Scans Clear!

Great news, friends.....both the PET and CT scans were negative. Thank God for answered prayer! I'm pressed for time right now but wanted to share the great news.  I have my bone marrow biopsy Monday. I think the scans are "bigger" because they would detect lymphoma, which is the more aggressive.....more soon....Dan

Working Man

First Day of Work!!

Hi ya'all, we hit another major milestone this week as I returned to work at IBM.  I had planned to be back a week ago but the administrative process for getting off of long term disability turns out to be a major headache.  And, though I am on the payroll as of today, I still don't have access to any IBM systems.  I'm sure that by the end of this week, I will be fully engaged and enabled.  It feels great to be back - quite an emotional day, given the events of the past 8 months.  I feel extremely blessed and grateful.

I had a checkup with Dr. Kritz a week ago, and it went very well.  My neutrophil count was 2800, up from 1100 two weeks prior.  This shows great balance and strength in my blood cell production.  Also, it's already time for my next re-staging battery of tests....every 90 days for the first year.  I'll have PET and CAT scans this Thursday the 19th, and a bone marrow biopsy on Monday the 23rd.  My next post will be with the results of those tests.  Please lift Renee and I up in prayer.

More soon.....bless you and yours......Dan

Travelin' Man

Self-portrait with the famous Lone Cypress backing us up - June 29

       
         Greetings, fellow blogophiles.  Another 2 weeks have gone by since my previous post, so in a sense, I am right on time with this one.  I am currently flying over the Sierra Nevada mountains, one of my favorite places on earth.  Renee and I are returning from a short week out in the Monterey/San Jose area.  More on that later.
        Medically, it's been a good two weeks.  My counts have been steady if not spectacular - platelets holding around 100,000, and white count a little under 4,000.  My ANC was 1100 last Monday, which is OK, but a little too close to the neutropenia line for my comfort.   Still, Dr. Kritz was very pleased, and said 'see you in two weeks'- a graduation of sorts from my weekly cadence.  My only issues have been the continuing neuropathy in my feet, along with my two ingrown toenails (big toes on both feet).   I'll skip the details, as obviously, these are small issues in the broad sweep of things.

With Mom and Dad in front of their flower garden, Geneva, IL, June 22

        In the next few days, my doctors are beginning to reduce the drug (Prograf, or Tacrolimus) that I have been taking since just before my transplant.   This drug suppresses my new immune system - I had it in larger doses back then, and it was reduced a few months ago....but the purpose of it is to keep my new immune system from attacking my tissues.  If things go well, I will be off of it in a month, and my new immune system will be up to full strength.  That is not to say that it will be mature, or able to protect me completely from disease and infection - that process will take years.   You may remember that the stem cells that I received were "reset" in the transplant process to the maturity of a newborn.  During the next two years, I will receive all my childhood inoculations again.  You'll also recall that I already contracted a childhood virus, pityriosis, in my skin.  So, it's a major step forward in my recovery to get off this tacrolimus, but it's just a step along the long journey.

View from the 8th fairway at Pebble Beach Golf Links

      Here's another major step...I am planning to get back to work at IBM a week from Monday.  I'm not sure if I can get all the administrative stuff done so that I can start on July 9th, but that is the goal.  I am blessed with a great boss, John Paterson, who has been extremely supportive throughout this entire ordeal.  John has arranged for me to return in a role that will not over-stress my system, but will allow me to gradually build back up to full strength over time.  During that period, which could be a few months, we will also be on the lookout for the right 'permanent' role, such as the one I was doing prior to last November.  The important thing is that I'm going back to work soon!
        My trip to Chicago was great.  I spent lots of quality time with my parents and my sister Jill and her wonderful family;  played golf with a great friend from high school, and really enjoyed everything. This short trip out to the west coast, with Renee, was also a great blessing.  We spent some time out on the Monterey peninsula, crossed a couple things off our "bucket list", and then spent the weekend with our friends Jeff and Melissa, who were our neighbors and dear friends in Raleigh for a lotta years.  It was a short visit, but yesterday we managed to combine a jaunt to Muir Woods National Monument with an evening in the city (San Francisco) at an Anjelah Johnson show at Cobb Comedy Club. Anjelah happens to be a Christian comic -you can check her out on Youtube.

