Leukemia Update

I thought I would give an update on my cancer journey.

We are still celebrating that my blood tests are showing NO leukemia!! What a humbling result and it only spurs me on to keep sharing of His goodness because surely those results aren’t from anything that I’ve done.

This past round side effects-wise was a bit more challenging. It’s so interesting, every round has looked so different! Similar side effects, but different severity of each. As expected, my blood counts (the sickness/infection fighting ones) dropped to zero, which means I have to be uber careful about not getting sick. The minute I do, I’m in the hospital. Having just left, I can’t say I have a desire to go back :)! So I stick around home and know my self-imposed “stay-at-home-orders” will eventually be lifted once my numbers go back up. It’s not like I can’t leave the house, but the risks are too high in my book and my body is dependent on the medications I take to fight off any infection I might encounter.

Not only did my counts drop, but so did my platelets, which has been routine. Unfortunately though, this time I had uncontrollable bleeding. My gums and numerous mouth sores would start bleeding at random, and it would take upwards to an hour to get it to stop. I was in dire need of a platelet transfusion, but locally, it’s a 24 hour turnaround. The other option would be to go to the local ER, but even that could be a 6 hour wait. The doctors around here are trying to fix that issue, but it won’t be fixed by the time I am done with treatment. So the best thing I can do is try to eat soft foods or a liquid diet, brush my teeth ever so carefully, and make sure I don’t bump into anything or fall.

I had to go in 3 times for platelets, was put on a prescription for bleeding, but by Friday my infection fighting counts and platelets FINALLY went from dangerously low to just low. That meant I had FREEDOM again to step into the outside world safely! It’s crazy to think that since September, I’ve had 1 week out of each month that I’ve been able to safely go to the store, a restaurant, see people, etc.!

I also had a heart appointment last week and thankfully not much has changed, except a new medication was added and more blood work ordered. I’ll admit I was a bit overwhelmed trying to deal with both issues at the same time, but God sustained and we have a plan.

One thing I have struggled with the most is not being able to see friends and family as frequently as I would like to. Again, the risk isn’t worth it, but it sure changes the dynamic of a relationship when you can’t have those face-to-face conversations. It just shows me that we are meant to be in community with one another and there is something to be said about the gift of in-person friendships!!

I am set to go back to Ann Arbor next week Tuesday for my LAST treatment! I am not mentally there yet, but I will be. This is a shorter turnaround, by choice, because I want to just be DONE. We are praying my recovery goes a bit smoother than the last, but we know God has it already figured out so I just have to walk through it with him. Then it’ll be the process of helping my body heal from the chemo. It’s incredible how potent that stuff is!

I am so eager to ring that bell of completion and then trust forward that God will protect my body from the leukemia so that we can address my heart issues. I have an appointment with my electrophysiologist this week, to decide what to do next. This doctor was the one who caught my low numbers in the first place, so it will be good to talk with him again. We know that if more procedures are in the future, that God will give me the strength I need to get through them. Though I’ll admit, that seems really daunting at the moment. But again, God knows and He will provide for our every need. It’s in His hands.

Thank you for praying us through this journey! We are starting to get a small idea of what life will look like after I’m done with these treatments, but we hope to get better clarity next week as we meet with my oncologist. What we do know is that the type of leukemia I have, there is a lesser chance of me relapsing, and my doctor feels they will be able to keep me in remission. But she also said we will talk more about that later :). Gotta get through this last treatment first!

We are grateful for all of you and know we could not do this without you. God knew we needed you too, to walk this journey, and that is why God placed you in our lives. THANK YOU and to Him be the glory!