1-8-03 Journal Entry

Main Page • John's Journal • CLL Information • Contact John • Seattle Cancer Care Alliance • MD Anderson

Here we go! The treatments started today with 765ml of Rhytuxin which had to be administered at Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup. Rhytuxin is an immunotherapy drug that allows the body's immune system to target and destroy the leukemia cells. The nurses don't administer this at the clinic because the infusion takes several hours. I started at 10:30 and finished up at 3:00. They started out giving me the Rhytuxin at a low rate of 33ml/hr and then increased the rate every 1/2 hour until they reach a flow rate of 233ml/hr. If I were to start getting chills or fever they would slow the rate back down. The chills and fever are a result of the body having an allergic reaction to the Rhytuxin. My doctor said there have been patients that take 18 hours for the treatment. I'm thankful my treatment went smoothly. Unfortunately, around 6pm I spiked a fever of 101 and had to go back to the hospital just as a precaution. They took a blood culture and gave me some IV antibiotics. I took some Tylenol and the fever went down and stayed down. I was home by 9pm and slept well. Michelle is insisting I stay home from work tomorrow just to be safe, even though I feel I would be fine at work. There are times, however, when Michelle's word is the final one and tonight was one of those times.

The next three days I will be receiving Fludara and Cytoxin. The side effects should be minimal from these chemotherapy drugs except for the fact that my blood counts will probably drop for a while. As a precaution Dr. Keating will be giving me these drugs at a dose 33% lower than normal. I am pretty nervous about my blood counts. As of Monday my WBC was 108,000 (7,000 10,000 is normal), my platelets were 41,000 (120,000 150,000 is normal) and my hematocrit was 31 (normal is 36 42). I wouldn't be surprised if I needed to receive some blood products during the course of these treatments until my counts start returning to normal. I have to say I am kind of frightened right now because of my low counts. I am faced with the harsh reality of what this disease is capable of doing to me and it scares me. This is definitely a time where I have to put utmost confidence in my doctors and faith in Jesus that he will see me through this.

Other than the poor blood counts I do feel pretty good, except for a few symptoms such as fatigue and feeling kind of faint when I exercise too strenuously. I have had to ease up on my cycling, which is tough on me, because it is such an outlet and a barometer for how I'm feeling. Hopefully, I will be able to pick things up again in a couple of months. Right now I do some weight lifting and low level pedaling on the stationary bike at the YMCA. I do have to be careful not to injure myself, because with a low platelet count my blood doesn't clot too well if I start bleeding. Michelle caught me trying to cut up our Christmas tree the other day and put a stop to that. I did go snowboarding with the boys last Friday, which wasn't the smartest thing to do, but hey, I promised the boys we would go and so we did. Unfortunately, my oldest boy CJ broke his arm on the slopes that day. He's not too happy since it is right in the middle of his basketball season. Needless to say, we will be staying off the slopes for a while.

I do want to close my journal today by saying thank you to everyone who has been concerned about how I am doing. I greatly appreciate all the calls, emails, cards, etc. It is so uplifting to know so many people are supporting me. In addition, my time in the hospital yesterday was made so much easier by the people that came by to visit. A special thanks to you guys. I also want to say thanks to all the help we have been getting from friends and family with the boys. I know this whole ordeal is very difficult on CJ, Kyler, and Tanner, and I know the help that friends and family give to keep their routines as normal as possible make it a lot easier on them. Michelle and I are so blessed we don't have to walk this road alone.

Michelle's good friend Maidee gave us these three small stones. I carry them with me every time I go in for treatment. I think they express the three attributes that are needed to get through difficult times in life. We all have tough times, but with a little courage, some hope, and a lot of faith we can get through it. Personally, my faith is in Jesus and my hope and my courage come from him. Finally, I am confident that every prayer people lift up for me and my family makes a difference. Keep them coming.

Next
Back