Monday, April 19, 2010

Incredible News!!

Hello Wonderful Friends and Family
This is the Leukemia Mamma!!

The Doctors came this morning to me with big smiles saying; "you are well enough to go home tomorrow". With a stunned face I thought they were kidding!!
But what about my white cell count... does it not have to completely be killed and then come back up??

Well, the way that I have handled the chemo thus far, so well... no fever, no nausea (praise God), They say I can be home! So, don't come to the hospital.... I won't be here after about 11:00 tomorrow morning!

I still have 6-7 months of chemo ahead of me. I cannot have even a sniffle or cough around me, will have to avoid large gatherings... no going to church... but I can be home with my Rob so he will not be traveling back and forth to see me! This is good.

I will come back and forth to the Out Patient Unit for all chemo treatments.
I still need to watch for fever or any other complication with a phone call to the Out Patient Unit to determine the best course of action. Of course, if there are serious responses... I can always be admitted again... but YOUR PRAYERS are the source of this good news. So, I am trusting God to keep me well enough to be home.

I am part way through my first "Protocol" of treatment. When it is nearly done, they will do another bone marrow biopsy to see how effective the treatments have been and how much Leukemia is left. Then they decide what the next protocol will be. They choose different chemo drugs for each protocol, so my body will not build up a resistance to the drugs.

For those who do not know... the Leukemia attacks the white blood cells, and then multiplies like crazy filling my blood stream with cancerous white blood cells that do not fight desease. So, the chemo kills the white blood cells. When my red blood cells (hemoglobin) drop below 80 (normal being between 120 - 180) then I have another blood transfusion. ( that is what happened this last thursday when my count was 79 - they gave me two more units of blood). When my platelets drop below 10 then they give me a blood transfusion. But, they cannot give a transfusion for the white blood cells. The white blood cells are produced through the bone marrow. So, the Chemo kills all the bad white cells (cancer) and the good white cells. So the next phase is to wait for the white blood cells to reproduce again and then watch to see if the cancer continues to reproduce.

So, it is especially during the time when my white blood count is down, that I am most susceptible to catching anything and I don't have the white blood cells to fight any infection.
What a journey. I have been learning so much.

Thank you again for your love and care. Your words of encouragement and affirmation have been overwhelming. I am feeling held in your love.

If you are healthy, I can have visitors, but please call first. I need to block off 1-3 so I can sleep in the day and rest. So, if you can avoid that time frame that would be good.

Blessings to each of you...
Lorna

4 comments:

  1. GOD IS GOOD!!! I am so so so happy for all of you! Keeping you upheld in prayer!!

    Love you lady!!
    (PS, Dennis sends a big hug!)

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  2. Dear Lorna and Fam,

    What great news you have today! It means you must be coming home this morning! Our prayers are turning into Praises but we will continue to pray with our kids for complete healing.
    Thank you for being such a great example of faith, trust and good attitude in times of difficulty.
    Bless you,
    Richard

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  3. Lorna, all our distress at what has befallen you is turning to wonderment. Wonderment at how you are handling it all, as well as respect for you growing by leaps and bounds. As well, it is wonderful to know how God is taking care of you, trusting Him to finish a good work that He has begun in healing you. I trust that you will come out of this, stronger than before, full of zest for life and love ... and we will see you capture the beauty He has created with even more passion, love and depth. I pray beautiful things will emerge out of this situation as we see God turn things around from devastation to glory.

    Carmen Tome (the mad scientist, artist)

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  4. When listening to you write about the printer - what timing God has - if you can have someone else do the walking to grow your business when your legs are unable to do the walking. PTL Praying for God's grace to continue to hold you and your family up on this long journey in health and spirit.
    Diane

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