I Got More Platelets Yesterday

The CBC yesterday showed platelet count down to 5,000 - real low. So I took my trip to St. Jo's outpatient oncology facility for a little booster. Red counts look okay with hemoglobin at 9.9. The white count is starting to perk up, too. I just have to keep these counts for the next week when they are going to take them all down to zero again beginning next Friday. But I'll be in the hospital at MD then and they will monitor me very closely. I'm sure I'll have blood and platelets there, too.

We seem to making it over the first few hurdles this time. The donor is lined up. I'm staying healthy, so far. Now the chemo has to go well at MD. And the new stem cells have to engraft thoroughly, as in close to 100%. Last transplant the white cell engraftment only got up to 67%, far below the requirement of 98 to 100%. That is a big big hurdle for which I'll need all the prayers I can get.

Now for my favorite - football predictons. I say my favorite, but my real favorite may be politcs, but I figure I'll tick fewer people off with football and I need all the friends I can get. But I might start a political blog, who knows.

The big game of course to most folks around here will be the Florida and Georgia. Florida benefited greatly from having a week off before playing Kentucky, while Kentucky had the tough win against LSU the week before. So my prediction of a KY win was flawed by not taking those facts into account. Now doesn't the same situation exist for UGA and FL this week? Yes, of course. The problem is Florida is too strong even with Tebow, the quarterback, a little banged up. Georgia's defense is pretty porous, just ask Tennessee. So I'll take Florida by two touchdowns in this one, and it may not be this close. It will be either real close or a blow out by Florida, IMHO.

Speaking of Tennessee. They play South Carolina in Knoxville. Spurrier, the old ball coach, has had Fulmer's number for years. But Tennessee has a quarterback. South Carolina has two, both mediocre quarterbacks. The game is in Tennessee and Fulmer needs a win. But, watch out, if SC gets up early, Tennessee will quit and get blown out when the fans boo loudly and leave. I still think Tennessee has to win this one and will, but watch out early.

Tech won't lose this week since they don't play until Thursday. Then they take on Virginia Tech here in Atlanta. Tech has lost their two starting running backs so it will likely be a long night for Tech. The only hope we have is that the loss of the starting backs might force Gailey into some truly creative offensive schemes that surprise VT. That would be very different for Gailey who is so conservative it hurts. We are capable, but it's a long shot. I'll take VT by my usual two touchdowns unless Tech scores with their defense and special teams, and or a razzle dazzle play or two.

UVA is so lucky it hurts this year. They have won three close ones on pure luck. I'll take them again against a weak NC State team. Virginia has four tough games coming up after this one, and should win two of them and might play for the league championship.

Clemson over Maryland. Maryland lost that heartbreaker last week to UVA and will be down and out I think. Clemson needs to redeem itself.

Ohio State should handle Penn State in Happy Valley. OSU is strong and wanting that ring and Penn State just doesn't have enough to stop them.

Out west is interesting. I'll take Arizona State over Cal. Dennis Erickson, now at ASU, is a real live coach playing at home. Oregon over Southern Cal because USC is starting their young back up quarterback for only the second time. That will be a high scoring game, but the Ducks have one heck of an offensive, as does USC. Both of those games will be very entertaining games. I love those west coast offenses. Wish we (Tech) had one - at least we could always make it exciting.

Thanks to BC's hurry up offensive and VT's ineptitude for bailing out my last Thursday prediction in the last five minutes of the game, which I didn't watch.

We'll see. Go Jackets.

My Donor Still Loves Me

We have a date - November 8. They will harvest the stem cells and give them to me on the same day, apparently. That means that the donor is within a short plane ride or drive of Houston.

No real news other than that. But the two units of red blood yesterday really did the trick. I feel 100% better today.

Football prediction tonight. BC by 14 over Virginia Tech. VT doesn't have near as much offensive fire power as BC. Even though it's in Blacksburg, I still like BC in this one.

Blood Transfusion Today

The CBC (complete blood count) today at noon showed that my platelet count was up to 33,000. But the hemoglobin had slipped to 8.4. The white count is still virtually non-existent.

So, with the hemoglobin down, it was time for a blood transfusion. I'm getting two units of red blood now. It's about 4:30 and I'm half way through the second bag of blood. It takes an hour and a half to infuse a unit of blood. I have been dragging all week due to the low red count, so it was time to get the blood. Maybe the counts will hold up when I get them checked again Friday morning.

Still no word from the donor. I did get a message from my transplant coordinator that they would initiate the request again. I'm a little nervous about that.

I'm still laying low trying to make sure I don't catch anything. The white count should begin to come up in the next few days which will give me a little cushion against infections.

