9/26/2009 - Latest Blood Test and Biopsy

Hello, everyone! It has been a while since I gave any updates. Until yesterday, everything was pretty much the same except that I enjoy my time with the family a lot more these days. I was surprised to find myself patiently helping my daughter with her homework, and actually liking it! This was new for me. I guess I must have missed them very, very much! Or maybe this sickness is slowly making me a better person. I think it is both.

Oh yes, I have also been remiss in checking and answering emails and facebook posts. Sorry for the long silence. Hope you understand. Please keep writing though, because I always enjoy hearing from friends and family - who doesn't?

I had another blood test yesterday, and the numbers were great! My white blood cell count, platelets and ANCs were within normal range. My hemoglobin was a little low but not low enough to require a blood transfusion. And what prize I get for having such good blood test results? A biopsy! :-( Of course, I made sure that I had morphine to numb the pain. The morphine knocked me out most of the day yesterday. I told my sister to slap me awake if I start singing at the doctor's office. I'd rather be slapped by my sister than by another patient when they hear me singing!

The doctor's office has scheduled a consultation with a bone marrow transplant doctor at the City of Hope next week, then another consultation with my oncologist the following day. The purpose is to discuss the potential next steps after my next chemo - whether to have more chemo treatments or to have a bone marrow transplant. In America, it is very important for the patient to be fully aware of the advantages and risks involved in a medical procedure. In the case of a bone marrow transplant, there are many advantages but also significant risks with the worst case scenario of potential death due to rejection of the "foreign" stem cell. At this stage, because I am in the intermediate level of risk, meaning not necessarily curable by chemo alone nor absolutely needing a bone marrow transplant, the doctor wanted me to be fully aware of the pros and cons and give us the option of choosing which way we want to go. I would prefer to just have chemo to keep things simple, but I do not know whether that will be the thing best for me. Only God knows what is best, so please pray that God will give both doctors - my oncologist and the bone marrow transplant doctor - the wisdom to give the right recommendation. Even if the choice is up to us, we will still want to follow the doctors' recommendation.

The next chemo treatment has not been scheduled yet, but it should happen in a week or so. The doctor's office is having difficulty finding a Home Health company that is covered by my insurance and also has a nurse who is licensed to administer chemo at home. If they can't find anyone, I will have my next round of chemo at the hospital. The next round consists of 3 alternate days of 24-hour sessions. This means I may have to be in the hospital again for 6 days to include the time spent during admission and discharge. It will be more convenient to have the chemo at home, but I am not sure if it is the best for the family. Once again, I pray that God will work out all the details for the next round of chemo.

Thanks to all your prayers, our family and my sister continue to be in good spirits. My body also seems to be responding well to the treatment. I am very grateful for all the prayers that have been offered on our behalf. We are a living proof that God answers prayers. He continues to be a gracious and loving Father to us all, and will never give us more than we can bear. God has His reasons for allowing us to go through this trial. Even now, our family is also being blessed through it. I have learned so much during this journey, and I hope to come out of this a much better person with a clearer understanding of what is truly important in life, and to live my life with a purpose that goes beyond this lifetime.

Thank you for your prayers and may God bless you all!