Chemo Round 2 Day 33

I made it to my appointment in Chicago yesterday. On Wednesday, I was able to have lunch with my niece, my sister-in-law and her 2 grandchildren. We had a nice visit. That evening I was able to have dinner with my mother, my brother and his wife. That was also a nice visit and a good time. Thursday I went to the University of Chicago and met with Dr. Larsen, a known expert on Leukemia. When I was there, I was able to speak with the doctor and one of the fellows. They were very nice and answered most of my questions. Unfortunately, my records from Springfield did not make it there before my appointment so they could not give me an opinion as to whether I should have a transplant or not. They told me they would call when they got a chance to review my records from Springfield.

They called me back tonight. They were able to get my records faxed to them today and review them. After review of the records, they feel strongly that I should have the transplant. They believe the risk of recurrence is too high with chemotherapy alone. They think that I run the risk of being in worse shape for the transplant if I wait too long. Either way, I will need to undergo another round of chemotherapy later this month.

I go back to St. Louis next week. They will have checked the bone marrow registry to see if I have any potential matches by the time I get there. Then we will decide whether to proceed with the transplant or not. If we decide to do the transplant, we need to decide whether to do it in St. Louis or Chicago. St. Louis is closer for follow up and to actually get there but Teresa would have to stay in my room or a hotel. If we have it done in Chicago, it is farther for follow up but Teresa would have relatives she can stay with.

I will have more information after my appointment in St. Louis next Wednesday. I will have more information on the blog by Thursday night.

We could use your prayers for guidance in how to proceed and where. We also need your prayers to be sure we can find a match or else there will be no transplant. God has a plan and we just need to be sure what it is and then follow it.


Doc