Counts Still Low - More Platelets

Got my blood checked (CBC - complete blood count) this morning. I consumed the platelets from last Friday plus some. Platelet count was down to 13,000 from 17,000 Friday before the transfusion. I knew it was lower because of a little bloody nose Sunday. With low platelets you bruise and bleed easily.

Hemoglobin was up to 8.6 from 8.0 Friday, so we opted to wait on a red blood transfusion today. We'll check the CBC again Wednesday morning. Hemoglobin of 8.6 is way down from a norm of 14 for a healthy male, but I can function okay at this level and above. My normal hemoglobin on good days is about 11. So, at 8.6 I'm a little draggy and tired, but still fairly functional - until the evening when I crash.

The white blood counts are still next to nothing. The lab techs still have to count them manually under a microscope. I've got another week of low counts probably. And then it's off to Houston to completely kill them off. Whew.

No definite word from the donor yet. MD has requested a transplant date between November 5 and 9 from the donor.

Ahhhh - Football

Saturday morning, so I'm late with my predictions, worthless though they may be. But here goes.

Tech will beat Army by two touchdowns. Tech, under Gailey, has been reluctant to run up the score against the service academies. Plus I don't think Army will let them any way. Tech will pull away in the 4th quarter due to more depth.

Georgia won't lose, since they have the week off. Florida will probably kill them next week. But Georgia will be coming off an off week, and UF will be coming off of two tough games against LSU and KY. That could be an upset, but not one I'll predict just yet. The Gators have had the pups number for a long long time.

Speaking of UF and KY. Can KY do it again? Going out on a limb, I think they can. Another big game for them today and a big W.

Auburn at LSU. I don't think AU has the offense to win in at LSU. Heck, they just barely put enough points to beat Arkansas last week. I like their defense, but it won't be enough.

South Carolina will beat Vandy in Columbia. But Vandy will put up a good fight. Why has no one else hired Bobby Johnson from Vandy? Tech, are you listening? If you can field a decent team at Vandy you could probably do it almost anywhere. Same for Jim Grobe at Wake Forest, but he apparently loves Winson Salem.

Michigan at Illinois. Who would have thought Ron Zook, formerly of UF, could turn around the Illini when he stunk so badly at UF? If Michigan can lose to App Sate in Ann Arbor, they are more than capable of losing at Illinois, But Michigan is a better team than they were early on and I think the glass slipper will come off of Zook's tootsies. Michigan in this one.

Ohio State vs. Michigan State in Columbus? OSU in this one. They like being numero uno and they have a great program. Did you see the article on them in the Wall Street Journal yesterday?

Last but not least Tennessee vs. Bama. Go Vols. I just don't like Bama, due to past bad blood between Tech and Alabama and I don't like Saban much better. Tennessee is better than many people give them credit. Vols will win a fairly tight one - watch out for Bama in the 4th quarter, though.

Oops, I almost forgot - Miami at FSU. Ha ha ha. Who the heck cares!!! The mighty have fallen, but I'll take FSU at home, anyway.

Same could be said for UVA at Maryland. Both have beaten Tech, but should not have. Thanks Chan for two poorly coached games. I have to take Maryland at home, just because I like Fridge and think the Cavs will start to wilt during the last part of the season.

BTW, don't put any money any of these games based upon my predictions. They are worth just what you paid for them. Zilcho.

Corso, give me a call. That previous disclaimer doesn't apply to you. I'll have my cell on.

Blood & Platelets Tomorrow

Got my counts checked today, and, as expected, they are in the tank. The white count was 100 - normal is 8,000. They normally read these counts with a machine, but when they are so low they literally count the cells one by one on a slide under a microscope. But the low white count is not unusual. It's been down that low countless times before. But, with a low white count one has little ability to fight off an infection, so I'm on all sorts of antibiotics, anti-fungal, and anti-viral meds. Just par for the course.

The red counts are headed down as is typical with this chemo cocktail. Hence, the need for blood and platelets tomorrow. Hemoglobin was 8.0 and platelets were down to 17,000. Normal hemoglobin is 14 and platelets 200,000+. Hemoglobin is the red blood component that carries oxygen through the body, so when it's low the heart works that much harder to pump enough oxygen, potentially over taxing the heart. Platelets are the glue that makes you stop bleeding if you cut yourself. If that number gets below 10,000 you start bleeding spontaneously, usually through the nose or even erupting through the skin. You don't want to be in an accident with real low platelets. BTW, a bag of platelets has the color of wood glue, sort of funny since it's the "glue" in your blood system.

