OK, let’s see if my attention span and overall cognitive function is up to this… When last I wrote I’d just had my transplant. As I wrote at the time, the transplant itself was a big, fat, hairy nothingburger; it was just another bag through the IV. It was the aftermath that was an adventure….
AML News, #14. Finally.
They told me the actual transplant would be something of an anti-climax, and they were right. After all of the roller coaster rides of the illness, the relapse, the bureacratic shenanigans, the fundraising, the endless medical appointments, the chemo, more chemo, and even more chemo… after all of that, the actual transplant is just another…
AML News, Lucky number 13
Shit’s about to get real… •Clean bone marrow biopsy. Check. •Urgent dental work. Check. • Pass various medical tests: chest x-ray, pulmonary function, EKG, echocardiogram. Check. • Care team in place for the recovery period. Check. • Various sundry bureaucratic shenanigans dealt with. Check. • Funds raised for care team and living expenses during recovery….
AML News, Part 12
Just good news this time. I’ve been feeling decent to good for a few months now. I’ve been doing things which city people would call “hikes”, but I call “itsy-bitsy, teensy-tinsy miniature walklettes.” Three to four miles on mostly flat ground. That’s good for a leukemia patient, but the thrill of clearing such a low…
AML News, Part 11
A few more weeks have passed… where was I? Oh, right. Relapse. Three un-great options to get back into remission so that I can get the transplant. It turns out, there was another option. A new drug which was only approved in December of 2022. Olutasidenib. A drug so obscure that the UCSF team didn’t…
AML News, Part 10
Yes, boys and girls, it’s time for another installment of the exciting saga “Garth’s Seemingly Endless Good News/Bad News Unfunny Joke.” In this eventful episode, there’s both good news and bad news galore. Giant watertanks full of news. Here are some highlights. First the good news. The fundraising worked well. Let me reiterate my ginormous…
AML News, part 9
Oh, boy. Lots of stuff has been happening. This could be a long one. Let’s start with a crude outline: Introduction and wide angle update Party, On, Garth! overview Gratitude Party On, Garth! Booze license saga Looking ahead Introduction and updates Nearly all of the news is good. My short-term health continues to be OK….
AML News, Part 8
I’ve been trying to be cheerful and optimistic through this journey, but my optimism is being stretched thin. Ironically, it’s not my immediate medical condition that’s got me aggravated; I actually feel OK. It’s not the long-term prognosis; that’s still pretty good. It’s not even the month in the hospital with the treatment and transplant…
AML News, Part 7
It’s been a long time since I’ve updated this beast; I’d better get on it or casual site visitors will assume I’m dead. I’m planning on doing two posts in quick succession. This one will be a matter-of-fact update about where I’ve been and where I am, AML-wise. The second will be the beginnings of…
AML Hospitalization News/Journal, Part 6
Well, it’s been a while, I suppose I should write another hospitalization post. The problem is, there’s very little news to report. I continue to be stuck in the hospital. I continue to feel OK. The doctors say I’ll be able to go home for a few weeks when my blood counts, especially the neutrophils,…