Renee with Jeff and Melissa at Muir Woods, June 30

        Well, that's a lot of news.  I seem to be in a very good place medically, and we continue to pray for grace, mercy, and peace from our loving God.  Later in July I will have another re-staging with a bone marrow biopsy, a CAT scan, and a PET scan.  We're already in prayer for that. If you would pray for my return to work to go well, I will be grateful.   PLEASE, let us know how we can pray for you. 

Romans 11:33-36     Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!  Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?  Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?  For from him and through him and for him are all things.  To him be the glory forever! Amen.

God's glory revealed at Muir Woods

Plu ça Change...

Smoky Mountain Vista taken from the Blue Ridge Parkway, 6-3-12

Plu ça change.....        

        That's probably really bad French.... it's supposed to mean "the more things change", and you're supposed to fill in the rest (plu ca la mem change) - "the more they stay the same".  I hope someone can correct me on that.  We do have some changes to report, plus new blood counts, but I am pressed for time so forgive me if I am to the point.  Let's go to the numbers - platelets up from 99,000 to 126,000!  This is excellent, indicating my marrow is continuing to recover from the recent "insult", (Dr. Kritz called it that - isn't' that a great word in this situation?)  which they continue to believe was a virus of unknown identity.  My white count dropped precipitously, from about 13,000 down to 3,800 - this was expected because we stopped the neupogen support on the 6th of June.  My ANC (absolute neutrophil count) is 1500, which is fine - but we don't want it to drop further (less than 1,000 is "neutropenia").  I will get checked again Monday morning, just before leaving for Chicago.  Yes, Chicago, not Houston.

        So here's the plu ca change ....I got an email from Dr. Bollard (see last post) indicating that the prepared t-cells did not "play nice" with my other sister's (Jill's) blood cells - the t-cells killed them.  This test, required by the FDA, has to be a "pass" in order for me to continue as a subject for this trial.  Therefore the t-cell project is on indefinite hold.  I had planned to fly from Houston to Chicago to spend a couple of days with my parents and Jill and her family - so with the cancellation of the t-cell infusion, I decided to extend that trip to 4 days - I'll arrive Monday afternoon and return Friday afternoon.  We already have a lot planned for those 3 days (Tu-Wed-Thu), so hopefully, much blog photo material will be on the way!  (I deduce that the Lord wanted me in Chicago on Monday and Tuesday, not in Houston!  All will be well.)

        Back to the t-cell project - we will try to re-run the required tests with a couple of different cell populations - the same t-cells, but tested for compatibility with some of my own skin cells, and also against a sample of my dad's blood.  I can't go into the medical detail except to say that they are trying to demonstrate that the t-cells, once infused into my body, will not cause a negative reaction.  This process may take many weeks.  Again, the overall purpose of the trial is to give my body an additional defense against the possible return of the lymphoma.

I need to run now.....God keep you and bless you.......Dan and Renee

Photos, Counts, and Gratitude

One of Renee's many garden accents - fairy habitat :-)

Hello friends, I saw Jessica and Dr. Kritz (very briefly) yesterday.....When I am doing very well, Dr. Kritz lets Jessica (advanced practice nurse or APN) see me and he focuses his attention on people with more troubles - as he should.  Anyway, my platelets were up again, this time to 99,000 (from 77,000) - which is GREAT news.  Dr. Kritz pronounced my count-killing malady (still unidentified) as "resolved".  My white count and neutrophils were still way high, so we will stop the neupogen shots and see where my counts stabilize unaided.

