Spring is Here - Finally!

It is a beautiful day in Baltimore. Spring is finally here after a long and arduous winter. This kind of weather makes everyone feel more energetic, don't you think?

I had my oncologist appointment with Dr. Doug Smith on April 10th. While he has big shoes to fill in Dr. Carraway's absence, he seems like a really nice guy and one that I will get along with just fine. I like that he's willing to give me his email address and he actually responds to any questions or concerns immediately.

As usual, I had my blood work done prior to my appointment. All of my counts were right where they were supposed to be, except my protein levels (the immune system makes these proteins) - they are still lower than normal and have been for about a year. Called Protein-Losing Enteropathy, this is an  indication that something might be going on in my gut. My GI doc, Dr. Linda Lee, ordered two tests - a specialized blood test, (my levels were fine which is good), and a stool-collection test (ugh!) that indicated that I was in fact losing protein (not good). An endoscopy, which examines the upper intestinal tract, was ordered with unremarkable results. The next step is a Capsule Endoscopy which means I will swallow a camera in a capsule that will take hundreds of pictures of my lower intestine (from my stomach down) to see if there is any kind of problem. Not sure when that is going to happen, but it certainly sounds interesting. I'm just wondering who is going to fish that camera out once the test is complete!  Will keep you posted.

Five Years and Counting

March 13th was the 5th anniversary of my leukemia diagnosis and I must say, I've been doing pretty darn good for an old broad. I reflect back on that fateful day in 2009 when I received the news--I had Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia in blast-crises stage. I was scared and exhausted from all the poking and prodding that commenced. The only thing I was able to control was my thinking, so, I chose to hold onto the notion that I was going to be okay; that I wasn't going to die. I believe that positive attitude made all the difference.

Today I live a normal, happy, healthy life, at least for the most part. Having leukemia probably aged me a bit; I know it definitely changed my thinking about life's big questions, so whose to say I wouldn't have encountered the same minor health issues I'm facing today even if I hadn't gotten leukemia. Geez, I'm not getting any younger! Everyday I count my blessings, cherish my friendships, and love spending time with my family - they are what's important.

My next oncology appointment is April 10th, 2014 when I meet my new oncologist, Dr. Doug Smith. In a previous post I wrote of my heartbreak of my beloved Dr. Carraway moving to Cleveland - oh, how I miss her. I still go to JHH every 4 months for blood work even after 5 years. I am hopeful that this time my appointments will jump to every 6 months. God Bless All!

Look for more news of my upcoming Leukemia Lymphoma Team in Training Fundraiser to take place this summer.