Posted by Tyler I want to thank everyone who has been keeping up with me and following my progress and remembering me in their prayers. I know that for me, sometimes it just seems like this whole thing will never end, because it's just one thing right after another (I hate that kind of drama), so I'm very appreciative of all of you who don't forget about me and my struggle. So that preface was somewhat of a warning, because here we go again. I had been feeling pretty rotten for the past 5 days. I'd been sleeping almost all of the time and had no energy, but then the last two of those days I started to develop some high fevers and had to go to the ER Monday night to receive antibiotics. The next day I had another high fever, so the doctors decided to admit me to do some tests and talk about a possible 3rd round of Myelotarg. They drew blood cultures, did a chest x-ray, a bone marrow biopsy, and a CT scan. The chest x-ray and CT scan were inconclusive, but the blood cultures showed a bug that had grown from the catheter inside my chest. They're treating me with antibiotics for that easily enough. The results of the bone marrow biopsy was the big concern. Now, to be considered leukemia, there have to be 30% blast cells present in the marrow. I've only ever had as high as 15%, and my last marrow biopsy showed only 3%, so I have never technically had leukemia, but rather myelodisplasia, which is a pre-leukemia. These latest results have changed that. I couldn't believe it when the doctor told me that there were 32% blast cells in the marrow. It just didn't seem possible for it to climb that fast in 3 weeks when during the previous three weeks it had even gone down by 2%. I guess there really is no exact explanation as to what happened, but regardless, there has to be a new plan of attack, because the Myelotarg for whatever reason didn't work for me. In a day or so, I start chemotherapy again to try to get the leukemia into remission. It's a different kind of chemo than I've had before, because my leukemia has become quite resistant to standard chemotherapy. I will get the chemo over 5 days each month. I'm not sure right now as to how many months that will be, but they will do a bone marrow biopsy each month to see how things are going. The thought is if I can achieve remission, to try to qualify for a new study at John Hopkins in Boston that has been having some good results with practically no side effects. So that's the plan, and I feel pretty good about it. It's always reassuring when the doctor has a plan the he can follow up his bad news with. I wondered if this time would be the one where the doctor would say that we've exhausted our options. I wondered that the last time too. I'm thankful that we still haven't. How am I doing with all of this? That's a good question. I just found out the results yesterday, and it was tough news to take, but I'm taking it just like I have the other bad news I've received in the past. I'm trusting in God to whom I belong. And as far as school goes: the doctors still think they can have me feeling well enough for graduation on May 10, so I'm hoping to do that still, but I have to admit that my schoolwork has suffered through this recent ordeal. Oh well, the professors will understand. Again, I want to thank you for your concern to take the time to read this. Please keep praying. I hope to see you all soon, Tyler
on 4/17/2003, 12:56 pm
Board Administrator
Hey there,
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