I have two trips to Houston coming up, June 18-20 and July 2-3, for my t-cell infusions.  Briefly, these t-cells were taken from my sister Laure, my donor, a few months ago, then modified to "target" EBV, the virus that is integrated with my lymphoma tumor cells.  Then they are copied into the billions of cells and will be infused into my body on the two aforementioned dates.  The design is that these super t-cells will attack and kill any lymphoma/EBV that tries to reconstitute in my body - preventing a relapse of the highly aggressive lymphoma that I HAD!  Any of you scientific types may enjoy further reading here:

http://www.clinicaltrial.gov/ct2/show/NCT00062868

This is a clinical trial.. and this is the doc that is in charge - she is with the Baylor College of Medicine and is a native New Zealander:

http://www.bcm.edu/fromthelab/vol05/is8/1006-2.html

I continue to be stunned and amazed at my medical status - cancer-free, counts looking good - healthy and active - the Lord has blessed me and my family and we are full of gratitude and praise.  He is in control - always has been, always will be.  If we think we are in control, it is an illusion.  The illusion can be shattered in tragic ways.  I was under no such illusion, thanks be to God, and as I told a friend yesterday, I think it is a beautiful thing that we believers can confront a trial and KNOW that it is the Lord, saying in effect - "I have a tough assignment for you - it will challenge you and it will be hard, but if you trust me, it will bear eternal fruit in your life and in the lives of others".  This is miraculous, beautiful, and amazing.

As I left the clinic yesterday, I saw this family of geese that has taken up residence on the lawn outside the front door -

Please join me in looking for the beauty of God's creation every day.  It's there in so many ways, and it's there for us.  Any of you wondering about my return to work - I can say that given these latest improvements in my counts, discussions are beginning on that topic, which is another praise.  Much love - Dan and Renee

With partner Dave Murray, victorious at my club's Member-Member tournament a couple of weeks ago.

Hello all - quick update today on my visit with Dr. Kritz yesterday.  My platelets were up again, this time to 77,000 (from 54,000).  So, very good news there - also my neutrophils were WAY UP, to levels heretofore unknown, i.e., 14,000.....where 'normal' is between 2,000 and 3,000.  We continue to believe that my marrow is cranking out these elements as it should be, though the neutrophils are inflated by neupogen shots, and should moderate as we back off that drug therapy.  So, things continue to look positive.  I will have another blood test next tuesday and will update you again then.  As always, thanks for your prayers and encouragement.  Thanks be to God for all our blessings.  Dan

Bone Marrow Awakening!

The young woman Rachel Rooker on her first day of work
(those are stockings, not tattoos!!  Gotcha!!)

Lieber Freundin, we have good news today.  First, my daughter Rachel, our oldest at age 22, received an offer of employment from Lane Bryant clothing stores on Friday!  She eagerly accepted and started work yesterday - her first day on her first job!!  Rachel has always kept busy writing and making jewelry, but has not scored a job until this week.  She is home for the summer and has one more semester at UNC-Asheville to get her degree in creative writing.  Renee had been praying with particular fervor and constancy about this because it was becoming a real burden for Rachel to be among the 'jobless'.  So, once again we are praising the Lord for answers to prayers.

Speaking of which, yesterday Renee and I were in the clinic, waiting for that big needle to be punched through my hip bone, and the PA, Jessica, was with us looking at my lab results and said, "I don't think you are going to be having a bone marrow biopsy today.....what have you been eating?"  The quip about what I had been eating was prompted by my platelets having jumped from 21,000 to 53,000 in 7 days.  Additionally, my neutrophils had gone through the roof, up from 400 to over 7,000!!!  (Which is way above normal).  So, the doctoral view is that for unknown reasons, my bone marrow is beginning to crank out platelets and neutrophils and the problem that caused the suppression is resolved or resolving.  The behavior argues for the virus theory, but we still don't know for sure, nor what virus might be the culprit.  And, we may never know - but guess what?  The Lord knows, and he has full control over all this stuff;  that's very comforting.

My next clinic visit for labs is next Tuesday, so we'll see then if this very positive trend continues.  Until then, thanks for your continuing support.  I will post next Tuesday or Wednesday latest.  God's best to you from us......Dan and Fam