Feeling Better...but Still Low Counts

First the good news.... I have been feeling a lot better since my last round of Vidaza and the DLI dose last Thursday. I went home for the weekend and had a great time. My energy level was much better, I even took a walk around the block with Brant. My sister made us the most fantastic dinner on Friday night. I enjoyed just being home without feeling totally wiped out. Brant did take me for my Coke Slurpee and it was awesome!

So the bad news is that my blood counts have not gotten the memo that I am doing better. They are still very low - although I came back from the weekend and my platelets were still at 11 - double digits!! My hemoglobin and WBCs were low and I got a transfusion of blood on Monday but no platelets. They gave me the day off on Tuesday, but I started having some bleeding Monday night so I went in on Tuesday for platelets...the were at 6. Tuesday afternoon and evening I took doses of Amicar because I was still having some bleeding and it is supposed to help. I hate that stuff. I have only taken it a few times, but each time the next day I am very lightheaded and have almost passed out....

I woke up around 5:30 this morning to go to the bathroom and made it just inside the door before fainting. It happened so fast I didn't really feel it coming. Luckily mom is a light sleeper and heard the "thud". I was very blessed to not be injured, just a sore butt cheek. Guess I fell with grace...lol. I really could have been hurt if my head hit that tile floor. That earned me an ambulance ride to the ER and then an admission to Floor 10 to see my good transplant nurses and doctors. Poor mom, I think I aged her another 5 years again!

The ER was not impressive this morning. It took almost 20 minutes for them to start some fluids on me (it really should have been done in the ambulance but we were only 5 blocks away). My blood pressure was in the low 80s/40s range. Mom was beside herself with the lack of speed and was asking for the number to the head of the hospital. She would have connected the bag of saline herself if she could find it. I think there may be a picture of her on the ER wall of irrational family members to watch out for. She really did have a point and they didn't treat her well at all. But I finally got my bolus of fluid and was quickly sent up to the 10th floor.

I feel much better now as I sit here in my hospital bed wide awake from the steroid meds they gave me. I had a transfusion of blood and some platelets during the day. My blood pressure has come up some and we will see what the doctors have to say tomorrow. I am hoping they will let me go and tell me to never take Amicar again. I am still hopeful I can come home for the weekend, but obviously that will depend on how I am doing. I think the Vidaza is having some positive impacts on my disease but I just hope it is enough. I worry about the number of transfusions I receive, but I leave it up to the Big Man to look out for me. I have faith that miracles can happen and this body can recover.