I didn't go through that to gross everyone out. But I wanted to stress the importance of blood and platelet donations. Jim had asked in the comments about donations of platelets designated specifically for me. Because of the quick turn around usually required for transfusions, it's not practical to donate blood and platelets to a specific person. Plus they have a fairly short shelf life. So, thank you, Jim, for the offer. But please continue to donate every chance you get.

I have to confess to not being a big blood donor in the past. But, as it has turned out, there may be a number of people who are better off because I didn't donate. Regardless (btw, there is no such word as irregardless), I feel guilty having benefited from many people's kindness with their blood product donations. So please participate in all the Red Cross Blood drives that you can. If you have a fairly rare blood type, call them - they need you.

Oddly, becoming a bone marrow donor is somewhat more complicated. But, it's not painful. In fact the preliminary DNA test is just a mouth swab. Later on they might ask for a vial of blood for full DNA matching. If you were to be a perfect DNA match for someone they would harvest the bone marrow stem cells from the arm, just like giving blood. There is no surgery. No fuss, no muss, no bother.

One problem with becoming a bone marrow donor is finding them - the bone marrow organization that is. They are not like the Red Cross. Plus they charge $52 to donate your own DNA sample. That sounds strange until you find out that the marrow organization has few ways of recouping their costs. The Red Cross apparently recoups some of their costs by charging the hospitals and insurance companies for some of their costs. The marrow organization has no ability to charge for their costs. But how in the world are they going to expand their database if donors have to pay $52 bucks? There are only about 5 and a half million people in the U.S. database of bone marrow donors out of a population of almost 300 million. Europe also has a bone marrow database. In fact, the donor for my first transplant is from Europe.

I talked to someone from the bone marrow organization last year about doing a drive at church, so that's how I happened upon this information. I did find out that last spring they had a drive in May for a couple of weeks where they didn't charge potential donors. They plan to do that again this year, so I'll try it again. If you feel so compelled please try to line one up for your church or organization. The best way to contact them is through www. marrow.org. The gift of bone marrow stem cells literally saves someone's life. When you find yourself in need of a bone marrow stem cell transplant you have few other options left. SO, PLEASE SIGN UP.

Sorry to get so long winded - thought you might want to know.

Back Home - Again

I finished the chemo up Sunday morning. And I met with my leukemia doctor, Dr. Keating, Monday morning. We tried to fly out Monday afternoon but got caught behind a massive 900 mile weather front that swept through Texas and the mid-west. So we spent the night with my brother and sister-in-law in Houston and got out Tuesday afternoon.

The chemo had an immediate effect, although not total, on the nodes. It takes about three weeks for the chemo to run its course, so there should be more progress to be made. Plus they gave me a steroid by the name of dexamethasone which they used before to successfully beat back the disease.

So I hope that in about three weeks we'll be trying the second transplant. I will be laying low in the meantime to keep from picking up any more bugs. So, ya'll are not going to see much of me. No ballgames for me except what's on the tube.

I still haven't heard from MD about the transplant schedule, which makes me a little nervous. You get a little paranoid after going through all this and having the multiple delays.

I'm sure I'll have to have some blood and platelets later this week or early next week since the red blood counts get hit so hard with this particular chemo cocktail. I've already started daily Neupogen shots to get the neutrophils (neutrophils are the white blood components that fight infection) up.

That's the news at this point.

Last Day in the Hospital

I should get out of here tomorrow morning about 9:30. I am ready. Fortunately, I can leave the room and the hospital wing. Lynda and I had dinner at the Rotary House (hotel attached to the MD main building) restaurant Thursday night. I haven't been up to much walking today, though.

The chemo seems to already have had some effect on the nodes. That's good news. I've had half of the doses of the third drug. By Monday morning the nodes should be back down if past history holds true. Hopefully, I haven't jinxed it here.

If the chemo is effective, we'll try the transplant in a month. My concern for the donor's schedule is that she is available and well. Personally, I'll be taking few chances the next few weeks - no crowds and always wearing a mask. The window of opportunity after this round of chemo is not very wide, so any delay on the donor's end, or my end, would be a problem. I don't know how many more of these chemo rounds my body can bounce back from. The blood counts are already going down which is about a week earlier than previous rounds. I'm sure I'll have blood and platelet transfusions soon to get the red counts up. So I'll be seeing a lot of my friends at GCS (Georgia Cancer Specialists) the next two or three weeks.

Just watched Tech squeak by Miami. You never know which Tech team, and head coach, will show up. And how about those Deacs beating FSU Thursday night? Go Deacs - I'm rooting for you here, Charlie.

Georgia should handle Vandy easily tonight. Arkansas will upset Auburn tonight. And I'd like to say the same for Kentucky vs. LSU, but I won't go that far out on a limb - LSU in that one.

