of those
"couldn't hoit" situations, unless you're the cow.
that pigeons have the ability to make antibodies for MM. Supposedly, he knows a man who
still lives in the Phillipines and is doing well with this protocol while not getting modern
treatment for his MM. There was another thing I was told about shortly after Tim was
diagnosed that makes me wonder sometimes. I was told by a farm wife in Vermont, who
we have known many years, of a cancer patient she knows who was basically told by his doc that there
was nothing more they could do for him. I am trying to remember what type of cancer he
had. I think it was a lymphoma and I also think he had other issues on top of that. I can't remember exactly. Anyway,
the guy started doing his own thing and what he supposedly did was inject a cow with his cancer
cells. Then he makes yogurt from the milk of this cow and eats it. He swears that the cow is making antibodies to his disease and this is what is keeping him alive long after the doctors
"wrote him off." This farm wife owns the dairy farm across the street from a house Tim's
folks bought 30+ years ago. She told me, "anytime you want to try this, we'll supply the cow."
It sounds crazy, I know, but I have to admit that it makes ya think. It is true that different
species are prone to or kinda exempt from different illnesses. We know that animals have
immunities to things we don't and vice versa. If a breastfeeding mother can
pass on immunities to her child through breast milk, does this process sound so very ridiculous?
I don't know. I've heard crazier sounding things than this. It sounds like one of those
"couldn't hoit" situations, unless you're the cow.
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