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Doctor Feelgood
Arrrrghh!
Joined: 07 Apr 2003
Posts: 20349
Location: New Jersey
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 Posted: Thu, 05 Jul 2007 16:28:26 Post Subject: A Healthy Break |
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Well, I'm hoping it winds up being healthy for all of us, but I just decided to get my stuff into its own thread and give knight0334 and charlie31700 their thread back... What I said:
| Doctor Feelgood wrote: | I'm not much of a "sharer" and I don't want to thread-jack, but this is all stuff only a handful of people on here know and it seems appropriate to let it out now. Where to begin?
I became sick right at Christmas of last year, and it wasn't clear what was going on at first... People were throwing out all sort sof cancers, etc, but none were right. I have something you may have never heard of called Aplastic Anemia. Basically means the bone marrow died. The key thing the Doctors stressed is how susceptible I was to serious injury, infection, exhuastion, etc since I had about zero platelets, red blood, hemoglobin, white blood in my system.
Although the immediate chanced of survival were low, they have risen to levels which I still don't find acceptable.
This week marks the six month mark of knowing what is wrong with me, which is pretty big according to the doctors, and summed up nicely (maybe not so nicely) on Wikipedia...
| Quote: | Untreated aplastic anemia is an illness that leads to rapid death, typically within six months. If the disease is diagnosed correctly and initial treatment is begun promptly, then the survival rate for the next five to ten years is substantially improved, and many patients live well beyond that length of time.
While there are no reliable "cures" available for this disease, aplastic anemia can often be managed quite effectively through ongoing treatments. |
I have been on disability since January 19, been stuck with more needles than I can ever imagine (I used to black out from blood tests I had such fear of needles), been pumped full of more transfusions and infusion than I can count, and spent so much time in hospitals that sometimes it seems that the doctors and nurses are my friends.
So, I survived the first 6 months... Now on to the next stage. My initial treatment was conducted in Bethesda MD at the National Institutes of Health (9 days in early February), and the 6 month mark of that is what determines my future. I'm better than I was then, but not good... August is when they tell me whether they want to try another drug, let me fend for myself, or go straight to a bone marrow transplant (which is only anything but fun, but not a sure thing, and has a tremendously long recovery time).
Anyway... I may not be the best cheerleader for taking care of yourself, but I now realize you have to get checked, and you have to try your hardest to get treatment. It might be painful, but its for you and every one else around you!
In addition to that happy little tale... My Mother wound up getting an infection on a trip to the Caribbean last fall... Came back to the states the weekend of Thanksgiving, and didn't get out of the hospital for 4 months, a good part of that time spent in a coma. So, she fights through months of misery and recovery and finally gets out of the hospital in March, just in time to see her first grand daughter born. So, she is out of the hopsital for that recovering for a few weeks and she finds out that she has cancer. Her chemo starts today, surgery to be scheduled! |
Thanks to Heylinder and NewAwakenings, who posted prior to me moving out... And to answer NA's question...
| NewAwakenings wrote: | | OMG Doc!!!! That is horrible!!!! My heart and prayers go out to you and your family!!! If you need it, do they have a bone marrow match for you yet???<3 |
If/when it comes to a bone marrow transplant I should be all set. We only looked one place as I prepared for all of this, and we wound up finding a perfect match in my Sister. They were telling me how extremely hard it is to find a 'good' match, so I'm very lucky to have a perfect macth waiting. From what I have bothered to read about these things, I'll need all the help I can get (if I go there).
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Little Bruin
Boo Boo
Joined: 07 Apr 2003
Posts: 667
Location: Pic-A-Nic Basket |
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NewAwakenings
Your Worst Nightmare
Joined: 08 Jun 2003
Posts: 1516
Location: In your nightmares
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Barracas
Rated NC-17
Joined: 06 May 2007
Posts: 164
Location: Dayton/Ohio
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| Posted: Fri, 06 Jul 2007 03:05:47 Post Subject: |
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WOW... Hey man I'll add you to my prayers.. Maybe that bit of reality will help me kick my cig habbit.. Anything I can do to help let me know. I wish the best to you and your mother. And will be praying for your treatment to go well..
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Doctor Feelgood
Arrrrghh!
Joined: 07 Apr 2003
Posts: 20349
Location: New Jersey
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| Posted: Thu, 09 Aug 2007 14:36:49 Post Subject: |
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I saw knight0334's post today about his new job, and although I won't claim to have understood much of it -  - it reminded me I had a post on here.
This past week marked 6 months since my primary treatment, and about 7 months since I stopped working. I was supposed to be evaluated by the NIH as to whether the treatment was a success or failure, but I'm somewhere in the middle. They want to extend for 3 more months, but took away all the drugs. I'll keep going to my local doctor and getting transfusions and see how things look in November.
Other news is that I returned to work today... part time... two 1/2 days a week. Man, I got tired fast... is it me or just the idea of working again?
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Charlie
DeathStar
Joined: 24 Sep 2003
Posts: 10801
Location: Orlando, FL
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| Posted: Thu, 09 Aug 2007 14:43:25 Post Subject: |
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| Doctor Feelgood wrote: | .......Other news is that I returned to work today... part time... two 1/2 days a week. Man, I got tired fast... is it me or just the idea of working again?
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It's you and it's the idea of having to work again... Hope everything works out for you and Good Luck!
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knight0334
Rated XXX
Joined: 22 Aug 2003
Posts: 2234
Location: Neither Here, Nor There
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BeerCheeze
*hick*
Joined: 14 Jun 2003
Posts: 9285
Location: At the Bar
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| Posted: Thu, 09 Aug 2007 15:58:56 Post Subject: |
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Just thinking about working makes me tired  |
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Little Bruin
Boo Boo
Joined: 07 Apr 2003
Posts: 667
Location: Pic-A-Nic Basket |
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NewAwakenings
Your Worst Nightmare
Joined: 08 Jun 2003
Posts: 1516
Location: In your nightmares
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Doctor Feelgood
Arrrrghh!
Joined: 07 Apr 2003
Posts: 20349
Location: New Jersey
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| Posted: Fri, 10 Aug 2007 20:40:23 Post Subject: |
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To take what NewAwakenings said and make it into sort of an "I told you so"... I worked my half day yesterday, went home and felt fine except for being really tired. Woke up today with a cold and two great cold sores, and already had to call out sick...  |
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NewAwakenings
Your Worst Nightmare
Joined: 08 Jun 2003
Posts: 1516
Location: In your nightmares
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| Posted: Sat, 11 Aug 2007 15:37:54 Post Subject: |
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| Doctor Feelgood wrote: | | To take what NewAwakenings said and make it into sort of an "I told you so"... I worked my half day yesterday, went home and felt fine except for being really tired. Woke up today with a cold and two great cold sores, and already had to call out sick... |
You are pushing yourself to hard!!! When I first went back to work, I worked half days also, BUT I took a 15 minute nap twice duringthat time. It did my body wonders, because working the full half days, just didn't cut it, I as well got sick!!! So you might want to consider if you are goingto work full half days taking timeout for a nap. I know it sounds stupid, but is the only way I could do it. Also make sure you drink lots of non caffinated fluids.
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