Today's Doctor Appointment

My white blood cell count is 3.5 and the percentage of each type of wbc is within the normal range!!!!  Four weeks ago, it was 317 and the percentage of neutrophils was way too high! Now, the concern is that my white blood cell count will drop too low.  All the counts related to red blood cells are still low, but holding steady.  The tender spot in my neck is a swollen lymph node and we are just going to keep an eye on it.

After my doctor appointment, we (Roger, Katie, and I) went to the office to drop off and pick up some files. Afterward, we went to lunch at a Chinese place near the office. The nurse practitioner had asked me how I was doing with bone pain, and Roger and I were discussing that. He asked me about the stairs at work, and I realized that when I went up the stairs, my legs didn't hurt and I didn't get short of breath. Roger said he noticed that I didn't stop on the landing to catch my breath. Wow, that is a sign of progress!!

On the way home, we stopped at the mall to pick up some calcium supplements at GNC and get my wedding rings cleaned and inspected.  My CML medicine causes osteoporosis, but I already have it, so I think I should start being serious about taking better care of my bones.  I used to take calcium every day, but I've gotten lazy about it.  I am supposed to get my rings inspected every six months to avoid invalidating the extended warranty. The jeweler politely chided me for being late. When I said last month was a little busy, he replied that everyone says that.  I didn't bother explaining that I was busy having leukemia. :-) All that walking in the mall didn't make my legs hurt or make me feel weak. It is nice to start feeling normal again. I did try to nap when we got home, but I didn't fall asleep, so I'm exhausted this evening.

Backing up a bit...

When I was in the hospital, I asked the doctor if the chemo drug was affecting me that badly. Why did I go from functioning somewhat normally on Wednesday to hospitalized by Saturday?  He said I was on the fence, and getting the diagnosis was the feather that knocked me off the fence. Once I knew I was sick and gave myself permission to give into it, I became pretty much non-functional. He said that if I hadn't gone to the doctor for a physical, I still would have been diagnosed within a month because I was close to collapsing.