good things found

Pizza from the secret menu. Real pizza dough - nice and chewy. 

We, Aug 30

 another day of wait. Be still... cease striving....

moving toward "zero" protection, so prophylactically using antibiotics, antifungals, etc. 

Pray BCBS will approve screening tests for stem cell donors. 

Grace and mercy be upon you all....

mayo clinic info

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/acute-lymphocytic-leukemia/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20369083

much better

Tuesday has started out as a much better day. Thank you each and everyone for your prayers they are huge thank you thank you thank you.

It really is this simple. 

because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Romans 10:9 ESV

Monday, be the match

https://bethematch.org/

you truly could be somebody's salvation with a simple blood donation.

battling swelling and cellulitus

Back on Lasix and antibody

sun, 27, week 2

Numbers are on track,  Meaning platelets WBC's and RBC's are all coming down.

 Dark night of the soul moments come in the dead of night when you have to get up for the fifth time to go pee and it's just a major hassle,  Your leg hurts your arm hurts It just hurts.

 But then dawn comes and His mercy's are new everyday and things look a little better.

 Psalm 46:10 cease driving, be still and know that he is God.

Hospitals run on pills. 

Untethered!!! No saline drip. 

Sat 26 avoid infection

Wbc below 300.  Now the Battle is to avoid infection. 

Light chemo  For next couple of days.

Fri, 8.25

White blood cell count dropped from 800 yesterday to 300 this morning. That affects what they give me and the further treatment. transplant is in my future.  As red blood cells and platelets drop they'll start transfusions for those at some point.

 My ALL is Philadelphia positive on the chromosome which means there is a mutation there between 19 and 22. 

 That will affect what they give me also. It makes a stern cell transplant part of the treatment.

 Yesterday was a rough nausea day, but today's starting out good so hoping for the best. in the Lord's good, good hands. 

3rd day

Morning of throwing up but good afternoon.  Visit from a good friend Tom. Lots of prayers from lots of people, thank you so very much. Lots of fatigue today. Food was good and has stayed down so that's great. White blood cell counts down into the lower 9000 range. 

 The freight train keeps on chugging along. 

hyper-CVAD round 5

Guessing it starts to get real today.  Just started round 5 of the "C."

Feeling a touch of queasy. 

I call my IV pump tower the "freight train," cause it sounds like a freight train chugging down the track,  day and night 

My right calf is still sore and swollen. They ultrasounded the whole right leg yesterday and it showed clear for clots and dtv's.

A.L.L. A short synopsis of how it all started.

First. Cutting to the chase. I have been diagnosed with A.L.L. - Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia 

At a basic level, my understanding is chronic leukemia can take months to develop symptoms.  

Acute leukemia blasts off like a rocket ship.  A little over a week ago, I was fine.

 My symptoms/leukemia probably started a week ago Saturday. That's how fast it comes on. 

Sat Aug 16 – afternoon: slightly achy feel 

Sun Aug 17 – Morning: fine, no symptoms Afternoon: slightly achy feel in the pm 

Mon Aug 18 – Morning: fine, no symptoms Afternoon: 100.7F fever, severe fatigue, brain fog. C19 test negative. Left jaw ache/stiff - joked maybe I had tetanus 

Tue Aug 19 – Morning: barely any symptoms Afternoon: 102-103F, severe fatigue, brain fog. Urgent care screened for C19, Flu A/B, Strep, UTI – all negative. Assumed a viral infection; prescribed antibiotic if didn't improve. 

Wed Aug 20 – Woke up about 3a, fever and symptoms had completely broke. Yeah! Morning: no symptoms. Afternoon – mild symptoms back like Mon. Guess it's going to be a round 2. Started antibiotics 

Thu Aug 21 – Morning and evening: fatigue, fog, low grade fever. Pain started/focused in right artificial hip. Increasing hip pain 

Fri Aug 22 – Morning: intense hip pain 8/10. Severe nausea. Lesa took me to ER. Reran all tests; all negative. Ran another blood test. Came back and said a pathologist reviewed some blood abnormality and we think you have leukemia. We've arranged to transfer you to BUMC (Big Baylor downtown) so they can start treatment. Hemo Oncologist will do a bone marrow biopsy in the morning.  

Sat Aug 23 – 2am. Xferred to BUMC. 9a bone marrow biopsy. Met oncology team. Said biopsy will determine if I have A.L.L or A.M.L.  

Mon Aug 24 Morning. Biopsy confirmed A.L.L. Will undergo hyper-CVAD chemo for 2 weeks in hospital with close monitoring then 2 weeks in hospital for follow-up monitoring eval of chemo results.  

A simple blog to make sharing easier and less "noisy."

Gary here. 

I'll share updates here on what's going on around my leukemia, etc., going forward rather than blasting SMS groups and trying to keep up with multiple groups. 

For now, nothing super-secret, but if I share the link with your group, and you want to share it outside that group, please let me know. 

Psalm 46:1-2a God is our refuge, our strong fortress, He is our ever-present help, so... we will not fear. 

Psalm 91:1-6

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence.

4 He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge;

    his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.

5 You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day,

6 nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.