Special Guest Posting # 6

And now here she is live from Rav 9 -- Heeeers Debbie!

Hey Everybody,

When I woke up this morning, I had a cold and a runny nose and a loose cough. I thought YIKKES, this is it. "0" wbc and a cold -- just what the doctor didn't order! So I started pushing fluids and doing laps.

The nurse practicioner came in and was very concernced and that we the last I saw of her. She ordered another antibiotic #4 to cover a fungal pneumonia.

As reported in yesterday's blog, we were scheduled for the bone biopsy this PM. Joe was scheduled to come down by early afternoon to help me through this barbaric practice. However, early in the morning, they changed their mind and decided to do the biopsy in the AM, because they now wanted to do a CAT scan and chest X ray in the afternoon. So about this time, I am getting a little anxious about going through this procedure alone, and then to be lost in the labrynth of HUP. But I forgot to tell you that they pre-medicated me with ativan and dilauidid for the biopsy -- now I am getting loopy with the drugs and then they decided not to do the biopsy after all.

Then Dr. Porter appeared (from behind the big curtain of Oz) and said that we do not need to do the biopsy because we do not need this information at this time. [What does he mean that we do not need the information??? -- That is what we are all looking for!!] What has since been explained to us is that they are going to do the biopsy as an outpatient -- which means he will do it -- after my numbers recover. They believe that a post-discharge biopsy will give a truer read of the extent of my recovery. They are expecting no leukemic cells.

He also explained that no matter what the results of the biopsy, they would not put me through another round of induction chemotherapy anyway. He said that I had handled everything that they had thrown at me and that I was doing fine. So we are taking this to be good news.

But they did go forward with the CAT scan -- no results yet, but I do not think that it is in my lungs yet, but they are being very cautious with any kind of cold with a 0 wbc. Joe was with me for this and was prepared to wheel me back to the room assuming that Transport would not arrive for at least an hour or so. Our Transport guy did great today and was there as soon as the procedure was done.

Once back in the room, I had a mac and cheese and made Joe get me a soft pretzel from the hotel gift shop. Yes girls, this is a 100% carb diet -- whatever I want, I can have!

Then dermotology came to my room to do an inspection of my rash. They were all excited at such a fine disply of skin misery and desperation. It is not every day they could find such a fine specimen of flaming, watery rashes. They did two biopsies, complete with stitches in order to rule out a skin infection. We will find out in about 1 week what this was all about.

Then we went back to boring old laps around the floor. I cannot wait to come home and it seems now that it will probably happen in the middle of next week. Although we will not have any information about what is next, we will simply hope for the best and take it one day at a time.

So again, thank you thank you for the continuing onslaught of cards, gifts, blogs, and well wishes. I feel so loved from all of you guys.

I love you all.

Debbie