RETURNING HOME??

There is a STRONG possibility that I will be able to ****GO HOME TOMORROW****!!!!

We are just as shocked by this news, though I saw a small light at the end of the tunnel yesterday when the word “home” was brought up. Yesterday, my counts (hemoglobin, white blood cells, and platelets) were showing some increase which was incredibly encouraging. Then this morning happened, and I believe it was nothing short of a miracle.

My white blood cell count went from 1.6 yesterday, to 6.4 today! That is actually in the NORMAL range at this point. My hemoglobin dropped a bit (very normal), but my platelets also about tripled in number. That gives every reason to talk about sending me HOME.

It’s hard to believe that 2 days ago, I was given strong pain medications for severe back spasms I was having. The pounding headaches continued as well, as every bone in my body continued to ache. I was ready to throw in the towel. I’m not even kidding. Though the next morning we learned that all of the side effects were most likely from a shot that I was taking to help increase my white blood cells, and since they were already increasing, it was only then increasing the side effects. After I stopped that shot and was able to get the pain under control, things started to really fire up. In a GOOD way. That’s when my numbers started to fly upward.

We are praying for a very UNeventful night and as long as my numbers stay stable, I will be able to go home. As they keep saying, “This is the PLAN”. Plans can change frequently at the hospital, so we are trying not to get our hopes up too high, but they feel I am well enough to go home.

Though, it will be a huge adjustment coming home. I am actually going home with an outpatient physical therapy referral because we all know Kristin is going to overdo it. Basically I have to live like I do here, at home, until I get strong enough to where I was at my baseline before I came in. When I started to process what having cancer meant for me as a heart failure patient, I remember telling a friend that I would love to have PT when I got home. I knew I would try to push myself too much and end up with more severe heart failure symptoms. I’m realizing my recovery at home will determine not only how my heart failure does, but also how well I can manage the side effects from the chemo. I don’t want to overdo it and I’m going to need a village around me to help me not.

So what will home life look like? I’m hoping to learn more tomorrow, but it will mean limited visitors (this is going to be SO hard for me), not only for germs-sake, but also so that I can rest. My body is still hard at work, fighting the leukemia. It will also mean not being able to go many places, and when I do, it’ll be with a mask on, which will be a HUGE change for me. If I go to a place that I will have to walk more than a minute or two at the beginning, until I see the physical therapist, I might need to be wheeled in a wheelchair, until I gain my strength back. This is a major adjustment for someone who loves to be active and I’ll readily admit, I don’t like being slowed down by heart failure, so this is going to be a challenge all the more.

We want to thank you ALL for praying us through this journey at the hospital! Thank you for all of the cards, gifts, prayers, and words of encouragement given. We truly do not have the words to express our gratitude to you all! The “induction” part of this chemo regimen is almost complete, and yet this is just the beginning of the journey. On October 13, I will come back to U of M for more blood work, a new patient visit with my new clinic oncologist, and also a bone marrow biopsy, which will give us an idea how well the chemo is really working. It’s looking like it’s doing what it’s supposed to be doing, but this will give us a better idea. I believe a few weeks after that, then I will head back once again for more chemotherapy treatments. Then I will be coming back every month for 4-5 months for more treatments.

In between, I will be going for blood draws a couple times a week, along with going to physical therapy. And again, this is where the heart failure piece comes in. Most 38-year-olds with leukemia wouldn’t probably go through PT, but with my heart, I can so easily over-do life. This is just who I am, and I know, without a doubt, that Kristin needs physical therapy.

And the picture? When my friend who was going to visit today asked me what I was craving, I told her cheese and club crackers. I know, maybe an odd request, but it was something that sounded SO good, but something I haven’t had since being here. Little did she know that what she brought, would be used to celebrate the possibility of going home! It was a true party indeed. Sparkling grape juice, chocolates, crackers, and cheese. We FEASTED.

If you get a chance, please pray that it will be an uneventful night and that indeed, I CAN go home TOMORROW! I mean only God can do what He did to my counts. Only HE could bring the healing my body needed. ONLY HIM.

And with that said, ALL PRAISE, HONOR, AND GLORY TO GOD!!!