Did you watch the Hawaii game last night? Hawaii was down 14 points with 5 minutes left to go and won the game. I wish Chan Gailey would watch that tape. If he knew what June Jones (Hawaii coach and former Falcons backup) knows, we wouldn't have lost to Virginia or Maryland. No imagination most of the time for Chan, although the bootleg touchdowns by our quarterback not just once, but twice, today was a pleasant surprise.

Postponed Again

Unfortunately, with all the delays, we have given the disease an opportunity to come back. The nodes began to come back last weekend. And by yesterday the nodes, especially in the left side of the neck, had become very large. So with progressive disease the transplant has to be put off. We'll get the lymph nodes back down and try again. The chances of a successful transplant decrease if you have active disease because that just adds to the work load for the new cells.

So instead of being on G11, the transplant floor, I'm now on G10, the chemo floor. I'm getting another round of the chemotherapy that I had three other times through the summer. Because of the potential effect on the kidneys, this stuff requires me to be in the hospital. So here I am - in the hospital in Houston. I'll get out on Sunday morning. This chemo worked remarkably well the other three times, so I'm hoping it will work a fourth time as well. The down side to this chemo is that it destroys the red blood count the second week after chemo, requiring multiple blood and platelet transfusions.

It takes three weeks for the chemo to run through your system, so we are shooting to start the transplant process in another three weeks. Due to the overall toxicity to various organs, we don't want to start the chemo (BEAM) that is used to ablate (kill off) the bone marrow until the other chemo has run it's course. New transplant date is around November 8. I'll be back in Atlanta until we are ready to try the transplant again. Hopefully, all these delays don't discourage my donor. I really need her to come through.

Thanks to everyone for checking on me and leaving comments. I appreciate having so many people care and keep me in their prayers. As I often say, I need all the help I can get. I need this chemo to work well and I need the donor to be available. If I can get over those two hurdles, and stay well, then maybe we can get a successful transplant.

As I wrote in my last post, getting all the factors to line up for a transplant is tricky. It's unnerving. to say the least, but that's just the way it is. It's not unusual.

Football wise, my prediction for the Tech vs. Miami game is 24 to 7. I don't have a clue which team will win. More predictions later, maybe, if I can get this slow hospital internet connection to work.

Throat's Better, Still Running a Fever

They moved the transplant date up a day at the donor's request to the 18th. So that will cut my week short.

I got my blood counts run yesterday. And after three days of Neupogen shots my white counts have come up a little bit, but only a little bit. So that would account for why my throat feels just a little bit better. I'm still running a low grade fever. It's going to come down to the wire for Wednesday when I go back to Houston. If the throat hasn't healed and the fever isn't gone, we'll have to put it off again. Putting it off isn't a great idea at this point, because that gives the disease more time to come back - the nodes are already beginning to get a little bigger. Plus you still have to fit the donor's schedule. I'll keep up the Neupogen shots through Monday and get the counts checked again Tuesday.

Getting everything to line up just right for a transplant is always tricky. Last year it took two months to get everything to work out right.

New Transplant Date October 19

Unfortunately, my throat is still quite raw. But I'm not spiking a fever every day now though. I went to the ENT Tuesday to see what they thought about it. Before that I stopped by GCS (Ga. Cancer Specialists, my local oncologists) to get my blood counts run. The white blood count had plunged to almost nothing since Friday when it was checked at MD. So no wonder my throat won't heal up. So it was a wasted trip to the ENT. I don't have any counts to fight off the infection and the antibiotic can't do it all alone. So I started with daily Neupogen shots again to boost the white blood count. If I can get them back up my throat will heal - I've got a week. I'll check my counts again on Friday.

The new schedule will require that we start BEAM on October 13 - at least it's not on Friday. The donor must be close to Houston because they think they can infuse on the same day that they harvest the cells. The donor is anonymous since she is unrelated, so I won't really know until a year from now.

In the meantime, it's been nice to have a few more days at home. I've been able to get a few more things done on the house renovation. I wasn't quite prepared to move to Houston last week.

Football wise, you know you're living in strange times when Kentucky vs. S. Carolina is a big game in the SEC. I'll take the old ball coach in this one just because it's being played in Columbia.

Tennessee over Georgia in a tight one. Clemson will win handily over VTech. Maryland will beat the Jackets since the Fridge has an offense and Tech doesn't. LSU will prove they are really #1 by beating Florida. LSU's coach will be Michigan's after this season.

Oklahoma will beat the 'Horns by at least a touchdown. Texas was embarrassed by K State last week and the Sooners have too much speed.