Oh poop, Ron, that's really too bad. You are entitled to some grousing now and
I hope your language is very colorful. This has been a long road for you
already, I gather and
I can well understand your disappointment, (even though they said one in
three,etc...).
I do hope the bone marrow results are better and that you start to FEEL
better soon, too..
Enjoy the weekend in any case...
Torie
At 02:31 PM 1/22/98 EST, you wrote:
>Well, here I am, more or less straight back from the doctor's and the bone-
>marrow biopsy. He didn't have atavan and gave me valium instead, by injection,
>which seemed to be not quite as effective, but still. Here I am at home, the
>bone marrow has been taken, and I have had a blood test with absolutely lousy
>results.
>
>My white cell count is back down to 2,000-plus. My platelets are just OK, and
>my red cells are low too, accounting for my tiredness. Oddly enough, when I
>asked for a print-out of the blood-test results, the doctor said it wasn't
>quite ready and he'd get it to me later. He agrees with me that it is
>pointless to do more consolidation with Cytosar alone, and recognized the
>negative impact it had had on me (with such scant results), and though he had
>me booked for the hospital next week (I would not have gone) he said we would
>delay that until he has looked into the possibilities of Topotecan (Hycamptan)
>for my condition, which right now is not really leukemia (more later on that).
>He was thinking of combining Cytosar and Topotecan, and said he wanted more
>time to look into Topotecan and we could discuss the situation next week.
>
>So, ladies and gentlemen, I am just about back where I started. And I cannot
>say there has been any deception. When I went into consolidation he told me
>the chances of success were one in three. However, the bone marrow has not yet
>been examined, of course. Maybe there will be some positive indications. He
>said we should have the results early next week, but I wouldn't be surprised
>if he called me over the weekend with his own preliminary appraisal.
>
>Ye gods and little fishes, this is a pain in the butt. Or, yes, the hip Carla.
>The procedure wasn't too bad, and I attempted to sing during the process. In
>the past on such occasions I have mumbled jibberish or made religious
>statements. No kidding. This time I came out with "Sunday", the glorious
>choral piece from "Sunday in the Park With George", which hardly sounded
>glorious in my voice but it gave me something to do at the head end while the
>action was taking place at the hip end.
>
>Now, dear friends, have any of you heard of this Topotecan or Hycamptan? I
>think he said it had been used in the past for uterine or some other cancer,
>but was now thought to have a healing effect on broken DNA, if I've got it
>right. It has something to do with DNA anyway. Somehow Topotecan could have a
>healing effect on those headed for leukemia. I definitely positively
>absolutely no-doubt-about-it do not want to go back into the hospital, but, of
>course, if I have to I have to. I am hoping for something I can take orally
>(or even in suppositories!). A vain hope, I'm sure. Anyhow I'd appreciate any
>input I can get from you wonderful folk out there.
>
>As to the correct nomenclature for my condition, he told me that I really do
>not have leukemia now, but I am not in remission. I have myelodisplasia, which
>I have mentioned several times hereabouts. It means you are on the way to
>leukemia. Life gets tedious, don't it? (No I love life, but when you've just
>got home from a blood analysis like that, well, you can be forgiven a few sour
>remarks. So here goes another: @#%*&%!)
>
>Meantime, later on I'll go to the www and see what I can find there.
>
>Thank you for your attention. Over and out.
>
>God bless
>
>-- Ron
>
>PS It's a glorious day in Manhattan and it looked great from the taxi.
>
>
>
>
>
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