Today I visited the foot doctor and she took away my boot and my crutches ... Horray! I feel so weird walking around so ... unencumbered. I have two hands to carry things up the stairs. I can drive and stand in the shower. I will no longer have to crawl to the toilet in the middle of the night because I am too sleepy to navigate the crutches. Yet again, I have been born again!
Not to say that all my medical troubles are finished. On Monday, I went to clinic and my platelet count had dropped again to eleven. My other counts weren't looking so hot either, especially my red cells. I got an infusion of platelets Monday and I am going back for a blood transfusion on Thursday. Each blood transfusion takes about four hours. Platelets take about one hour and IVIG treatments run roughly four hours. Depending on what I need tomorrow, I could be there all day.
The fact that my platelets dropped again shows that my condition hasn't improved. The professionals seem to agree that I have some sort of autoimmune disorder, but they are split over how to treat it. Some say put me on steroids (Nooooooooo! Not the magic pills that make me bitchy, sad and sleepless, not to mention diabetic). Others say Rituxan, a monoclonal antibody that can search and destroy militant B-cells (I have had this medicine before, as part of my first round of chemo in 2004). I'm leaning toward Rituxan just because I hate steroids, but I really need to find out which is the better monster.
On the home-hunting front, we had a heartbreaker on Monday. We didn't just lose, we came in last out of five other offers. It was especially painful because we felt hopeful about this one; we'd made a strong offer (so we thought), a little over asking with no contingencies. But somebody else out there bid way, way over the asking price, leaving us in the dust. Since this is the third time we've bid on a house and the third time we've lost to multiple high bidders, I felt demoralized. I felt sad and wistful all day yesterday, somehow imagining I wasn't going to find a house I liked and could afford, ever. Thankfully, I feel better today.
cheers,
Katie
Comments (3)
Dear katie,
I just wrote you a long note and it was lost-will write agian tomorrow.
Love,
MOM
Posted by Mom | July 1, 2009 8:43 PM
Posted on July 1, 2009 20:43
Dear Katie,
I wrote you last night and this am and tried to POST it and Poof, it was rejected;the story of my life. What is going on with your platelets? Excuse me, Katie that was a rhetorical question. I am hoping and praying that they find an answer soon. How do you feel in general? HOORAY, the boot and crutches are gone!!! I've been there and done that. I got my cumbersome brace the other day and it keeps my knee in alignment and that gives me more stability on the whole. I think I am doing well on the whole with alking with it. At first I really looked like Chester on "GUNSMOKE". I am starting to fell like the Bionic Woman with my inserts in my shoes for my Plantar Fachiata, my brace, my patials in my mouth, and my glasses-I sleep next to a lot of my parts-I'll never be lonely!!! The joys of the GOLDEN YEARS!!!
Don is painting the iron fence in the fromt of our palce-lots of work but will look awesome when finished.
I sent Zach a 4th of July package and there is something in it for you which hopefully will lift your spirits. I'm working on the 4th but that is time and a half and it will be my last to work ever if all goes well.
So sorry about the house situation. That has got to be nastily disappointling. There is nothing that I can-out economy has gone to the dogs,
Well, love and huigs to you and hopefully this wil get through.
Mom
Posted by Mom | July 2, 2009 10:57 AM
Posted on July 2, 2009 10:57
Back on the blog! Glad to see it and catch up a bit, although sorry to hear about all the ups and downs - both with the recovery and with the house hunt. I was telling Ian that I've been going through much the same thing here in LA, with people coming in with these crazy overbids... But I also keep in mind that many of the friends I've spoken to who love their houses talk about a loooooong process to get there. Frustrating indeed, but for the right place at the right price, worth the wait!
Anyway, wishing you good luck and good health from the Southland!
Cheers,
Aaron
Posted by Aaron | July 7, 2009 11:57 AM
Posted on July 7, 2009 11:57